suck at their mothers' breasts." said Okagbue. The people surged forward. but she went to Okonkwo's compound." Okonkwo agreed.

And he was afraid to look back
And he was afraid to look back. Every man and woman came out to see the white man. which means "the good one.'"Tortoise had a sweet tongue. Chielo passed by. The world was now peopled with vague. so she cupped her right hand to shelter the flame.""You worry yourself for nothing."Leave her to me.' he said as they flew on their way. Is it true that Okonkwo nearly killed you with his gun?""It is true indeed.When the mat was at last removed she was drenched in perspiration. And let me tell you one thing. The woman was Mgbafo and the three men with her were her brothers. may Agbala shave your head with a blunt razor! May he twist your neck until you see your heels!"Ekwefi stood rooted to the spot. He warmed himself in the fire and ate the entrails. The priestess was now saluting the village of Umuachi." Okonkwo and Obierika said together." he began. The church had come and led many astray.The priestess' voice came at longer intervals now.

May all you took out return again tenfold.Nwoye's younger brothers were about to tell their mother the true story of the accident when Ikemefuna looked at them sternly and they held their peace. So he waited impatiently for the dry season to come."Take away your kola nut. "He seemed to speak through his nose. Would he recognize her now? She must have grown quite big."I have heard. Some of them were very violent.Okonkwo's family was astir like any other family in the neighborhood. It was said that he wore glasses on his eyes so that he could see and talk to evil spirits. The priestess. and even now he could still hear it as it grew dimmer and dimmer in the distance. who had felt more angry than the others. A bowl of pounded yams can throw him in a wrestling match. 'It just walked away."Ezinma began to cry.She walked up to her husband and accepted the horn from him."I cannot understand why you refused to come with us to kill that boy. I began to fend for myself at an age when most people still suck at their mothers' breasts. and since he now had three wives his guests would make a fairly big crowd.Okonkwo was very happy to receive his friend.

gome went the gong. beat me up and took my wife and children away.That was the kind of story that Nwoye loved."The missionary ignored him and went on to talk about the Holy Trinity. but the ekwe carried the news to all the nine villages and even beyond. and the women sat on a sisal mat spread on a raised bank of earth. Okonkwo. "Beware of exchanging words with Agbala. Drums beat violently and men leaped up and down in frenzy." he said. "I have felt it."Ah. and saw those who stood or sat next to them. They were locusts. or what?"The interpreter spoke to the white man and he immediately gave his answer. It descended on him again. That was a favorite saying of children. Once upon a time there was a great famine in the land of animals.Ikemefuna heard a whisper close behind him and turned round sharply. to go before the mighty Agbala of your own accord? Beware. His hands trembled vaguely on the black pot he carried.

" replied Ekwefi." And so they all went to help Obierika's wife??Nwoye's mother with her four children and Ojiugo with her two. neither getting too near nor keeping too far back."Obiako has always been a strange one.Ezeudu had taken three titles in his life. but six. for as soon as the first rain came farming would begin.Many young men and prosperous middle-aged men of Mbanta came to marry her. and it seemed now as if it was happening all over again. his wives and children in their houses could hear him breathe. In her hand was the cloth pad on which the pot should have rested on her head. who had lived about two hundred years before." said Okonkwo. and had just married his third wife. She placed Ezinma carefully on the bed and went away without saying a word to anybody.It was not yet noon on the second day of the New Yam Festival. He passed them over to his eldest brother. Now and again an ancestral spirit or egwugwu appeared from the underworld. We should have waited for the sun to rise and dry the leaves."No. and earth and sky once again became separate.

He brought another seven baskets and cooked them himself. Okafo was swept off his feet by his supporters and carried home shoulder high. skirting round the subject and then hitting it finally. They guarded the prison. I clear the bush and set fire to it when it is dry. The meat was then shared so that every member of the umunna had a portion. "And you know how leaves become smaller after cooking. there was no other way. He had lost the chance to lead his warlike clan against the new religion. was quite harmless. "When I think that it is only eighteen months since the Seed was first sown among you."Go and burn your mothers' genitals. Okonkwo worked on the outside of the wall and the boys worked from within. When we gather together in the moonlit village ground it is not because of the moon. He looked terrible with the smoked raffia "body. self-assured and confident."Umuofia kwenu!" roared Evil Forest. He had finished it on the very day the locusts came. and then he continued: "Each group there represents a debt to someone." Okonkwo and Obierika said together. She was nine then and was just recovering from a serious illness.

He changed them every day."They will not begin until the sun goes down."That is not the end of the story.""What will I see?" she asked. I will only have a son who is a man. and saw those who stood or sat next to them. the third highest in the land. But he was so weak that his legs could hardly carry him. but achievement was revered. and two or three pieces of land on which tofarm during the coming planting season. about the next ancestral feast and about the impending war with the village of Mbaino. Yam stood for manliness. and at the end of three years he had become very distant indeed. He looked it over and said it was done.The drums were still beating. Groups of four or five men sat round with a pot in their midst. But in this case she ran away to save her life. The air was cool and damp with dew. they said to themselves. and he gave to Vulture rain wrapped in leaves of coco-yam.In the distance the drums continued to beat.

"Oye. For a long time nothing happened.He was tall but very thin and had a slight stoop. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so. Yam stood for manliness. It was quiet and confident. when the rains had stopped and the sun rose every morning with dazzling beauty."Listen to me. They called him the little bird nza who so far forgot himself after a heavy meal that he challenged his chi. An animal rubs its itching flank against a tree. Why did they not fight back? Had they no guns and machetes? We would be cowards lo compare ourselves with the men of Abame. The drums beat the unmistakable wrestling dance - quick. Ekwefi picked her way carefully and quietly." said Idigo.""Let us not reason like cowards. An evil forest was.""Anyway. The troublesome nanny-goat sniffed about. and the new faith was a mad dog that had come to eat it up. "But you ought to ask why the drum has not beaten to tell Umuofia of his death.The earth quickly came to life and the birds in the forests fluttered around and chirped merrily.

" he said. asked on behalf of the clan to look after him in the interim. The people of the sky thought it must be their custom to leave all the food for their king. But in absence of work. "You will bring to the shrine of Ani tomorrow one she-goat." he said. And when. Living fire begets cold." said the old man. Two judges walked around the wrestlers and when they thought they were equally matched.""I don't know how we got that law.Mr. Some of these prisoners were men of title who should be above such mean occupation."The market of Umuike is a wonderful place. His own home had gradually become very faint and distant. She trudged slowly along. he kept it secret. But it would be impolite to rush him. be cursed with such a son? He saw clearly in it the finger of his personal god or chi. Ikemefuna looked back. all its metal taken out of it by the vast emptiness of the cave.

Uchendu." said Ezinma. We are only his mother's kinsmen. vibrating heat. She slowed down her pace so as to increase the distance between them." The man who had contradicted him had no titles. of course.By the time Onwumbiko died Ekwefi had become a very bitter woman. to Obierika's compound.The wrestlers were not there yet and the drummers held the field.'"'You do not know me. Uchendu." Okonkwo said. Nwoye stood looking at him and did not say a word. "How dare you. He always said that whenever he saw a dead man's mouth he saw the folly of not eating what one had in one's lifetime. which had been dutifully eating yam peelings.Ekwefi rose early on the following morning and went to her farm with her daughter. Ezinma. who was a prosperous farmer. and nodded their heads in approval of all he said.

They never answered yes for fear it might be an evil spirit calling. Obierika.The arrival of the missionaries had caused a considerable stir in the village of Mbanta. He moved his hand over his white head and stroked his white beard.Many people went out with baskets trying to catch them. And so although Okonkwo was still young."You are a big man now." he said. one saw that there was sorrow and grief there.Umuofia had indeed changed during the seven years Okonkwo had been in exile. He then invited the birds to eat. It was the fear of himself."Obiageli broke her pot today.""It is a lie." said Uchendu. the white man began to speak to them. three times. The women had come to the church with empty waterpots." said Obierika."He uncovered his second wife's dish and began to eat from it. with a full beard and a bald head.

where titled men climb trees and pound foo-foo for their wives. "It is not to pay you back for all you did for me in these seven years. He passed them over to his eldest brother. Guns fired the last salute and the cannon rent the sky. A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing. Among the Ibo the art of conversation is regarded very highly.""I was only speaking in jest. And so they arrived home again. This happened in the rainy season. They were possessed by the spirit of the drums. Her mother consoled her and promised to buy her her another pot. Once in a while two young men carrying palm fronds ran round the circle and kept the crowd back by beating the ground in front of them or." said Ezinma. What you have done will not please the Earth. Okonkwo cleared his throat. before they finally left for their village. had died ten years ago. rumbling like thunder in the rainy season." ';. His mother's kinsmen had been very kind to him. Her heart beat violently and she stood still.

Unoka.""The world is large. malevolent. and soon the children were chasing one of their cocks. Ikemefuna had an endless stock of folk tales. and then turning to his brother and his son he said: "Let us go out and whisper together."There is too much green vegetable. The men were seized and beaten until they streamed with blood. urging the others to hurry up."On the following Sunday. He would stamp out the disquieting signs of laziness which he thought he already saw in him. 'You have taken back your sister." He waved his arm where most of the young men sat. Okonkwo remembered his own father. and Maduka brought in a pot of palm-wine.The drummers took up their sticks and the air shivered and grew tense like a tightened bow. Can you tell me. She rose from her mat."Look at that wall. The wailing of the women would not be heard beyond the village. Okonkwo remembered his own father.

And now he was going to take the Idemili title. He heard Ikemefuna cry. He had an old rusty gun made by a clever blacksmith who had come to live in Umuofta long ago. The hearing then began. He watched the sky all day for signs of rain clouds and lay awake all night. She went back to the hut and brought her pot."Obiageli broke her pot today. Quick as the lightning of Amadiora. the man saw it vaguely in the darkness. The neighbors and Okonkwo's wives were now talking. with love. That was his fifth head and he was not an old man yet." he said as he broke it. only they did not understand him.Ikemefuna had begun to feel like a member of Okonkwo's family.'"He began to eat and the birds grumbled angrily. The elders of the clan replied. Ezinma brought her two legs together and stretched them in front of her. If we should try to drive out the white men in Umuofia we should find it easy. others said he was not the equal of Ikezue.Uzowulu stepped forward and presented his case.

" said Okonkwo. Her brass anklets rattled as she danced and her body gleamed with cam wood in the soft yellow light. The folk stories stopped. And they all knew Ekwefi and her daughter very well. and the new faith was a mad dog that had come to eat it up. Worshippers and those who came to seek knowledge from the god crawled on their belly through the hole and found themselves in a dark. Her suitor and his relatives surveyed her young body with expert eyes as if to assure themselves that she was beautiful and ripe. of all people.""An albino. "and a thick mat."Come along then and show me the spot. and the hosts looked at each other as if to say. You know his first wife who walks with a stick?""Yes. and old men and women would remember their youth. Okonkwo wondered what was amiss. the Oracle of the Hills and Caves. and the quiet spectators murmured to themselves."At that moment Obierika's son. I salute you. She saw the other children with their water-pots and remembered that they were going to fetch water for Obierika's wife. When everyone had drunk two or three horns.

Okonkwo's first son. were fixed on her. Even the few kinsmen who had not been able to come had their shares taken out for them in due term. carrying a pot of palm-wine on his head."It was in the second year of Okonkwo's exile that his friend.Many people went out with baskets trying to catch them. Nwoye. of all people. old way. I shall pay my big debts first.But Ezinma's iyi-uwa had looked real enough. Kiaga that he had decided to go to Umuofia where the white missionary had set up a school to teach young Christians to read and write.Ekwefi put a few live coals into a piece of broken pot and Ezinma carried it across the clean swept compound to Nwoye's mother. where they were guarded by a race of stunted men. He would be very much happier working on his farm. now said"You told us with your own mouth that there was only one god. That is a wise action. It was a deep bag and took almost the whole length of his arm. but Okonkwo sat unmoved."Ekwefi!" a voice called from one of the other huts. But Ekwefi was not thinking about that.

the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves. The elders of the clan replied. It very quickly went damp. Although he had prospered in his motherland Okonkwo knew that he would have prospered even more in Umuofia. and sleepy. elina!SalaEze ilikwa ya Ikwaba akwa ogholi Ebe Danda nechi eze Ebe Uzuzu nete egwuSalaHe sang it in his mind. The other wives drank in the same way. and the planting began. Our elders say that the sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them. It was not very long since they had returned. all talking in low voices. He was quite different. took her stick and walked over to the obi. For although locusts had not visited Umuofia for many years. vibrating heat. the feasting and fellowship of the first day or the wrestling Contest of the second. It was the ekwe talking to the clan. And supporting his mother also meant supporting his father.""Once upon a time. I married her with my money and my yams. Okonkwo did not know at first that she was not at home.

" He turned again to Okonkwo and said." said Obierika sadly. All others stood except those who came early enough to secure places on the few stands which had been built by placing smooth logs on forked pillars." said Okagbue. Ezinma shook every tree violently with a long stick before she bent down to cut the stem and dig out the tuber." He sipped his wine. He slapped the ear and hoped he had killed it. and looked at her palms. 'You are full of cunning and you are ungrateful.""The only other person is Udenkwo. his mother was alive. '1 am a changed man.'"None of the birds had heard of this custom but they knew that Tortoise. Ekwefi and her only daughter."You are right. Okafo raised his right leg and swung it over his rival's head. Without further argument Okonkwo gave her a sound beating and left her and her only daughter weeping. If. His mother's kinsmen had been very kind to him." he said to Okonkwo. and from morning till night warriors came and went in their age groups.

But the war that now threatened was a just war. He could fashion out flutes from bamboo stems and even from the elephant grass. calling on her mother."We have now built a church. "You are not a stranger in Umuofia."None. He danced a few steps to the funeral drums and then went to see the corpse. Why should I? But the Oracle did not ask me to carry out its decision. rubbed his left palm on his body to dry it before tipping a little snuff into it. He was merely led into greater complexities. He held out his hands to them when they came into his obi. The cut bush was left to dry and fire was then set to it. who said he should die. among these people a man was judged according to his worth and not according to the worth of his father. the tumult increased tenfold."Yes. As our people say."Bring me my bag. "Are you mad?"Okonkwo did not answer. Would he recognize her now? She must have grown quite big. And it began to shake and rattle.

but he had not expected he would be so generous." But she could not. The cut bush was left to dry and fire was then set to it. But what of our own people who are following their way and have been given power? They would go to Umuru and bring the soldiers. away from the crowd. and the children reveled in the thought of being spoiled by these visitors from the motherland. Has he thrown a hundred Cats?He has thrown four hundred Cats. where they were guarded by a race of stunted men."It was Wednesday in Holy Week and Mr. occasionally feeling with her palm the wet. If a clansman killed a royal python accidentally. for he had no grave." said the old man. She was very heavy with child. Only the word of our God is true. At first it appeared as if it might prove too great for his spirit. and from the very first seemed to have kindled a new fire in the younger boy. Gome. and the smallest group had ten lines. It is the law of our fathers. meanwhile.

he immediately bought gourds of palm-wine." Okonkwo threatened. but ill. Earth's emissary. and was full of the sap of life. The palm fronds were helpless in keeping them back. asked on behalf of the clan to look after him in the interim. Okonkwo remembered his own father. He was very good on his flute. she could bear no other person but her father." And he did. the rulers and elders of Mbanta assembled to decide on their action." said Mgbogo's next-door neighbor. He still missed his mother and his sister and would be very glad to see them. and it came floating on the wind. Another one was wailing near his right ear.Chielo's voice was now rising continuously. "You will find a pot of wine there. It was only after the pot had been emptied that the suitor's father cleared his voice and announced the object of their visit." said Mgbogo's next-door neighbor." He waved at his sons and daughters.

"Obiako has always been a strange one. If you think you are the greatest sufferer in the world ask my daughter. Her suitor and his relatives surveyed her young body with expert eyes as if to assure themselves that she was beautiful and ripe."Have you slept enough?" asked her mother. It was the first time for many years that a man had broken the sacred peace. and also a drinking gourd. and his happiest moments were the two or three moons after the harvest when the village musicians brought down their instruments. but even if you came into your obi and found her lover on top of her. His wife had played him false. or rather held out her hand to be shaken. But the second time did not count. But it was the season of rest between the harvest and the next planting season. who came out of her hut to draw water from a gigantic pot in the shade of a small tree in the middle of the compound. It was as quick as the other two. And then appeared on the horizon a slowly-moving mass like a boundless sheet of black cloud drifting towards Umuofia. If a man kills the sacred python in the secrecy of his hut. I began to fend for myself at an age when most people still suck at their mothers' breasts." said Okagbue. The people surged forward. but she went to Okonkwo's compound." Okonkwo agreed.