Soon, he stood up with much difficulty. But as he was wobbling painfully, the Image commanded the drummers again to change the beats of their drums to that of Sango, the god of thunder, and the singers to change their song to that of Sango as well for Slanderer to dance to it.
But then without hesitation and in fear, the drummers and singers started:
At ‘Omolere at’ Arugba - Mo gba a - Mo gba a tan porogodo
Mogbaa! Both Omolere and the Calabash-carriers -1 take them -1 take
them altogether-1 take them all! At ‘Omolere at’ Arugba - Mo gba a - Mo gba a tan porogodo
Mogbaa! Both Omolere and the Calabash-carriers -1 take them -1 take
them altogether -1 take them all! At ‘Omolere at’ Arugba - Mo gba a - Mo gba a tan porogodo
Mo gba a! Both Omolere and the Calabash-carriers -1 take them -1 take
them altogether-1 take them all! At ‘Omolere at’ Arugba - Mo gba a - Mo gba a tan porogodo
Mo gba a - Mo gba a tan porogodo
Mogbaa!
But after Slanderer had danced the dance of suffering sluggishly and laughed like a madman he began to dance the dance of Sango to the Image but with reluctance, when the Image struck at his forehead with his club of iron in anger.
Now, having adjusted himself. Slanderer hastily danced this dance of the Sango worshipper even far better than the Sango worshipper. And too, he kicked the air so accurately that his dance matched the beats of the drums. Because ‘the Sango worshipper who dances and does not kick the air belittles himself.
Slanderer had hardly danced the dance of Sango when the Image clubbed him three times consecutively. But now he felt such pain that he shouted greatly at the topmost of his voice and he appealed to whoever might be near there: ‘Please, all beings of the bush and beings of the road! Come and save me from this evil spirit (Image)! He is beating me nearly to death! Please, come to my aid now^!’
But immediately Slanderer despaired and lamented in great pain like that, Pauper opened the breast of his tawdry image to left and right like two-way sliding doors. He came out from it with a broad smile. But then he began to look at Slanderer steadfastly.
‘Haa-ha! Is it you?’ Slanderer, his friends, drummers, singers and minstrels took a full breath as their eyes were dazed.
‘O, yes, it is I!’ Pauper shrugged and replied simply with a smile.
‘But what you have done to me today was too bad!’ Slanderer shook his head to left and right. Then in great sorrow, he accused Pauper.
‘But you too had done the worst to me in the days gone by!’ Pauper made a mockery of Slanderer in a smile.
‘But what sort of a bad thing had I done to you in the days gone by which forced you to punish me so severely? After, you let me lose Omolere, my beautiful bride!’ Having asked sorrowfully like that. Slanderer began to weep bitterly for his sad fate.
‘Thank you! It is so we ought to ask. “One who has evacuated his bowels has forgotten, but one who has cleared it away has not forgotten it!” But you Slanderer, could you remember now that once upon a time, because your maize did not thrive well like my own, you were so jealous of mine and with your wicked cunnings you deceived me that the Oba of Araromi town gave an order that all farmers in his land should cut their maize down?’
Pauper continued to remind Slanderer of his cruel behaviours, he said: ‘You told me that day that you and I should go to my farm and help me cut my maize down, so that the Oba might not kill me! But then both of us destroyed my maize that day!’ Thus Pauper reminded Slanderer of his evil deed when both of them went to farm at Araromi town.
‘Ho-o-o, yes, yes! I remember now that it was so I deceived you that day!’ Slanderer confessed sluggishly.
‘But as it was a great grief to me/ Pauper went further in his allegation, ‘about that my maize, the right action which I would have taken was to kill you rightout today. But it is not good to pay bad for bad!’ Pauper frowned.
But as soon as Pauper had reminded Slanderer like that he turned his back to Slanderer suddenly and he faced the town. He began to run furiously along to the town as he was saying loudly: ‘“He who pelts another with stones invites metal in return.” ‘
It was like that Slanderer’s evil cunnings caused him to lose his beautiful Omolere and moreover he was badly punished nearly to death for his cruel characters.
Just a little after that Slanderer, his friends, drummers, singers and minstrels left the town in the morning for his bride’s town, the housewives had started to cook plenty of food for Slanderer’s marriage feast. And several kegs of the palm wine were also provided.
As time was getting nearer, it was so the people of Qfadafa’juro town were gathering more and more in front of the house in which Slanderer and Pauper lived. They were expecting Slanderer and his friends to arrive with the bride. Also, the Oba and his chiefs had prepared themselves ready in their palaces to do their own part in Slanderer’s marriage ceremony, because he was one of the important tale-bearers and Iko for the Oba and his chiefs.
‘The bat hangs down its head and is watching the behaviour of the birds.’ It was just so for Pauper who lived in the same house with Slanderer. He kept silent and then he was watching the crowd of people who were rushing to the front of the house. All were waiting anxiously to see how beautiful Slanderer’s bride was, because he had been boasting to the people for the last six months that he was courting a lady and that there was none of the women in the town who was as beautiful as she was.
After Pauper had left for the town. Slanderer, his friends, drummers, minstrels and singers, all of them gathered together on the very spot on which Pauper had punished Slanderer.
But as Pauper had driven Slanderer’s bride away, for this reason, he could not bring her to the town. But he, his friends, drummers, singers and minstrels were much overwhelmed with shame and they were greatly confused by what to do. They did not know what to tell the people why they did not bring the bride.
They were still in this confusion for a while when one of Slanderer’s friends said: ‘By the way, what are we going to tell the people of the town has caused our failure to bring the bride with us to the town?’
But then one of the drummers said with his drum: ‘That will be a great shame for us if the people don’t see the bride with us!’ Again, one of the minstrels recited in her poems: ‘“This is the place where three roads meet and which puzzles a stranger.” ‘
But when all of them thought over and over but they did not know what they could do to suppress the shame for them. Slanderer, with his usual cunnings, cut in suddenly. He told his friends and the others that: ‘There is no problem of shame for us at all. But “if we cannot get the forest-bat for the sacrifice, we should use the house-bat for the sacrifice”.’
Then without hesitation. Slanderer loosened his bride’s boxes which contained women dresses, and which were thrown on the ground before the calabash-carriers and the bride fled. He pulled out one beautiful wrapper, one head-tie, one neck-coral beads, one veil and two bracelets from the boxes.
Then Slanderer put the coral-beads on his neck, he put each of the two bracelets on each of his wrists. He wrapped himself from the breast down to his knees with the wrapper, he wore the woman’s short loose garment, he wound the head-tie round his head and then he covered his head to the breast with the veil. Having dressed like that. Slanderer was not different from the bride who was on the way to her bridegroom’s house. It was like that Slanderer disguised himself as his bride.
After, he told his friends to line up at his back, then the drummers, singers and minstrels to start their amusements and follow them while he was in front of all like a bride.
But when all of them danced to the town, the crowd of people shouted greatly in joy. They began to rush here and there, shouting: ‘The bride has come! The bride has come!’ Everyone was trying to see Slanderer’s new wife, whom he had been boasting of to the people that she was more beautiful than any of the women in the town.
Well, as ‘a town is never so small without having a dunghill’, is so according to the marriage tradition of Qfadafa’juro town, as soon as Slanderer was accompanied to the doorway like a bride, the housewives hastily filled to the brim one large bowl with water. They brought it to the doorway. But when the housewives began to wash his feet in the bowl, they observed immediately that the feet were that of a man and not of a woman.
But as soon as the drummers, minstrels, singers and Slanderer’s friends were sure that there was no way. Slanderer’s cunning would soon be outwitted, all of them did as ‘the pond, which stands aloof from the stream as if it does not relate to it’ did. So they began to bolt away one after the other as they were winking to one another. And within one minute the whole of them had bolted away. But now, there remained Slanderer alone, who disguised himself as his bride.
But when the crowd of people did not hear the beats of the drums, singing and the reciting of the poems suddenly, which were the most important for Slanderer’s wedding, they were confused by what had happened.
But after the housewives had washed Slanderer’s feet with suspicion, they stood upright. And according to the tradition, they wanted to remove the veil away from his face for the people to see the face of the bride. But to keep the secret within himself. Slanderer did not allow the housewives to remove the veil. Instead, he held it onto his face with both hands.
But Pauper who stood near the doorway and was keeping watch on the activities of the housewives all the while, was not aware when he burst into great laughter. When the wrestling between Slanderer and the housewives continued, then this time the crowd of the spectators rushed to them and they gathered round them just to see what was happening.
Being ‘an elder who goes to excess loses respect’, is that as the housewives continued to wrestle with Slanderer in order to remove his veil for the people to see his face, and they could not overpower him. Pauper ran to the doorway. ‘In a wink of crab’, t
he tore the veil into pieces and then he pulled it away from Slanderer’s face.
Now, ‘the tiger is at large; it is seen by everybody, there can be no secret about it any more’. The crowd of people saw now that it was Slanderer who had disguised himself as his bride.
But when the people shouted greedily on Slanderer, he was so ashamed that he covered his face with both his hands. Then he hastily escaped into the bush that night. But at the same time, everything turned into confusion. The people did not understand why Slanderer disguised himself as his bride.
However, as soon as shame had driven Slanderer into the bush, the people ate all the food and drank the palm wine which had been prepared for the ceremony of his wedding. After, everyone went back to his or her house disappointed, as the whole of them were making mockery of him.
It was like that Slanderer lost his bride, Omplere, in the end in respect of his wicked cunnings.
Slanderer returned to the town after ten days that he had escaped with shame into the bush. But inasmuch as he was a habitual treacherous man of that century, he brought with him Brawler, Pauper’s brawling wife, to the town. Not knowing that when he escaped into the bush that night, but later, he started to go from one town to another, searching for Brawler.
But what had caused him to bring Brawler back to Ofadafa’juro town at all costs was that he wanted to take revenge on Pauper in respect of the severe punishments which he had suffered from Pauper on the day of his wedding. Because he knew well that his bringing Brawler back would be a great problem to her husband.
But, ‘How many can we count from Adepele’s muddled teeth? He has one hundred side teeth, forty front teeth, and four hundred and forty molars hidden at the back of his mouth.’ It was so for Slanderer. His unforeseen evil characters were uncountable. And that was how Slanderer used Brawler as an instrument to punish her husband.
20
PAUPER, BRAWLER
AND SLANDERER FLEE
FROM OFADAFA’JURO TOWN
Now, Slanderer had returned to the town and he resumed his usual duties as the Oba’s Ikp or messenger and tale-bearer. But he was putting Pauper in troubles continuously for he punished him and then he caused him to lose his bride on the day of his wedding, and also he was putting the people of the town in troubles every day.
Even, as time went on. Slanderer was so well established in a favourable position in Ofadafa’juro town, so he began to cause confusions for the Oba and his chiefs. He turned everything into great chaos in the town of Ofadafa’juro, the town which was in great settlement for centuries.
But as ‘it is risky to tell the secret to a treacherous person’, so Slanderer, knowing all the secrets of the Oba and his chiefs, began to use this opportunity to cause much misunderstandings on them. And within a few months he caused them to be the enemies of one another.
Slanderer was also telling lies to the chiefs that the Oba was enticing their wives with money and by that he used to have sex with them. Having heard this serious allegation from Slanderer, all the chiefs boycotted the Oba and the Aafin, or palace.
As Slanderer was using his wicked cunnings to cause serious confusions in the town it was so Brawler was causing confusions in the house and the neighbourhood every day with her harmful brawls. And so Slanderer was receiving the bribes from the guilty and the guiltless people.
But at last, when the Oba scrutinized the sudden confusions which were nearly ruining his town at this time, he knew that it was Slanderer who was causing the incident to him, his chiefs and to the people of the town as a whole. But just as ‘when the elders are in the market, a child’s head will not be allowed to bend to the wrong side’, for this reason, the Oba summoned all his chiefs to an emergency meeting in his Aafin. He told them that it was Slanderer who was the man who was causing the confusions and the misunderstandings.
But after they had settled their misunderstandings amicably, then they resolved that the punishment which Slanderer deserved for his misdeed, was to sacrifice him along with Pauper and Brawler to the Oba’s Ogun or god of iron, in the morning of the coming Ojp-Eti (The Day of Trouble - Friday).
Although Pauper and Brawler, his wife, had committed no offence, both were sojourners like Slanderer, and that was the reason they were to be atoned to the Ogun along with Slanderer. But of course, ‘what affects the eyes will affect the nose’.
After the Oba with his chiefs had planned their deed in secrecy like that, the chiefs returned to their houses and they did not tell anybody this their deed.
But before the Ojo-Eti had arrived, one of Pauper’s friends, who overheard this secret deed, advised him. Brawler and Slanderer to flee from Ofadafa’juro town before that day of Ojo-Eti, otherwise they would lose their lives.
When Pauper’s friend had hinted him so, he told Brawler and Slanderer what the Oba and his chiefs were preparing to do for them on the coming Ojo-Eti (The Day of Trouble - Friday). But when Slanderer heard this from Pauper, he told him immediately that they should flee from the town in the night of Ojo-Isegun (The Day of Victory - Tuesday).
But being ‘ajao’ has not any property to pack when it is leaving a place’, it is just so for Pauper. His destiny of poverty and wretchedness did not let him have any other property more than the dirty rags which were on his body. And so for Brawler, her own predestination was hurtful brawls. Brawls did not let her have any other property as well besides her brawls.
When the day they wanted to flee arrived, ‘in a wink of crab’ Pauper and Brawler put their rags, cutlass, axe and their soup-pot in a worn-out basket which they were using as their box.
Although sloth was among Slanderer’s uncountable evil characters which he had chosen from Creator when he was coming to earth, he was the Oba’s and the chiefs’ Iko and talebearer. This helped him to have useless trousers, garments and caps which the Oba and the chiefs were giving him as a reward.
So, without hesitation, he put all those useless clothes on his large cover-cloth. He rolled it up into a bundle. Then he put the bundle o
n his head and so Brawler too put their worn-out basket on her head. Then the three of them fled from Ofadafa’juro town in that dead-night.
Just a few hours after they had left that town behind, they went direct to one town which was on the east.
21
PAUPER, BRAWLER AND
SLANDERER BECOME
SLAVES IN AIKU TOWN
Having travelled for about seven days. Pauper, Brawler and Slanderer came to one town called AIKU and it was on the east of that area. But then the three of them started to live in this town.
The most important work which the men were doing there was to go to the neighbouring towns to capture people. When they brought them to their town, Aiku, then they would sell them into slavery.
But as there were no big trees which Pauper could use for carving into various kinds of things, because this Aiku town was on grass-field, this forced him to join the men who were capturing other people as slaves. So, one morning, he followed the men who were going to capture people from one town. But aU of them had not travelled far when Slanderer and Brawler began to run after them. When they overtook them. Pauper and the other men asked from Brawler and Slanderer: ‘But where are you going to?’
‘We are following you to capture people as well!’ Brawler and Slanderer replied.
‘But you should not put us in trouble!’ the men and Pauper warned them seriously.
‘Haa! Not at all! But we shall not put you in trouble!’ Brawler and Slanderer promised.
But then, after the whole of them had travelled for three hours, as Brawler was brawling along the road continuously, they saw a large number of people, women and men, who were running helter-skelter towards them.
‘But why are all of you running fiercely like this?’ the men and Pauper asked those people
‘Haa, the slave raiders are chasing us to catch! Better you all go back in time so that they might not capture you as slaves!’ the people warned them.
Pauper, Brawler and Slanderer Page 11
