Feather Woman of the Jungle (2 page)

When it was night and when the jungle had become too dark, we made big fire near the hut before we slept that night. But it was hardly in the following morning when I saw that this old woman, the Jungle Witch, rode her changeling ostrich to the hut. The noises of her birds woke Alabi, for he was still sleeping. Having noticed us that we were still in there, she rode direct to the images and when she came down from the ostrich, she put down the bunch of the strong whips
which she had put on the back of the ostrich. The whips were more than one hundred. Then as both of us stood up, held the pillar of the hut, kept quiet and were looking on with great fear. There we saw that she took one of the whips, she walked to the extreme right of the images. She started to flog all of them as she was walking up and down in front of them. She flogged every one of them from head to feet until the whole whips were torn into pieces. As she was flogging them it was so she was snorting and sneezing repeatedly. And with her snappishness, so she was abusing and scorning them despite they were seemed as if they were sobbing as she was flogging them repeatedly.

She left them to flog when the whole whips were torn into pieces and then she mounted her ostrich back and rode away at the same time. But to our fear and embarrassment, those images groaned for about two hours before they could stop.

When it was about seven o’clock of that morning, after we had eaten the rest fruits, we took our cutlasses and went to the nearest palm-tree. We cut some palm-fronds and we wove many baskets from them. Then from there we went to the place of the coal-nut trees. We plucked plenty of the nuts and after they were peeled, we put them in the baskets and then carried them to the hut.

In the following morning we expected that the Jungle Witch would come to flog the images but she did not come that morning. Having waited till about nine o’clock just to see how she would flog them again but she did not come, then we carried the cola-nuts to the nearest market as she had told us to do. Of course, we wondered greatly to see such a famous market in that hidden place because such a famous market should not be near that jungle. But of course, the sort of people that we met there were quite different and together with their movements and the way of their talking to one another, were very suspicious.

But to our gladness, we sold the nuts for a considerable amount of money. Out of the money, we bought coco-yams and many kinds of food stuffs and then we came back to the hut and dug a deep pit in one corner of the hut. We put the rest money in it and then covered the pit with a flat plank. That pit was our safe. Then we were waiting for the market day which was every fifth day. And we did not attempt to see what were in that pit at all for the Feather Woman had warned us not to remove the cover of the pit which was near the images and see what were in it.

But when it was four days after the woman had come and flogged the images, she came again with another bunch of whips. She whipped them one by one until the whole whips were torn into pieces as the first time. Of course, when she was still flogging them and I saw how mercilessly she was flogging them, I did not know when I went and knelt before her and I started to beg her to pardon them. But I wondered that she was so annoyed that she spat on my eyes suddenly and then said with great anger: “Of course, both of you will soon change into the images as well!” When she told me like that, I was so afraid that I hastily left her and then entered the hut. After she had flogged and scorned them to her
satisfaction
, she mounted her ostrich back and rode away with her birds which were crying and following her.

After we had spent about two years in that jungle and we had saved enough money, then we were preparing with
gladness
to return to our village. But unfortunately, our young sister, Ashabi, whom we had left with our father and mother, had left the village this time. She was looking for us when our father and mother were anxious greatly to see us. Because both were not sure whether we had been killed by the wild animals or we had lost in the jungle. They told Ashabi that wherever she might meet us, whether we had got money or not, she must bring us back to them.

One morning, as she was wandering about, she met us in the market when we were selling the cola-nuts. But of course, we could not recognize her at first when she saluted us for we did not think that she could come to such a far, dangerous and hidden market as this one. But when she explained
herself
to us we did and then we embraced her with gladness. So we did not keep so long in the market on that day as we had been doing before but we returned to the jungle with her as quickly as possible.

“So my people I shall continue to tell you the remaining story of my first journey next night. I wish every one of you good luck.”

Then after my people drank the remaining of their
palm-wine
, sang and danced for a while then they went back to their houses.

But they did not come with their musical instruments this first night.

All the people of the village were gathered in front of my house and were served with the palm-wine. When they drank and danced and sang for a few minutes, then I continued to relate the last story of my first journey as follows:

Immediately we had returned to the hut in the jungle, after we had put the empty baskets down and put the money that we had sold the cola-nuts of that day in the usual pit. Then we cooked our food. As we were eating with our sister, Ashabi, she started to tell us the news of our father and mother and also the news of our village. She told us that our father and mother were still in their great poverty. But when she told us like that we assured her that they would be no more in poverty as soon as we returned to them because we had saved a lot of money and she was happy to hear like that from us.

Having finished with the food, we showed her that covered pit and warned her very seriously not to attempt to remove the cover of it or to see what was inside it. We explained to her furthermore that the Jungle Witch had warned us not to tamper with it. After that we showed her the images. At the first instance, she thought that they were persons but were pretended to be like that of images that moment when she stood before them. When it remained six days for us to leave for our village with all the monies that we had saved and also with several expensive dresses, etc. that we had bought. One morning, after we had carried the cola-nuts to the market.
As we left Ashabi in the hut, to prepare our food. But soon after we had left for the market, the Jungle Witch rose her usual changeling ostrich to the hut. Then she started to flog the images as usual, but as that was the first time that Ashabi saw her there. She was so much feared that she left the hut and came to us in the market. Having told us about her with throbbing heart, we did not waste time but we returned to the hut with her at the same time but the old woman had gone away. Anyhow, we prepared our food and after had eaten it. Then we stood up and walked to the images just to see how they had been flogged that morning by the woman.

But as my junior brother, Alabi, Ashabi and I were looking at the images and were praying to God to change them back to their former forms, we did not notice when Ashabi left us and went to that covered pit. She said loudly: “By the way, what kinds of things are in this pit which are forbidden to a person to see!” And without hesitation, she removed the cover of it. When she saw two ostrich eggs in it, she took them out. But when we saw her did so, we hardly shouted greatly: “Ah! put the eggs back into the pit!” when Alabi and I were changed into the images unexpectedly. We were at the extreme right in the same line with the other images.

Ashabi did not believe her eyes at first when she did not see us any more but the two new images. When she looked around the hut and yet did not see us but her alone, she was so puzzled that she became mad at the same time. After a while, she ran to us, she held us and was shaking us with all her power and so she was calling our names loudly perhaps we might change back to our own forms, but nevertheless, we did not change at all. Having tried all her efforts but all were in vain, then she stood before us, she was weeping
continuously
and was blaming herself that if she had known she would not have removed the cover of the pit or to take the two eggs out of the pit.

After a while, the darkness of the night came, every part of the hut and the jungle was very dark. Now Ashabi remained alone in the darkness, there was nobody with her and that was another fear to her. Having wept bitterly for some hours before us then she walked back to the hut, she sat and
continued
to weep sorrowfully in the darkness.

But to our surprise, as we had already turned into the form of images, we were feeling whenever something touched us. We were hearing whenever somebody talked but when we talked people did not hear us. We were breathing in and out but people could not see our breasts to move and we could see everything and think as when we had not changed into the images.

Hardly in the following morning, when the Jungle Witch rode her usual ostrich to the hut. When she came down from it, she put one bunch of whips down before us (images). After her birds were perched on our heads and shoulders, she
walked
into the hut and met Ashabi in the corner as she was
weeping
bitterly. Then without mercy, she asked from her: “Where are your two brothers? Where are they? Have they caught by my trap?” But Ashabi, with tears rolling down her cheeks, pointed finger to us and said: “Look, old mother, my two brothers had changed into the images last night!” Then the Jungle Witch turned her fearful eyes to us and hastily
interrupted
without mercy: “Oh, very good! I am very lucky
indeed
that my images are increased by two! Very good! I know, they could not keep my warnings!” Having said like that with gladness and great laughter and Ashabi was looking at her with expectancy that she would change us back to our former forms, she left her (Ashabi) in the hut and wobbled to us. She dragged the bunch of the whips nearer.

When she took one whip and then stood before us, before she started to flog us she said: “Yes, I had known that one day would be one day when both of you would be caught by
my trap and you have already caught by it!” Then without mercy, she started to flog us one by one. Whenever one whip was worn out she would take another one and then
continued
. Thus she flogged us until the whole bunch of the whips were torn into pieces.

When Ashabi saw how mercilessly she was flogging us, she came to her, she knelt before her and with tears she started to beg her to change us back our own forms. But the cruel Jungle Witch hastily said: “Not at all! No pardon in my jungle! I have never pardoned any offender in my life, it is a thing that I hate most to do. You, as the pleader will soon be turned into an ostrich and I will be riding you about because this present one (she pointed finger to that ostrich) is getting old and weary!”

After she had explained to Ashabi like that she mounted her ostrich back and was singing loudly as she was riding it along on her usual narrow path which went deeply into the jungle and all her birds were following her as well. We wept for severe pains when she was flogging us, we attempted to run away for our lives but we could not move to a bit. After she had gone away then Ashabi returned to the hut. She cast down with sorrow and was looking at us several times in one moment perhaps we would change back to our former forms but all her hope was in vain.

Within a few days that we had changed into the images and that the Feather Woman or Jungle Witch had started to flog us severely every morning, Ashabi was so leaned that bones were appeared on every part of her body. She was always lonely and casting down in the corner of the hut. But as the Jungle Witch had said before she had left that morning that she would change Ashabi into the form of ostrich when she came back to flog us in the following morning. So Ashabi, feared of that, attempted to leave us and escape to our village, but of course, after she had travelled a short distance away
from the hut, she came back and sat down in the hut as usual when she remembered us. She was unable to leave us.

She hardly sat in the corner when one old man entered the hut when it was about one o’clock of that night. That old man was entirely bent down with old age. He was walking with a long and thick stick. The stick was sparkling as if it was polishing every moment. Immediately he entered the hut, he crawled to one long stool which was before the hearth. He leaned his walking-stick on the floor nearly to touch the hearth. But with great fear, Ashabi hastily stopped weeping immediately she saw the old man crawling towards to the hearth. After he had seated well on the stool, he started to gather pieces of sticks into the hearth. Having done that, he put big firewood on those dried sticks, after that he took two small stones from his native cap which was on his head. He held each of the stones in each hand and then he started to strike one from the other until several hot sparks of the stones ignited the dried pieces of the sticks and after a while it
became
a big fire and a few minutes more, the fire became a big flame and shone to every part of the hut and then he started to warm his body. I was seeing him as he was doing all these things although we were in form of images.

Through the flame we saw him clearly that he had one leg only, the other one had been cut off from a long time. As he was snivelled it was so he was sneezing and snorting
continuously
. As he was still doing like that, the wooden pillar on which he leaned, as he was enjoying the heat of the fire, broke and again the four legs of the stool on which he sat broke and then he was falling along on to the hearth. But that was a great funny to us, because as he was just trying to safe himself from the fire, a large soot fell on his head from the dirty
ceiling
and it caught fire unexpectedly. But as he stood up
suddenly
, forgetting that he had one leg only, and the fire was burning his head so painfully that he did not remember to
take his walking-stick to support himself, and as he was shouting loudly for help, he staggered to the corner in which Ashabi cast down and then he fell on her suddenly without knowing that anybody was there. He was so feared that he staggered to another corner and fell down again when he heard the voice of Ashabi unexpectedly.

As he was doing like that, we did not know when we bursted into a great laughter but nobody could hear us. We had forgotten all our pains and sorrow that moment. And Ashabi who had been hiding herself from him all the while, did not know when she too bursted into a great laughter like us for she had forgotten her sorrow that moment. And it was that midnight I had discovered that “amusement” was the father of “sorrow”. Because Ashabi who had already leaned to the bones, regained her strength at the same time when she had seen the amusements which that old man had presented and we, as the images, had forgotten our morning
punishment
which the Jungle Witch was giving us.

After Ashabi had pulled out herself from him, then she helped him to stand and then took him back to the hearth. She gave him another stool and repaired the fire as well. After that she sat a little distance from him. But as he was puzzled that moment, so it was after he had warmed himself and rested for a while before he was able to thank Ashabi for helping him.

But to his surprise and fear, he hardly thanked Ashabi when she continued to weep. Then with lower voice he asked from her: “Lady, what are you weeping for?” Ashabi replied that: “I am weeping for my two brothers (she pointed to us and the old man gazed at us (images) with wonder). And I had tried all my efforts to change them back to their own forms but all my efforts had failed and I must not return to my father and mother without them.”

When she had explained to the old man, he shook head with
pity and then explained to her: “Your brothers were very lucky that you were with them before they were changed into the images otherwise they would remain like that for ever. But you will safe your brothers if you can endure the pain. The pain is that you will pretend to be dump for the period of two years. But if you talk a single word or you simply make “ah” within that years or before that period expire, your brothers will certainly remain as images for ever. To be dump for two years is the only medicine which can change your brothers back to their former forms. You see, if the rest images had sisters or anybody else like your brothers, who can pretend to be dump for that period, they will not remain as images for ever. And furthermore, as far as I have seen, one beautiful man will come to this hut before morning. When he comes and talks to you, please do not reply, but just pretend to be dump. I thank you very much for helping me to stand up when I had fallen on you. So I am going away now.” Then the old man supported himself to stand up with his sparkling walking-stick and he walked zigzag out of the hut and after a while he disappeared into the darkness as Ashabi was still following him along with eyes.

Although we were images but we heard all what the old man had told Ashabi to do which could change us back to our own forms. I attempted to speak to him to change us back at the same time or before long but he did not hear my voice. But as the old man had told Ashabi, to our surprise, it was not so long from when he had disappeared into the darkness when a heavy rain came. Within a few minutes that the rain had started, a beautiful young man with a gun and hunting-bag on shoulder, rode a beautiful horse to the hut. When he came down from the horse, he fastened the rope of his horse on me, for he thought I was an ordinary image. The rope was fastened on my waist so hardly that I was hardly breathing in and out.

Then he entered the hut with the hope to shelter himself
from the heavy rain. But he was greatly surprised and shocked when he saw Ashabi before the fire. At the first instance, he did not believe his eyes but he thought that she was a jungle spirit who came to warm herself with the fire. So to make sure whether she was a jungle spirit or a real person, he hastily took one juju-gourd from his left elbow. The juju-gourd was fastened on his elbow with the vein of antelope. He removed its cock and poured some juju-powder from it on that fire. Then he cocked the gourd back and fastened it back on his left elbow. But when the powder started to burn and smell and Ashabi did not run away or disappear, then he was quite sure that she was a real person. So he put more dried stocks in the fire which made it to bring out new powerful flames and it shone to every part of the hut. Now, through the flames he saw her that she was a very beautiful lady but he was puzzled how she came to such a terrible jungle as that one.

This hunter was the prince of a big town which was about ten miles away from that jungle. He was hunting about in that dead night when he accidentally entered this jungle, but when the rain came, he was finding shelter about until when he came to that hut. When he stared at her very well and saw that she was a very beautiful lady, he asked with wonder: “Ah, what are you doing here, you a very beautiful lady like this?” but Ashabi did not reply, she pretended to be dump.