The Witch-Herbalist of the Remote Town

by Amos Tutuola

  “Then the king, his subjects and the uncountable people of this town of ‘born and die baby’ danced back to the town with great joy. But as I was no more a ‘born and die baby’ like themselves, I told the king that I wanted to leave his town that day. So he and his subjects thanked me greatly for helping them destroy their enemy, the demon. Further the king remarked with happiness which could not be described: ‘Though you are an ex-“born and die baby” you have possessed the power which is far beyond that of the “born and die babies”!’ Having remarked like that the king, without hesitation, invited many people. He told them to lead me to the gate of the town and they did so. When they had led me to the gate, the gatekeeper bowed low for me and then he lifted the barrier and I passed through there to the other side of the road.

  “Then as soon as I had left the gate, I began to walk zigzag along in the jungle. But I had not walked far when my first ‘mind’ and second ‘mind’, which had deserted me as soon as I started to fight with the demon, became active suddenly. But when they wished me good luck for winning the demon, my ‘memory’ angrily told them: ‘Where were the two of you when he was fighting the demon? I know, both of you deserted him, for you feared that the worst thing was going to happen to him! But of course, I have already recorded this pure offence for use after the journeys!’ It was like that my ‘memory’ accused my first ‘mind’ and second ‘mind’.

  “So after a while, I reached the spot on which my mortal body still lay down on the same hillock. It was as fresh as ever. But to my greatest surprise, as soon as I came back to my mortal body, I saw clearly how this my body was split from the breast down to the lowest part of my stomach. Then as soon as it parted to left and right, I became as little as a day-old baby. Then without hesitation, I walked from the ground to my splitting stomach, and as soon as I lay down flat in the split as if one lay on the bed, the immortal body of the ‘born and die baby’ in which I was, disappeared unexpectedly. As soon as it disappeared, my stomach closed back. I became alive completely.

  “But I had hardly become alive when I stood up from the hillock and began to look at myself with confusion, and also at my loads, matchet, bow and arrows and the ‘removable head’ which I snatched from the Removable-Headed Wild Man of the wild jungle before I travelled to the rock. But as soon as I was conscious then I understood that I could not go to the Town of the ‘Born and Die Baby’ without changing my mortal body to the immortal body of the ‘born and die baby’. And again, it was now I understood as well that it was not in a dream or vision at all that I was drowsy, dull, etc. when I ate these Fruit of Great Ordeal. But all these things really happened.”

  The Offensive Wild People

  So as soon as I was conscious, I put the bags of my juju and food, and my bow and arrows of poison, on my left shoulder. After that I held the “removable head” with my left hand and my heavy matchet with my right hand. Then I continued my journey to the Remote Town at the same time, without eating anything.

  Just as a runner and as a walker, I was travelling on and on this day until the darkness of the night did not allow me to see my way in this jungle, although there was no road in this jungle. But at last, when I could not even see myself, willing or not, I stopped. Then I put all my loads down, and I fixed into the ground the stick on top of which the “removable head” was pierced. Having done this, with an empty stomach, I lay down flatly on the ground. Then as I faced the sky, I began to think of the difficulties, punishments, hardships etc. which I had encountered since I had left my town. But of course I was not discouraged at all. My strong wish which I had in mind before I left my town, was still fresh in my mind. And I was still determined to see that I meet the Witch-Herbalist of the Remote Town and beg her to make the medicine which could make my barren wife pregnant. But of course I believed that there were still punishments, etc. which I was going to meet ahead. It was like that I was thinking in my mind until I fell asleep unnoticed, without fear. For I had a strong belief that the “removable head” was so fearful that it could scare any wild man or ghost who might come to harm me in the night or when I was asleep.

  But it was hardly daybreak when hunger woke me up, for I had not seen anything to eat since I left the Town of the “Born and Die Baby”. Then I stood up and I gathered my loads including the “removable head”. So I put the loads on my left shoulder and I held my heavy matchet with my right hand. After that I continued my journey in this quiet jungle with an empty stomach. I began to travel along zigzag in it, which was not easy for me at any moment, because both mighty trees and small ones and long wild sharp grasses and creeping plants with thorns on their leaves, were disturbing me. And it was so I began to look at the top of every one of the mighty trees, hoping perhaps I might see fruits on top of them to eat. But unfortunately there was nothing like fruits on top of them.

  So it was with an empty stomach that I continued to travel along zigzag with much difficulty in this quiet jungle till midday. But I was lucky at last in that the very moment I became entirely tired and so weary that I could not travel along any more, I travelled to one part of this jungle where there was a big deep pond. It was full with clean water. The sun shone all over it from the sky because mighty trees were far away from there. And I was happy when I noticed that many kinds of small fruit-trees surrounded this pond.

  Then without hesitation, I stopped under one of these small fruit-trees. I put all my loads down. Then with my heavy matchet in hand, I climbed one of these fruit-trees. I plucked many ripe fruits down. When I came down, I gathered them and I went back to the spot where I had put my loads, I began to eat the fruits one by one voraciously at the same time, for I was nearly killed by hunger.

  Having eaten a number of these fruits I was satisfied, and then I rested for a while. I stood up like a strong man. I walked without fear to the pond and I drank from the clean water of it to my entire satisfaction. After that, I undressed myself, although my clothes were more or less rags by this time. Then I bathed in the cool fresh water of this pond for about sixty twinklings. After my bath, I dressed up again. But it was at this time that I noticed monkeys, apes, etc. were coming to drink and swim in this pond, and that they were the creatures or agents which had brought the fruits there before they germinated and became full-grown fruit-trees. Having understood now how these fruit-trees came there, I went back to my loads.

  When I had rested again for some twinklings, I went to another kind of the fruit-tree. I climbed it and I plucked plenty of the ripe ones down. When I came down, I put them in my bag of food and then I packed the rest of my loads. I continued my journey at the same time. But as that time was nearly the sixth hour of the evening, I could not travel very far before the darkness did not allow me to see again. So I stopped and then I climbed one vast rock to the top. So I slept on it till daybreak, although I was nearly killed by cold in the night.

  In the morning, when the cold was too much for me to bear, and I could not even stand up and continue my usual journey, then I forced myself to stand up. I gathered some dried refuse together with which I made a big fire. So as I began to warm my body with the fire, I began to eat from the fruits which I had put in my bag of food before I left the pond the other day. But as soon as I had satisfied my hunger and warmed my body to my satisfaction as well, I stood up, I packed my loads and then I continued my journey. Although I was in difficulties always, I was not discouraged at all. All my efforts were just to reach the Remote Town of the Witch-Herbalist at all costs.

  But to my surprise and fear, I had hardly travelled in this quiet jungle for about six kilometres from the rock on which I slept, when I began to see a sort of the wild people of this quiet jungle. They were really offensive wild people indeed, because parts of their bodies such as arms, legs, thighs, heads, eyes, noses, etc. were very badly stigmatized by their creator. These sort of wild people were terribly strange and very offensive to the sight of the people of the towns. The noses of many of them were about fifteen centimetres long and curved
at the end like the beak of a parrot. Hundreds of them had fearful goitres on their necks. These fearful goitres were not like those of the townspeople, because each was so large and heavy that it fell on each one’s breast, and so it was making a terrible noise when he was walking somewhere. Moreover, the sort of terrible noise which this sort of goitre was making was so terrible that both animals and birds were fleeing far away to safe places as soon as they heard it. Also, the offensive smells of the rotten big sores of their bodies filled up the whole of the jungle. And this caused this jungle to be quiet always, because there was not any other living creature which could live with these offensive wild people.

  But as I hid in the buttress of a gigantic tree which was in this quiet jungle, I kept watching each of these strange offensive wild people with fear. Each of them was then walking from one place to another without talking to one another, except for the strange and fearful noises that which their bodies were making. Many of them saw me in the buttress of the tree in which I had hid myself with fear. So immediately they saw me there they hastily turned their heads towards the buttress. They were coming to me with great anger as fast as they could, when they saw the “removable head” which was on top of the stick and which I held above my head, with the hope that it might save me from them.

  As soon as I saw that they were coming with great anger to kill me and then take the head from me, I hastily jumped out from the buttress of the tree. Then I started to run away for my life. But they too started to chase me along to catch me at the same time. But it was not so long before I became tired, so tired that I hardly lifted up my feet from the ground at this moment. But these offensive wild people were not tired at all. Now I was sure that if they could catch me they would kill me instantly.

  But it came to my “memory” at this time that I was a brave hunter of the wild animals before I left my town years ago. Then without hesitation I stopped on a clean spot, with my heavy matchet which I held above my head. But my first “mind” and second “mind” could not advise me at this time, although my “memory” hastily recorded it down as an offence for them. So I used my “memory” instead, and I stood on that spot ready to fight them with all my power. And as soon as I had become as wild as a mad man, they surrounded me. But as they surrounded me and as they were preparing to invade me, I did not give them a chance to do so. I began to cut them with my matchet continuously as I was turning round the circle more than a hundred times in a twinkling. When they saw that I was more wild than them this time, and that they were unable to touch or approach me, they kept quiet and then they began to watch my hostile actions.

  But to my horror this morning, these wonderful strange offensive wild people showed me that their powers were beyond those of the townspeople. So as I was still fighting them with my matchet, they started to move back a bit. Some of them hastily made a heap of the dried refuse and sticks round that circle, and then they lighted them up with fire unexpectedly. And within five-sixtieths of a twinkling, the fire had become a big flame which rose high to the sky. Then they extended their circle so that the fire might not burn them. They did this with the hope of burning me to death.

  When they had surrounded the fire, they were then looking at me with the hope that I would be burnt to death soon. For as soon as they had put fire round the spot on which I stood, I could not cut them with my matchet again. My first “mind” and second “mind” had already deserted me, therefore I had no advisers. But there came to my “memory”, as soon as the flame of the fire began to touch my body slightly, one of my juju incantations. So with the help of this juju-incantation, I showed these offensive wild people that though they had power, the people of the towns were wiser than them.

  Then without wasting a twinkling, I began to recite this juju-incantation continuously and loudly to their hearing. This kind of juju-incantation was to quench fire and also to make someone powerless. But when I read this juju-incantation for a few twinklings, it quenched the fire, and again, it made these wild people powerless at the same time. Then with my loads and bow and arrows and the “removable head” I walked from that spot to the circle of these people. And as they fastened their wild eyes on me, I passed through their circle and then I continued to go along in their quiet wild jungle.

  But to my surprise and fear, as soon as I continued to go, I had not travelled more than one thousand metres when they regained their powers. As soon as they had regained their powers, one of the oldest of them, who was as strong as a stone, with a very heavy goitre on his neck, jumped high up and then shouted horribly three times. Having done so, he pronounced out an incentive song. So the whole of them became mad as soon as they began to sing that incentive song. And without hesitation, they began to dance madly round the circle for a few sixtieths of a twinkling. Having done so, they started to chase me to catch while they were still singing the song.

  When I noticed that they were chasing me to catch me, I ran to one high hill with the hope of climbing it, and that by so doing I might be safe. But as soon as they saw me running to that hill, they hastily scattered in this jungle and they continued to chase me along fiercely as they were shouting horribly to one another: “Run to his right and catch him! Run to his left and catch him! Let the whole of us surround him and catch him!” It was like that these offensive wild people were chasing me along to catch me as fast as they could. As I was greatly confused when I heard that they planned to catch me, I hastily looked at my back, but to my horror again I saw that both the Abnormal Squatting Man of the Jungle and the Crazy Removable-Headed Wild Man were among them. But I saw that the “head of a rhinoceros” with one horn on its nose, was the Wild Man’s head this time. This head was more terrible than the one which I had snatched from him when I fought him years ago. So he too was among these offensive wild people, and he was turning round to my left and right as fast as he could to catch me, when he saw the head which I had snatched from him in my hand.

  The Abnormal Squatting Man of the Jungle became extremely annoyed and wild when he saw me again this morning. He was jumping wildly to my left and right in order to catch me and then revenge on me with the usual cold of his large stomach. But when I took a glance at him, I saw his stomach which I shot with my arrow on the Dazzling White Rock years ago, that it was still plastered or bandaged.

  When I saw these two cruel wild men among these offensive people, I decided immediately to run straight instead of climbing that hill. I was now running straight ahead with all my power so that I might leave them far behind and then hide myself in a safe place. But soon, I understood that my plan did not help at all, because after I had run as fast as I could for about sixteen twinklings, I saw that these wild people were at a distance of six metres behind me. But as I was still running along desperately at this time, I began to see in my view another high hill. It was higher than the first one which I had wanted to climb before I saw the two cruel Abnormal Squatting Man of the Jungle and the Crazy Removable-Headed Wild Man.

  Then I began to run direct to this hill at the same moment with the hope of climbing it to the top and hiding myself there. Again, I thought in my “memory” that these wild people would not be able to climb such a vast and very high hill as this one. I hastily thought to do so with the help of my “memory” because my first and second “minds” had deserted me for fear. Of course, my “memory” recorded this down as an offence.

  I did according to my plan. I began to run to this hill. But on both sides of the narrow path-like track on which I was running along desperately, I saw very deep ditches, one was on the right and the other was on the left side of the narrow path-like track. I saw these dangerous ditches which were at the foot of the hill about fifty metres below. Both ditches went along the path-like track to the hill. To my dismay again, I had already run to the middle of this path-like track and the ditches before I saw these two ditches on the left and right.

  Now as I was in two dangers, the danger of the wild offensive people who were chasing me fiercely to catc
h and kill me, and the danger of the two ditches of the narrow path-like track, so I became entirely confused at this moment. I must not run back, for the offensive wild people would catch me easily, and further, I must not leave the path-like track to run in another direction, otherwise, I would certainly fall into one or other of the two deep ditches, which if I did, would be the end of my life. As I was still thinking in my “memory” of these two dangers with great confusion, these wild people were running nearer to me. So, willing or not, I put on more speed to run to the foot of the hill so that I might be able to climb it to the top and hide myself there before they came.

  As I speeded up more than before, although I was totally tired, I reached the foot of the hill within a few twinklings. And without wasting a sixtieth of a twinkling, I clung to one thick creeping plant which crept from the top of the hill down to the foot or bottom of it. Then without waiting for a sixtieth of a twinkling, I began to climb the hill along to the top with the help of the creeping plant, as I was dangling to left and right with the bag of my juju, bag of food, bow and arrows, all of which were on my left shoulder, except for the “removable head” and my matchet which I held. But I was very careful with the bag of my juju because the cruse was also inside it. It was inside this cruse that the Witch-Herbalist was going to prepare the juju-medicine that which would make my barren wife become pregnant. I emphasize that I had been taking great care of this cruse since the day or year that I had left my Rocky Town, so that it might not break or crack, otherwise the Witch-Herbalist would send or turn me back for an unbroken one.