Feather Woman of the Jungle (12 page)

Then I began to tell Ajasa the story of the mountain, the Goddess of Diamonds and my former wife, Sela; who had followed me back to the village in my second journey but she was taken back to her town by the men of her mother, the Goddess of Diamonds.

So, Ajasa advised me to let us climb the mountain to the top. He said that he liked to see the Goddess of Diamonds and Sela, my former wife. But to my surprise, as we raised heads
up and were still wondering at this mountain, there we saw that Sela was waving both hands to us, and she was laughing with great joy. But as we were about to start to climb this mountain to her. She waved hands to us to wait for her. So we stopped and then she disappeared among the trees.

After a while, she rode one camel to us through the same path on which that camel had travelled the day she had sent it to me. She hardly came down from it when she embraced me with great joy. Having left me she embraced Ajasa as well for she recognized him although it was quite a long time she had seen both of us. Having chatted for a while, she mounted the camel back and she asked us to mount it behind and we did so at the same time. But as she was riding it along, I told her that I would not follow her to her mother, the Goddess of Diamonds, because I was afraid not revenge on me. But she told me that her mother had become so old that she would not be able to recognize me again. Then I told her again that I would take her back to my village and to my surprise, she agreed to do so.

After a while, she rode to the town. Then she took us to her mother, the Goddess of Diamonds. She explained to her that we were looking for a job to do. And her mother engaged us as house cleaners. It was like that she deceived her mother.

Having spent one month with the mother and having taken plenty of the diamond blocks and hidden them far away from the town. Then I told Sela, my wife, to let us leave the town the following midnight and she agreed. Before then, she had packed all her dresses, she gave them to me to hide them for her.

Then in the following midnight, when she noticed that the rest people had slept. She mounted one of the camels and we sat on it behind her. She held one lamp as she was riding it along. When we came to the spot in which the diamond blocks and her dresses were hidden, she stopped the camel.
We put them on the camel and then we continued our journey. And we had reached the sea and entered the canoe as well before the daybreak. Having travelled for about two days on the sea, we came to the village. So my mother, father, brother, sister and friends were very happy to see my return. And all were wondered greatly to see that I was so bold and brave to bring my former wife, Sela, back once more. But it was a great sorrow for the families of four of us who had been killed by the mad man in the hole near the town of wealths.

It was like that we went to the underground and returned. After a few days, I gave one part of the diamond blocks to Ajasa and I sold the rest to the merchants who dealed in such precious stones. So I became a rich man since that day and this my wife (she stood up and posed herself to the people as I pointed finger to her) and I are living comfortably!

“Now, my people, that was the end of my journeys. So it is very scarcely to go on a journey and return without
punishments
, hardships, etc. etc!”

Then the whole people shouted greatly with joy and then stood up. We sang and danced together for one hour before they went back to their houses. And I was recognized by all the people of the village as the chief of the village since when they had heard my adventures of the past days.

Amos Tutuola was born in Abeokuta, Nigeria, in 1920. The son of a cocoa farmer, he attended several schools before training as a blacksmith. He later worked as a civil servant. His first novel,
The Palm-Wine Drinkard
, was published in 1952 and brought him international recognition. From 1956 until retirement, he worked for the Nigerian Broadcasting Company while continuing to write. His last book,
The Village Witch Doctor and Other Stories
, was published in 1990. He died in Ibadan in 1997.

THE PALM-WINE DRINKARD

MY LIFE IN THE BUSH OF GHOSTS

SIMBI AND THE SATYR OF THE DARK JUNGLE

THE BRAVE AFRICAN HUNTRESS

AJAIYI AND HIS INHERITED POVERTY

THE WITCH-HERBALIST OF THE REMOTE TOWN

PAUPER, BRAWLER AND SLANDERER

THE VILLAGE WITCH DOCTOR AND OTHER STORIES