Feather Woman of the Jungle (8 page)

The hungry people and the king who had already gathered in the front of the palace and were waiting for my return, shouted greatly with joy when they saw the pot on my head. But when I gave it to the king and he put it in the middle of the people, then I told him how he would open it. So he first told the people to bring their plates nearer and then he forced it open. But uncountable of bees, wasps and all kinds of the stinging insects rushed out from it instead of food and drinks. Without hesitation, these insects started to sting all of us. Within a few minutes many people were stung to death, that place was disordered at the same time. Everyone was running skelter helter for his or her life. And at last, as the king was running away for his life, the crown fell off from his head but he was unable to wait and take it back. So almost all the people of the town of famine had run away for their lives and when the town was empty, then I took my gun, hunting-bag and matchet and I started to go back to my village at the same time. I could not wait to tell the king to fulfil his promise but of course, he too was nowhere to be found.

After a few days’ travel, I reached my village and I entered my father’s house very quietly but not as joyfully as my last three journeys which had profited me greatly. Then the people rushed to my house to honour my return, but they were greatly shocked when they noticed that I did not bring anything this time. Having told them all what had happened to me in the town of famine, some cautioned me not to go any journey again and some advised me not to give up my
adventures
because time was not always as straight as a straight line and that one who was finding goodness about must endanger
his life and must be able to endure all hardships as well. Then I thanked them greatly. After that I sent for drinks and all of us drank together till the midnight.

“That was the end of my fourth journey. It was so many journeys were not profitable in those days. One journey might prove to be a better one from beginning but might be the worst towards the end. But I was not discouraged at all as my fourth journey was vanity at last. I thank you for your
listening
. Good night to you all!” Then after the people of my village had danced, sung and drunken for a few minutes they went back to their houses.

Now my people were gathered in front of my house to listen to the story of my fifth journey. After they were served with palm-wine and I drank some kegs. Then I sat right on my usual old arm-chair. I put fire in my pipe and as I was
enjoying
it, I started my story as follows:

Well, as I had told you last night that I was not discouraged at all to go to another journey, although I had helped the people of the town of famine but the end of my help was really bad and I left there with empty hands. But I continued my fifth journey after one year that I had returned from the town of famine. So immediately I woke up in that morning, I dressed up, I took my gun, hunting-bag and my usual matchet. After that I walked to my father’s room, I bade him good-bye and so I did to my mother and then I set on my journey that morning.

After I had travelled for so many days, I came to a sea. This sea was so dangerous that several thousands of people were losing their lives in it every year when crossing it. It was in the north-east of my village. But those who had risked their lives and crossed it to the other side had returned with great fortunes and it were that fortunes had attracted me to attempt to cross it. When I waited on the bank of it for many days and yet there was no canoe with which to cross it. Then I started to travel along on its bank. After a while I saw one old canoe which had been driven on the weeds by the waves.
When I examined it, it had splitted from one end nearly to the other. But of course, I did not know whether the owner of it had been drowned in that sea and that was a great fear to me. But anyhow, I tied up the splitted part very securely with a rope. Having done that, I cut a twig of a big tree and carved it like a paddle. Then I hung my gun, hunting-bag and matchet on my shoulders, after that I pushed that canoe on the sea and then I was paddling it along.

To my surprise, and fear, I did not paddle it more than one mile when heavy rain and gale began. The gale was carrying my canoe deeply into the sea. I tried my best to paddle it back to the shore but all my efforts were failed. I was still in this restlessness of mind when the snows began to drop
repeatedly
. As I was protecting my head from the snows, the gale was carrying my canoe far away and as I was blaming myself that if I had known I should not had coveted to come to the sea, then the lightning started. Every part of the sea was so flashing that all the living creatures of the sea were in disorder within a few minutes.

As it was still raining heavily, then my clothes were soaked and all were stickened on to my body. Every part of my head was full of knobs for the snows which had struck it and after a while I could not see again, because the lightning was too powerful for the eyes to see anything. I shut my eyes and then left myself to this danger. But I hardly did so when my canoe broke into two and then I fell on the sea suddenly. But I was very lucky that my gun, hunting-bag and matchet were still with me and were dangling on my shoulders. After a while, my feet and hands were crambed and my teeth were striking each other for the cold.

When it was about two hours, the wave carried me to
another
shore which was closely to one mountain and I could only breathe in and out as I lay on the sands but I was unable to move any part of my body. I was still in this hardship
when the lightning, wave and snows were stopped but to my surprise, all were hardly stopped when the sun continued. Although it was not so hot but I became conscious after a few hours it had heated up my body. Then I crawled to a short distance from the bank of the sea and with much difficulties, I collected some dried sticks and twigs which had fallen down from the top of that mountain.

I took out the two pieces of the flinty stones which were in my hunting-bag. So I began to strike one from the other just to produce fire on the dried sticks. I struck the two stones for several times but they failed to produce the fire. Having seen it like that, I was so embarrassed that I was about to kill
myself
that moment, because without fire I could not eat
anything
which I might find near there and I could not be saved from the cold breeze of the sea. At last, without much hope, I tried again and luckily the stones produced fire this time.

When the whole dried sticks and the twigs were caught fire, then I took my clothes from my body, I hung them before the fire to dry. Having warmed my body well, I stood up, I walked back to the shore and I began to look for the edible things to eat but there was no any edible thing. I looked for the dead fishes but there were none as well. Then I came back to the fire. I sat sadly before it and I was thinking of the same thing—food. But at last, when the hunger did not let me stay in one place, I stood up, I went closely to the foot of that mountain and luckily there were a lot of crabs around there. I picked up as many as I wanted and then came back to the fire. I roasted them in the fire and ate them at the same time.

But as the time had gone and the darkness was approaching, so I did not attempt to climb the mountain that evening. When it was about ten o’clock in the night, I saw many lights faintly on top of that mountain and that showed me that a town was on top of it. I tried my best to see the top of it clearly but I was unable because it was so high that if a person
raised his head up with hat on head to see the top of it, the hat on his head would certainly fall down yet he would not see it.

I had rest of mind when I saw that there was a town on top of that mountain and then I put hope to start to climb it in the following morning. But of course, I did not know yet whether the inhabitants of that town were persons like myself or they were spirits, ghosts or any other harmful creatures, but as I could not go back to my village from this place, therefore, I must go to that town to seek for help.

In the following morning, when it was about eight o’clock, I began to climb this vast mountain. But it was very hard for me to climb it to the distance of about one hundred feet
because
I was chasing about to kill by the wild animals like lions, tigers, apes, elephants, buffaloes, etc. and all kinds of birds of prey. These creatures were jumping very fiercely to everything that they saw climbing the mountain. As it was very dangerous to climb further, then I hastily discontinued just to save my life.

When I came back to the fire, I put more dried wood and then I began to warm my body. But within three days, I had eaten the whole crabs which were living at the bottom of the mountain and there was nothing for me to eat after that. At last, I was so much starved that I attempted to eat from the sands of the sea but I was unable to do so when I tasted it. Again, after some hours, when I was hungry to the climax, I attempted to eat from the leaves of the trees which were at the bottom of the mountain, but their juice was poisonous to the mouth.

In the afternoon of the fourth day that I had cast down powerlessly before the fire, there I felt a hot breath on my nape suddenly. The hot breath was just rushed on to my nape as if it was rushed out from the snout of an animal. I was greatly startled and trembled with fear and with trembling
body, I looked at back suddenly. But to my surprise, I saw a very big camel with one small bag tied up to its neck. And without hesitation, I stood up and ran with fear to a short distance and then I was looking at it. But to my surprise, immediately it shook its neck to left and right, the bag fell down from its neck and then it began to run back to where it had come.

After it had gone away, I walked to that bag. When I loosened it, I saw yams, ripen plantains, bananas, four
coconuts
and one bottle full of the fresh water. Then I hardly thanked God when I put the yams in the fire and as they were roasting, I began to eat the bananas and plantains. But of course, as I was eating all these things, I was anxious greatly to know who was so kind in that sea to send them to me. And when the yams were roasted, I ate some of them and I kept the remaining near the fire to be warming. I drank from the fresh water to my satisfaction and then reserved the rest.

Having satisfied my hunger and thirst and had rest of mind, then I began to think once more who had sent those things to me. Although I knew that a merciful creature who had seen my hardships had sent them to me but I did not know where he or she was and then to go and meet him or her. Of course, after a while it came to my mind that if the camel came to me again, I would follow it to where it was coming to me, and then I got ready to do so. In the following day, God was so good, it came again with another kinds of food stuffs. But before the usual bag dropped from its neck, I hastily mounted it and without hesitation it was carrying me back to where it had come.

When it travelled far away on the shore, it began to climb that mountain to the top. Having climbed it to the summit on which there was a very beautiful town, it took me direct to the main gate of that town. As the gate was closed that time, it waited for a few minutes. As I was on its back it was so I was
stretching out my neck to see this town before the gate would be opened, just to know whether to get down from its back from that place if the inhabitants were dangerous, but
unfortunately
, I could not see it because it was entirely
surrounded
with high and thick walls.

As I was still stretching my neck to see the inhabitants, the gate was opened suddenly by one beautiful lady. Then the camel walked in and the gate was shut back and she was following it as it was carrying me along in the town. And as I was on its back, I noticed that this town was very clean, camels were commonly seeing everywhere, and the houses were very beautiful and very big. The men were very few but beautiful ladies were outnumbered the men in great number.

It was not so long when that camel carried me to the biggest building and then it stopped near the entrance of that building and was hesitating for me to get down from its back. But as I was on its back and I was still looking at everywhere with great wonder and fear, the lady who had followed it to that building, pulled me down suddenly. As I fell down, my gun, bag and my matchet fell away from my shoulders. But as I was scrambling them, my finger touched the trigger of the gun and then it (gun) fired so loudly that all the inhabitants rushed out with fear. That lady fell down and nearly fainted for fear.

Anyhow, when she became conscious, and as I was about to run away, she and some of the rest people caught me and then they dragged me into that building as if I were a thief. This building belonged to the Goddess of Diamonds. Then I was taken to the goddess who sat in her beautiful court. And before that lady began to complain to her, I hastily bowed down for her and then stood in attention like a brave soldier while my gun, hunting-bag and the matchet were on my both shoulders. Then the lady complained that I was brought to the town by one of their camels and then, I wilfully shot my gun in the town.

Then the goddess asked me that from which town did I come? But before I replied to her question, I first sat on one of the diamond chairs which were in that court. I replied that I come from my village which was about six days’ journey to the sea. She asked that on which road did I travel to her town? I replied that I did not purposely come to her town but when my canoe was capsized by the strong wave and wind, then I was brought to the shore and from there one of her camels brought me to her town. She asked again that what was I finding about, a young man like me. But I replied that I was finding the treasures about to take to my village. I told her further that I was very happy to come to her town that time because I had seen plenty of diamonds in her court which I would take to my village.

But she hardly heard like that when sneered at me greatly and with anger, she remarked: “I wonder, why every human being never satisfy with whatever his Creator had provided for him!” But I replied: “That was how our Creator had created all human beings.” Then she said: “You are a robber then if you are finding the treasures about. But you cannot take any of my diamonds to your village. And it is doubtful if you can leave this town again!” Having said like that she told her men to take me to the guardroom to lock me up there. Without hesitation, I was escorted to that room and I was locked up. The guardroom was opposite her court and by that I could see everything clearly. But of course, one who was locked up in that room was going to die soon. Because she never allowed anybody to come to her town so that her diamonds might not be stolen.

As I was in that room, I noticed that every seat and the decorations in that court were diamonds. Both the walls and the floor were shining. All were so shining that I had to guide my eyes with palm before I saw anything. In another room which opposite that court had no door at all and there were
three standing figures of men and three standing figures of women. All were made of diamonds and also the diamond blocks in it were uncountable. The Goddess of Diamonds herself was just like the diamonds because she was so dressed in diamonds that she had nearly to turn into the diamonds. Of course, she was old and was unable to walk about so much. The uniforms of her attendants were almost made with diamonds. She and the rest people of her town
worshipped
that standing figures of men and women. It were their gods.

It was so I was thinking how to steal some of the diamonds to my village as I was in the guardroom. Then when it was about seven o’clock in the evening, the goddess went to her rest room which was quite far from there and after a while all her attendants left there as well. Then it remained me alone in that guardroom. But as I was still thinking how to come out of that room, one young beautiful lady came to me, she was one of the attendants. She stood behind the door and then stretched right hand to me and she began to caress me. She asked about my village and I told her. After a while she started to amuse me until when my fear was expelled. But when she noticed that I began to answer all her questions with fearless voice. Then she told me that she was the very lady who had been sending the bananas, plantains, yams, fresh water, etc. to me when I was at the bottom of the mountain. She said that she had seen me since when my canoe had broken into pieces and that when the wave had carried me to the shore. She said that her name was Sela and that she was next to the senior attendant.