The Witch-Herbalist of the Remote Town

by Amos Tutuola

  To my fear again, within a half-twinkling, I became drowsy. But as soon as I was drowsy, I understood that this fruit-tree belonged to the “born and die babies”. It was forbidden for other people to eat its fruits. Though I was an ex-“born and die baby” I was no longer their member since my father had tied me down with a powerful juju. And the name of this fruit-tree was THE FRUIT-TREE OF GREAT ORDEAL. Again, a few twinklings later, I became dumb and dull together with my first “mind” and second “mind”. I was so dull at this time that I could not decide what to do again, but I remained on this hillock instead like a dead person. Now I had become a real droll for every living creature, wild people and even to myself. And it was not after more than five twinklings of becoming drowsy and a real droll, that I drooped my head and began to see:

  “As I drooped my head drowsily, unexpectedly I saw that my breast down to the lowest part of my belly was parted to left and right as if it was cut with a sharp knife. Both parts were equal. My breast had hardly parted when I saw that I had become a baby, a baby just like a ‘born and die baby’. Then I stood up and walked from the parted breast onto the ground. As soon as I walked from the breast to the ground, I turned my face to my former body which was now lifeless. But when I had looked at it for some twinklings, I hastily turned my back to it as if it was a hated thing for me.

  “I had hardly turned back on my lifeless body when I began to walk along in the clear moonlight until I came to the gate of a big town. This gate with its barrier was painted with white, red, blue and yellow paint. All were so neatly painted that they were attracting every living thing to touch them. So I had hardly stood behind this lovely gate when the keeper of it stood up and walked out gently from his booth. When he walked to the gate, he leaned his breast on top of the barrier. Then as soon as he did so, he pushed the beautiful flower which darkened the place to one side. So the ray of the clear moon shone onto the barrier.

  “So through the moonlight he saw me and I saw him as well, he was corpulent and very tall. He was a light-skinned fellow, but his dresses were those of the ‘born and die babies’. As I was still looking at him with wonder, I was also thinking in my ‘memory’ what kind of man was this. The gatekeeper hissed greatly and then asked from me with the voice of that of a ‘born and die baby’, where I was going to. But to my fear, as soon as his voice came to my ears, my first ‘mind’ and second ‘mind’, which were my partners and advisers and which had deserted me since when I had eaten the fruits, became active at the same moment. My over-swelled belly became as normal as before and again I was free from drowsiness at the same time that he spoke to me. But my ‘memory’ recorded as an offence for my first ‘mind’ and second ‘mind’ that they deserted me as soon as I ate the strange fruits which made me drowsy.

  “Now, I remembered that my former body from which I came out like a baby, was still sitting on the same hillock near the shadow of the tree.

  “When the gatekeeper asked this question, I explained to him that it was quite a long time since I had left my town. Since then, I had been wandering about in the jungles, wild jungles, wild forest mountains, etc. in order to find the way or road to the Remote Town of the Witch-Herbalist. But, unfortunately, I could not yet find the right road to the town, till today when a strange thing had happened to me!

  “But this gatekeeper hastily interrupted when he heard that ‘a strange thing had happened to me’. He asked: ‘What kind of “a strange thing” has happened to you today?’

  “Then I explained to him how a few twinklings after I ate the fruits of a certain tree, I became so drowsy and heavy that I could not move any part of my body. But I was still in this state when I fell asleep. And as I drooped my head and as I was sleeping, I saw that it had really happened to me that from my breast to the lowest part of my abdomen was split or parted to left and right as if it were cut with a knife. After that I stood up like a baby and walked from my abdomen or stomach to the ground as if somebody walked from his room to the outside of his house!

  “When I had explained to this gatekeeper like that, he shook his head up and down for some twinklings, so this made me understand that he understood what had happened to me. Then he explained to me that I would have not been able to come to the gate if I had not first left my mortal body behind. He explained further that he knew that I was an ex-‘born and die baby’ who had failed to return to them, and had belonged to the mortal people.

  “Having explained to me like that, he opened the gate and told me to come in and I did so. Then both of us started to walk abreast along a wide, clean road to a big and beautiful town which I was looking at far away on top of a hill, surrounded by beautiful green trees.

  “When we had walked abreast for some twinklings, and as both of us were discussing along the road, I asked from him where he was taking me to now. He replied that he was taking me to their king of the ‘born and die babies’, and also to see the wonderful inhabitants of the town. He said further that all of the inhabitants were ‘born and die babies’.

  “Again, I asked from him what was the name of the town. He told me that the town was called the TOWN OF THE ‘BORN AND DIE BABY’. When he told me the name of the town, I told him that I lived in that town when I was a ‘born and die baby’. Even my house, children and my wife were still there. But I could not live with my children, wife and in my house again, because I had failed to return to the town as a ‘born and die baby’. And when this gatekeeper heard so from me, he shook his head with pity. Then he said that, as well as myself, thousands of the ‘born and die babies’ could not return to the town. He explained to me that the lives of the ‘born and die babies’ were just like those of soldiers. Of the many who were dead in the battle-field, many were fortunate to return to their towns.

  “After a while, we trekked to the hill on top of which the town was. But as we began to ascend the hill, I noticed that all the beautiful trees which surrounded the town were blowing swiftly here and there as if they were happy to see me again.

  “After a while we climbed this hill, on top of which the beautiful houses were built. As both of us were trekking along in the town, we came to my own house which I built when I was a ‘born and die baby’. Then I told the gatekeeper that this was my house, as I pointed my finger to it. He told me to let us enter the house just to see my people. But when we entered and my people saw me, they were not happy at all, because I had not been able to return to them as a ‘born and die baby’, and by that they took me to be a coward father. However, they gave cold water to me and also to the gatekeeper. After I had drunk it, they asked me why I had not returned since I had left them. When I told them the reason, they began to weep. Then the gatekeeper and I caressed them and preached to them until they stopped weeping.

  “As soon as they stopped weeping, the gatekeeper, having seen that my people were not happy, told me that we should go to the palace of the king. And with tears, I left my people. After a while we trekked to the palace of the king of ‘born and die babies’. Then he took me direct to the king, who was on his throne at that time. But of course I knew the palace and every corner of the town when I was a ‘born and die baby’.

  “Then the gatekeeper bowed low for the king, and after that for this who sat at the right and left of the king, and I did so as well. After that one of the king’s bearers brought one chair. He put it front of the king and I sat on it. As I sat, I was still expecting what the king was going to ask from me. The gatekeeper told the king that I was in difficulties and that was why he brought me to him. Having told him so, he bowed and then sat on a chair which was in front of the idols. He supported his jaw with left hand, expecting what the king was going to do for me. But as the king was very busy at this time, he could not attend to me as soon as I wanted him to. So I had much time to look at the surroundings of the throne. To my surprise, I saw that things had changed considerably since when I was living in that town as a ‘born and die baby’. I saw that there were several hundreds of images of the ‘born a
nd die babies’ which half-circled the throne. All of these images were carved from superior gold. Each of these images represented the ‘born and die baby’ who failed to return to the town like himself. And I was greatly afraid when I saw my own image among these images.

  “Some of them had long bushy beards. Many had none, but the glittering eyes and very costly dresses worn by them, this made each of them look like a living man.

  “As soon as the king had finished what he was doing, he raised his head up. He asked from me unexpectedly, as he was sulky, ‘I believe, you were once one of the “born and die babies”.’ He asked me with great annoyance. So I replied at the same time with fear: ‘Yes, I was one of them but I was unable to return to this town again, because the father and mother who bore me at this time had tied me down with their very powerful juju. Although I tried several times to outwit the juju, all my efforts failed because the juju was too powerful!’

  “‘Well, you have become mortal man then. So you are no longer useful to us!’ the king said, as he was very sulky. As soon as he said so, I could not speak but again but I simply shook my head up and down heavily. But when he saw that I did not say anything again, he pointed his hand to the image which was my own and then he said: ‘Look at yourself there. It is very shameful of you that you were not bold enough to return to your town! Shame!’

  “Having said so with great annoyance, he dropped his head down. After a while he raised it up. Then he told one of his bearers to serve me with food, and I had hardly finished it to my entire satisfaction when he told another bearer to serve me with hot drinks. But as I was enjoying the drinks, the king told me that one cruel demon used to come out from his vault every year to take very expensive offerings from him, but if he failed to give them. There would be great famine in the town, and he would harm them severely if the offerings were not up to what he expected. The king expained to me further that the cruel demon would come out from his vault the day that I came there. Therefore, he wanted me to help them fight him, the king said. The king said further that if I could conquer him then they would be free from his punishment.

  “When he told me so I agreed, because I remembered that I was a brave hunter before I left my town. But I understood that the king wanted to test my power as I had become mortal man, though in fact the demon was really punishing them.

  “After some twinklings, the king stood up and his chiefs followed him. He waved his hand to me to stand up and I did so, and also his bearers. Then I travelled in the town with the king, etc., as the keg of the hot drink was in my hand. And as the king was in front and as soon as we followed him to the centre of the town, uncountable people rushed out from their houses just to see the king whom, perhaps, they had seen last more than one hundred years ago.

  “As thousands of these ‘born and die people’ were beating drums and thousands were singing the melodious songs and dancing the dance of the ‘born and die babies’ in front and around the king and his subjects, it was so uncountable numbers of them were pushing one another here and there just to see their king. Again, as the king, his subjects, bearers and I went deeper in the town, it was so uncountable people were still rushing out from their houses. They were joining the others and all were dancing and singing cheerfully together. But as the whole people, the king, his subjects, his bearers and I were still going along in the town and as I continued to sip the hot drink, I began to notice every part of the town, and I saw that this town had changed enormously during the years that I had left there.

  “After a while we left this very beautiful town and began to travel towards the west. As the road on which the whole of us were travelling along was very wide, so the dancers, singers and drummers did not stop but they continued their amusements. It was not long before the dust which the feet of the dancers were blowing high into the sky did not allow the rest of us to see well, when we came to the vicinity of another town.

  “This town was very clean as well, but there were no trees. The cool breeze was blowing slowly over it, the breeze was cool in such a way that it was agreeable to every living creature. But in the centre of the vicinity of this town, there was a kind of gigantic vault. It was very strange to me because it seemed as if it was more than one thousand years old. Of course this kind of strange vault was not in the vicinity of this town during the time that I was living in the town of the ‘born and die baby’ as one of them.

  “To my surprise and fear again great noises of multitudes of beings were heard clearly from inside the vault as if there was a big town inside it. But as soon as we travelled to this gigantic vault, the people who were beating the drums, and those who were dancing and singing did not go near it. Except for the king, his subjects, bearers and me, the rest of the people kept themselves far away although they surrounded the vault with fear. They stopped their amusements as well. So the whole of them kept quiet as they folded their arms. Then they began to look at the vault with fear. So this showed me that a strange thing was going to happen soon.

  “In front of this vault there was a very long mound. It was lavishly decorated with golden flowers, ornamental bowls of gold, bronze, the emblems of this ‘born and die baby town’, and also with several kinds of shields and long spears of silver. The top of this mound, which was just like a roof for it, was covered with the dried skins of deers, antelopes, tigers, etc. The skin of a lion was spread on the ground on which the king rested his feet when he sat on the mound. His subjects sat on this mound as well on his left and right, while the bearers stood behind the mound. Then the king told me to sit on the ground in front of him. So I did as he told me to do, while the keg of the hot drink and the drinking vessel were in my hands.

  “So all of us faced the vault which was at a distance of about two thousand centimetres. After a while, and as I was still sipping the hot drink, I saw that the uncountable people who surrounded the king and his subjects kept quiet unexpectedly, except for those flatterers who were still flattering the king with their topmost sharp voices.

  “But to my fear, as I was still enjoying the hot drink, the king told me to get ready to fight the demon who was living inside the vault. He said further that he would soon come out from the vault. The king had hardly told me so when I saw that this gigantic vault, which had neither doors nor windows, split on the centre and parted to left and right. Then the dweller of this vault jumped out wildly through the split part. This wild demon had hardly jumped out when he rushed furiously towards the king and his subjects. He stopped at a short distance from them. But as the whole people shrank up with horror, the king and his subjects stood up for five twinklings, and after that they sat back on the mound.

  “Then the whole of us remained calm and we were waiting to see how the wild demon was going to perform his magic, for this year, because he used to display different kinds of magic for the people each year that he appeared to them. But before he started to perform his magic, the king must first throw in front of him the thank-offerings of that year. He would not display his magic at all if the thank-offerings were below what he expected but he would jump on the people and tear many of them into pieces. Again, there would be great famine that year. As the king began to throw the thank-offerings to him. I hastily began to notice every part of his body which, at last, became a cause of great fear to me. Of course, I had already seen uncountable different kinds of underworld beings when I was a brave hunter in my town, and also since I had begun my journey, which still continued. But this kind of a demon, as I could call him, was extremely strange to me.

  “For as I began to look at him this day, I believed that ‘one thing is bigger than another thing’. When I fastened my eyes on him well, I saw that he was taller than ten metres and very stout in a strange fearful way. His skin was as thick as that of an elephant. The skin was so filthy that uncountable flies and many other kinds of insects were perched on him, and uncountable numbers of them were flying round him. His spine was bigger than that of the other beings. His eyes were very wild and were a
s red as fire. In short, he was too horrible beyond description.

  “I greatly feared when the king pushed me to the front of this demon. He told me to fight him. And this demon had hardly seen me in front of him when he jumped on me, but I was faster than him. He could not touch my body when I dodged to the right. So as he failed to grip me, which would give him resistance, instead, he simply fell down flatly, not knowing that if he fell down it would take him more than sixty twinklings before he could stand up. It was this day that the king and his people knew this.

  “Then as he was still struggling to be on his feet again, I hastily sipped some of the drink which I had put near the king. After that, I went back to him. I pulled him up but he was hardly on his feet again when he dashed against me. He began to try to knock me to death. But I did not give him such a chance. Having failed to knock me down, he pushed me unexpectedly with all his power. So this time I fell down heavily and the whole of the ‘born and die people’ shouted on me at once. However, I had hardly fallen down when I sprang up with shame. Then I ran to the place where I had put my hot drink near the king. I drank some but some quantity still remained in my mouth. So without wasting a twinkling, I ran back to this demon. I held him this time and he too held me, and as I was trying to knock him down but could not, it was so he too was trying with all his power to knock me down but I did not give him chance to do so at all.

  “Both of us wrestled for about forty twinklings and I could not win him and he too could not win me. Then as the whole ‘born and die people’, their king and his subjects, craned at both of us with great fear, I poured the hot drink which remained in my mouth onto his eyes unexpectedly. Now, as he could not see and also was confused, I pushed him down. Then I ran to the mound on which the king and his subjects sat. I took one of the spears and I beat the demon nearly to death with it. So this forced him to crawl into his vault without taking the thank-offerings which had been given to him. The people and their king were very happy when they saw that I had conquered this demon who was troubling them every year.