Feather Woman of the Jungle (11 page)

BOOK: Feather Woman of the Jungle
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Then as his wife did so, he first tied up our hands and legs with ropes. After that he put plenty of woods in the centre of that room and then lighted them. When the fire became powerful, he pushed every one of us nearly to touch it so that we might be roasted to death. Having done that he told his wife to take her eyes away from us or to stop to look sternly
at us. But she hardly stopped to look sternly at us when we gained our power back. We could move and control every part of our bodies and then we were woken by the heat of the fire at the same time because we had nearly roasted to death before she took her eyes away from us.

Now, he and his wife sat in a little distance from us. Both were laughing greatly at us as we were in great suffering
before
the fire. After a while his wife put some pepper in that fire and as it was burning, we began to cough repeatedly. As our bodies were perspiring it was so our eyes and nostrils were watering and as we were shouting greatly for help it was so we were coughing and sneezing continuously and it was so both wife and husband were mocking and laughing at us.

After a while about two of us were fainted again and then we were three who were still shouting greatly with sorrow. But to our fear, these three men were hardly fainted when this fearful hairy giant and his wife walked to us and held them on heads and feet. They were preparing to put them in the centre of that big fire to be roasted and then to eat them. But luckily, before that time, the ropes with which my hands and feet were tied up, had dried up by the heat of the fire. So as they wanted to put these three fainted men in the fire, I was so feared that I stretched my body with all my power and then the ropes cut from my feet and hands suddenly.

Then without hesitation, I rushed furiously against them and as they were still holding the three men and were just lowering them into the fire, both of them fell backward
suddenly
as I dashed to them. The three men fell away from their hands at the same time when they were trying to save
themselves
from falling. And again, before they stood up, I ran to the corner on which his cudgel of stone was leaned and then I took it and again, without hesitation, I ran to the outside of the house. I hastily picked up my gun and got ready to shoot them to death when they came to me. And they hardly got up
when they were running to the outside just to beat me to death at once. But as he and his wife were passing through the narrow door and as it was not contain both of them to pass out at a time. So their heads struck each other so heavily that they fell back to the house and the pains were so much for them that they were unable to stand up and then come to me.

So I ran to them and beat their arms with his cudgel until all were broken instead to shoot them with my gun. Then I hastily ran back to that room, I first took the three fainted men to the outside so that the fresh air might rush to them, and after that I ran back to the room, I cut the ropes away from the feet and hands of the rest men and then I helped them to the outside as well. All lay helplessly because they had nearly to die of heat of that fire. But as I was doing all this, the hairy giant was gaining his strength gradually and I hardly bent down just to examine the condition of those fainted men when he ran to me. He gave me a heavy blow suddenly and then I fell down a little distance away from him. But I hardly fell down when I hastily stood up and then I ran to him just to beat him in return. But it was a great disappointment to me that I was unable to do that when he gave me another heavy blow which landed me several times.

But as I believed that he would kill the rest men if I left them there and ran away for my life. So I ran to him again, but I started to wrestle with him this time. He tried to raise the whole of me off the ground and then to knock me to the ground but I did not give him chance to do that. After a while I held his right leg just to lift it up and then to push him backward but I was unable to lift it. It was so every one of us was trying all his power till about seven o’clock in the morning.

Before that time I had become so tired that I had no more hope that I would be saved. But as he was unable to knock me down, so he began to push me along to the extreme end of
this hill, so that he might push me from there on to the big river which was at the foot of it. Having pushed me to the edge and as he pushed me to fall on that river. So I hastily held his neck with all my power and this prevented me from falling.

And he was still trying to push me on to that river, when Ajasa became conscious and then he ran to him and he pushed him suddenly and then he fell down with me. But as he was still struggling to stand up and then to revenge on us, we pushed him to the extreme end of the hill and then he rolled down on to the river at the same time. Having seen this, his wife, the hairy giantess, stood up and wobbled to us. But as she wanted to revenge on us, we joined hands together and pushed her on to that river as well.

As both of them were still struggling to save themselves from drowning, then we packed up our loads. Having helped the rest men to stand up, we continued our journey at the same time before the hairy giant and his wife saved
themselves
from the river. Having travelled far away from that hill and that we were quite sure that we were saved from them. Then we stopped and rested for some hours before we found some edible fruits which we ate. And within a few days, all of us were well. That was how we were saved from the hairy giant and his wife.

Then the people sang and danced for a while before they went back to their houses with great joy.

On the Way to My Village

The entertainment of the tenth night

Many special ceremonies were performed as the people of my village were drinking the palm-wine. Many lovely songs were sung and we danced together for about two hours because the stories of my journeys would be related to the end this night. But as we were still dancing and singing very loudly with great joy. The people were coming more and more from other villages to hear the rest story. Those who too old or too young to walk were brought by heads and shoulders.

After the drums were stopped to beat and we stopped to dance and sing, and everyone sat quietly. Then I continued to tell the last story as follows:

When we had saved from the Hairy Giant and his wife, the Hairy Giantess, who were the killers of the road of the town of wealths. Then we continued to travel along on that road. And within a few hours, we travelled about twenty miles
before
we stopped when we saw one hut a little distance from the road. But we did not see anybody in it nor we saw any sign to show us that the owner of it was coming in there
frequently
. Because there were spider webs all over the ceiling and several antlion pits were in every part of the corners.

So when we put our loads down, we made fire in the centre of the hut and those who had wounded and fainted in the house of the Hairy Giant, began to warm themselves with the heat of the fire. After a while, Ajasa and I went around that place. Luckily, we saw a big farm in which yams were planted. So we took as many as would sufficient for the whole of us,
and then we came back to the hut. We roasted them and ate them to our satisfaction. It was like that we enjoyed our lives until those who had wounded were well.

We spent more than ten days in that hut with happiness but one midnight, after we had joked and laughed greatly, then we lay down and slept within a few minutes. And as we were still enjoying the sleep, we were woken suddenly by the great noise of a mad man. He held up one broken pot in which there was a big fire. The flame of the fire was so high up that it shone to everywhere. He hung a very big head of a buffalo on left shoulder and the blood was dropping down from it as he was shouting and coming to us, so this showed us that he had just killed that buffalo. There was a heavy stone on his head and one long cutlass in his right hand. He hung many fearful things all over his neck, waist, ankles, etc. He was half-naked and he was too fearful to see and his voice was too fearful to listen to.

And he was shouting terribly as he was coming to the hut as fast as he could: “Are you in there? How many of you in that hut? I am very hungry! Please wait for me!” Then with great fear all of us sat up and gazed at him as he was coming as hastily as he could. When he was at a little distance to the hut, he guided his eyes with right hand as he gazed at the hut, so that the powerful fire which he was carrying might not shine in to his eyes. He saw every one of us clearly when the fire shone to the hut. Having seen us, he was so happy that he began to jump up at the same time and was coming direct to us with great joy. But when he was about to enter the hut and as his attitudes showed that he was a real mad man and that he was coming in to kill us. Then we hastily took our loads and we began to run away in the darkness.

And without hesitation, this terrible mad man began to chase us along with the fire in hand. But when we believed that he would catch us soon, we scattered in the bush
unexpectedly
.
Ajasa and I climbed one tree to the top and we hid there while the rest four men entered the deep hole of a big rock which was not so far from that tree. It was like that every one of us had tried to save his own life. As Ajasa and I sat quietly on top of that tree, we saw this mad man as he was searching for us with the flame of the powerful fire.

After a while, he saw the hole in which the rest men hid, but as he was entering it and as I believed that if he met them in there, he would kill them right out. So without hesitation, I shot him at back, but alas! my gun missed him and he did not feel anything on his back at all. Then having failed to disturb him from entering the hole, we began to whistle to them so that they might know that he was coming in to them. But we did not hear reply from them or any sign to show us that they heard the whistle. To our fear, after a few seconds that he had entered the hole, we began to hear the sorrowful noises and within a few minutes everything was quiet. We did not hear any noise again but we did not see neither our men nor the mad man to come out from the hole.

But as we were preparing to come down from the tree and then to enter the hole and see what had happened to our men. We saw him coming out with the heads of the men in his both hands. He had killed them. And then Ajasa and I bursted in tears at the same moment. To our fear again, as we were still weeping, he hardly came out when he began to look for us. After he had searched around there but did not see us, he began to look at the top of every tree which were near the rock. After a while he came to the tree on top of which we hid. He looked at the top of it for a few minutes and then he saw us when the flame of the powerful fire in his hand shone to our eyes.

Then he put the fire down and also all the heads of our men at the bottom of that tree. He held his cutlass firmly and then began to shake the tree with all his power. But of course,
when I believed that if we came down, no doubt, he would kill us as well as he had killed the rest of us. So with fear, I shot his forehead and he fell down helplessly. Then we began to come down from the tree with the hope to continue to run away for our lives as before. But we hardly stepped down when he sprang up and he gripped Ajasa as firmly as if
nothing
had happened to him. Having seen him did so, I snatched his cutlass, I flung it far off and as he was trying to lay Ajasa down and then to smash him to death before he would come back to me. I hastily loaded my gun again and I shot his head for the second time. He turned round and then fell down but he still held Ajasa so tightly that he (Ajasa) was unable to take his hand back from him.

So without hesitation both of us began to pull the hand. But this mad man did not leave it until when he became
conscious
and then he was scrambling it with us as he was rolling here and there on the ground. At last, when we were unable to take Ajasa’s hand back from him, I ran to his fire which was in a big broken pot. I took it and then ran back to the spot. I threw the whole of it on his head and breast. Then he felt so much pain this time that he released Ajasa’s hand by force. And without hesitation, I took my gun and then we ran away for our lives. But I believed, he would die soon after we had left him because he was unable to stand up and chase us. But of course, the rest of our loads and the bows and arrows, etc. which the god of thunder had given us in Ede town, were in the hole of that rock together with the dead bodies of our men.

We ran as fast we could till the daybreak and then we stopped, we sat on a big insect mould which was on the
roadside
. Both of us began to think of the death of our four men. Having thought about them for some minutes, we continued to travel along on the usual road without eating anything, of course, we did not feel to eat and this was due to the sudden
death of the men. And we came to the town of wealths when it was about five o’clock in the evening.

As we were travelling along in the town, we asked the first man we met to take us to the house of the chief and he took us to the house. We entered and met him in his sitting-room. He was among many people by that time but we waited until when he had finished with the people. Then we told him that we wanted to lodge in his house for only a few days when we would continue our journey. He asked whether we were looking for a job to do but we replied at the same time that we did not come there for any job but we come there to take from their wealths (all kinds of precious metals) to our
village
. He was greatly shocked to hear like that from us, but anyhow, he allowed us to lodge in his house. This town was very beautiful, gold, silver and diamond blocks were as
common
as sands everywhere in the town but the inhabitants did not recognize them as good things but they never allowed any body to take any of them away from there. But once the chief had heard from us that we come there to take some of their wealths away, he told their king and then they began to keep watch of our movements around the town.

One night, when the whole people had slept, I took one big gold block and I wrapped it with one bag and Ajasa did the same thing. But as we were leaving the town very cautiously, the dogs began to bark at us. They were barking so loudly that the people woke from the sleep and then they chased us to catch at the same time. After a while they caught us and we were taken to their king. And without any question, we were mercilessly beaten and the clothes on our bodies were torn into pieces before we were taken to their prison yard. But after my gun was taken from me and then the warders beat us for about one hour. We fell down and pretended to be dead then they left us and went away. Having noticed that they had gone away, we stood up, we entered the room in
which my gun and the gold blocks, which we had been
carrying
away before they had caught us, were kept. So as our dresses had been torn into pieces and we were in nakedness this time, we first took some of the clothes which were hung on the racks in that room. We dressed up and then we took the gold blocks and my gun. After that we went very
cautiously
in the darkness to the wall of the prison yard and then with much difficulties, we climbed it and then jumped to the back of the yard.

And without hesitation, we started to carry the gold away although there was darkness. But when we were about to leave the town finally, a number of dogs recognized us again, of course they did not at the first instance because we had dressed up in the people’s customary clothes. And when these dogs were barking at us again, the people woke up and were chasing us again to catch. And they were still chasing us along fiercely until we came to a river which crossed the road. As there were many canoes and paddles on the bank of this river, we hastily pushed one of the canoes on the river, we took two paddles, we put the gold blocks and my gun in it and then we jumped in it and then we began to paddle it along as fast as we could before the people rushed to the river.

But as we were still paddling along and as these people determined to take their gold blocks back and then to kill us. So they did not waste time but they pushed some canoes on the river and then they continued to chase us along to catch. Again, we did not paddle so far when we were seeing a deem light far away. So we were paddling the canoe towards it with the hope to hide in the house from which the light was penetrated to the river. But not knowing that there was no house at all. But that light belonged to a gang of the pirates. The light was in their mighty canoe and they were going about on that river just to attack the passengers who had valuable goods and then to take them by force.

But when we paddled our canoe nearer to their own canoe and we saw that they were pirates and again we noticed that there were many dangerous weapons, like long spears, bows and arrows, guns, etc., were in their canoe. We wanted to paddle our canoe back at the same time so that they might not attack us but the people of the town of wealths were approaching us nearer this time. Therefore, without
hesitation
, we paddled our canoe to the south of that river. Having seen this, the pirates began to chase us as well to attack us.

After a while, when they were unable to overtake us
because
their own canoe was very big and could not run as fast as our own. Then they began to shoot their bows and arrows and guns at us and after a few minutes they were throwing the spears at us repeatedly but we escaped into the darkness and by that we were saved from all the dangers.

After the people of the town of wealths had failed in all their efforts to catch us, then they paddled their canoes back to their town. But those pirates were still chasing us along with their canoe.

Having paddled our canoe hardly till the daybreak we came to another river. This river was very long and wide and its tides were very strong indeed. But we could not avoid all these troubles because the pirates were still behind and they chased until our canoe ran to the sea at the end of that river before they paddled their it back from us having failed to catch us.

And our canoe hardly entered the sea when we were unable to control it. After a while, the tides and waves broke it into two equal parts, our loads and the gold blocks were carried away by the waves, but my gun, hunting-bag and matchet were still on my shoulders. I lay flatly on one part of the canoe, I held it with all my power as it was carrying me far away on the sea and Ajasa lay on the second part, held it as it was carrying him far off as well.

It was like that both of us were parted without our wish. Two hours later, I found myself held up by the sands near one mountain. As I was craning at Ajasa to see whether he had drowned, the wave began to push him towards this mountain and after a few minutes, he was carried to where I stood. Having rested for a while, both of us thanked our Creator for saving us from all the dangers. That was how we were saved from the people of the town of wealths and from the pirates as well. But of course, it revealed to me at last that nobody could take the treasure (gold blocks) of that town away. People had told me about that long time, but I did not believe them.

Although we had saved from all the dangers but we were not so happy for we did not know what was going to happen to us again. We went around that place but there was no
anything
with which to cross the sea back to the bank. But when we went farther, we came to one spot and then we stopped there. And when I noticed it carefully, it was the very spot on which been held up by the sands when my canoe was split in pieces about two years ago when I had been crossing this same sea. When I noticed again, I saw the spot on which I made fire and I saw the barks of the plantains and yams which one of the attendants of the Goddess of Diamonds, sent to me when I was held up there. Now I was quite sure that this mountain belonged to the Goddess of Diamonds.

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