The Witch-Herbalist of the Remote Town

by Amos Tutuola

  When he and his followers saw me faintly in the thick smoke, they began to chase me about on the shrine-field which was almost covered with the thick smoke. As I was still running here and there just to find a place in which to hide myself, it came to my “memory” at this moment to stop and fight with the hideous devil-worshipper and his raiders. Although they might overpower and kill me, I must show them first that I was a brave hunter of the wild beasts before I left my town years ago.

  Then without hesitation, I stopped and I hastily pegged the two sticks on top of which the two “removable heads” were pierced, on the ground. And I put many juju on my neck at the same time. But I had hardly put my bag of juju, bag of food and bow and arrow on the ground as well, when I began to fight every one of them with my heavy matchet. They were trying to surround me but I did not give them a chance to do so, because I did not stand on one spot but I was jumping from one spot to another like a tiger.

  As they watched my action and saw that it was more terrible than their own, his followers ran to his back. But as their master rushed against me, I started to cut him with my matchet and he too began to strike me with the cudgel of iron. Thus I continued to matchet him and he too continued to strike me with his cudgel continuously. Although there was still smoke all over the shrine-field, both of us fought fiercely like that for about fifteen twinklings. As I did not care to die this time, I rushed furiously against him. And as I raised up my matchet just to cut his forehead in two, he dodged to the left and thus he avoided my matchet. But as he threw his cudgel of iron at me, I hastily dodged to my right and it missed me. Again, without hesitation, I picked the cudgel up and before I threw it back at him, I put my matchet down. Then with all my power, I threw it back at him and it hit him on the head.

  When he threw it at me for the second time I hastily bent to my right and it missed me. I hastily picked it up and I picked up my matchet as well. But instead of throwing it back at him, I ran against him and I started to beat him with it with all my power. Now he and his raiders started to beat me as well, with another kind of weapon, repeatedly. But when this hideous devil-worshipper saw that their beating did not reduce my power, he took his two-headed spear of the devil as quickly as possible. As he sighted me thoroughly and then threw it at me with greediness, I hastily lay flatly on the ground and it missed me. Then without wasting a twinkling, I hastily stood up, I picked it up, and I threw it back at him, but it missed him as well.

  Again, he picked it up and he threw it back at me. But I dodged to the left and it missed me again. It was like that we were aiming at each other vainly until the thunder stopped roaring, the strange thick smoke disappeared, the lightnings stopped completely and the sky became as clear as necessary. And it was at this time that I understood by the help of my “memory” that it was the image of the god of thunder which caused all these horrible happenings, in order to save me from this hideous devil-worshipper. Of course, my mother was a strong worshipper of the god of thunder in my town.

  After a while, as this devil-worshipper continued to throw his two-headed spear at me with great anger, and as I was throwing it back at him with anger as well, I did not know when his followers surrounded me unexpectedly. But as they were preparing to invade me, I hastily picked up their master’s cudgel of iron and the spear. So as soon as I threw the spear at their master, I began to beat every one of them immediately. Having seen this, the devil-worshipper or their master was so exceedingly annoyed at this time that he threw the spear back at me with all his power. But I was fortunate to snatch it when it nearly hit my forehead.

  As soon as it came to my “memory” that this hideous devil-worshipper and his followers would defeat me in a few twinklings’ time, it wanted to help me. It had expected the help of my two “minds”, but both had been paralysed with fear. Luckily, my second “mind” became active suddenly. Then it hastily reminded me: “Please, use one of the thunderbolts which your mother gave to you for protecting yourself when you are in danger of this sort! Use it now!” Thus my second “mind” hastily reminded me. Although my first “mind” had entirely deserted me at this time, but my “memory” did not forget to record down its desertion as an offence.

  However, my second “mind” had reminded me of the thunderbolts for I had forgotten everything in my juju-bag all the while. So instead of throwing the spear back at him, I hastily loosened my juju-bag and I took one out. But to my fear, when I threw it at this devil-worshipper, it fell heavily in front of him instead of hitting him or his followers. It roared greatly, so greatly that the whole of them fell down powerlessly. Having seen that they were so powerless that they could not even move any part of their bodies, I took all my loads and the two-headed spear of this hideous devil-worshipper, but I left the cudgel of iron there because it was too heavy for me.

  So after I had thanked my “Supreme Second” greatly, I went back to the shrine of the image of the god of thunder. I knelt down before it with great respect. I thanked it for about ten twinklings. Although I had no kola-nuts, bitter kola-nuts, cocks, etc. to sacrifice to it, I noticed that it was pleased that I realized its help. Then I walked out from its shrine and I went back to the road of the Roadside Town. So it was like that I left the hideous devil-worshipper and his followers powerlessly on the shrine-field.

  The Roadside Town

  When I had travelled on this road which went to the Roadside Town for about sixty twinklings, I stopped at the roadside where there was a very cool shadow. I put all my loads down except the two “removable heads”. So before I sat down to rest, I took both away from the top of the sticks. I pierced each head of the two-headed spear which I had seized from the hideous devil-worshipper. Then I pegged it on the ground before my loads. Now I had got two trophies which, if possible, I would take to my town to show the people of the town how strong and brave I was. After that, I sat down before my loads at the roadside. I began to rest, because I was too tired from my fierce fight with the hideous devil-worshipper and his followers. Although I had defeated them at last and left them powerless, I did not know whether they had survived after I left the shrine-field.

  Having rested for a while, I was eager to eat something. So I stood up, I held my matchet, and then I went a little distance in the nearby bush. Luckily, I had not walked so far from the road when I came to a banana-farm. But as this time was the dry season, so many of the bananas were already ripe. Without fear, I plucked as many as I required. Then I returned to the road with happiness. As soon as I sat down before my loads, I ate from the bananas to my satisfaction. Then I put the remaining ones in front of the “removable heads”. After that I lay flatly in front of the “removable heads” and the rest of my loads. But as soon as I began to think in my mind how the god of thunder had helped me to conquer the hideous devil-worshipper and his followers, I thought of the long period that I had left my town in respect of my barren wife. I did not know when I fell asleep unnoticed.

  I enjoyed the sleep so much that it was the cries of various kinds of big birds which woke me in the morning. As soon as I was woken by the cries of birds, I stood up, I went to one nearby pond. I bathed thoroughly and I washed my mouth very clean as well. Then without hesitation, I put my bags and bow and arrows on my left shoulder as usual, I held upright the spear on top of which the two “removable heads” were pierced. Having done so, I took the rest of the bananas, and then I held my heavy matchet with my right hand. Then I kept going direct to the Roadside Town as I began to eat the bananas one by one.

  Having eaten the whole of the bananas, and as I was travelling along on the road, I began to sing loudly with great joy I was so happy this morning that I travelled faster than ever. I did not feel to stop and rest or to eat till the twelfth hour of the day, when I began to see the Roadside Town faintly in front. Having travelled for about forty twinklings, I came to the town, and I entered there as I held the spear up high. I began to travel along in the town, just to see the king and ask him to give me permission to pass through hi
s domain. The people began to run away whenever they met me and saw my horrible appearance.

  Although many people were running away with fear whenever they met me, hundreds of dogs were following me and barking at me terribly, so this was a great fear and shame to me. But as I was still walking along in the town sluggishly without knowing where the palace was, the people did not wait for me so that I might ask them to lead me there. So after a while, I was puzzled, because the farther I went in this town, the more dogs were increased, and so their barks were increased greatly.

  Then as the people and their dogs, goats, rams, etc. were running helter-skelter with great fear whenever they saw me, so I stopped going straight in the town but I began to walk heavily zigzag to another part of the town with great depression. After a while, I walked zigzag to one market which was full with people, because that day was the market-day. But as soon as the people in the market saw me, they feared as well, and then they left their wares and fled with fear and confusion to their houses.

  When they fled away and left their wares in the market, and I was terribly hungry for food at this time, I simply walked sluggishly into one stall in which a variety of foods were sold. I sat down on one high stool. I leaned my matchet on that stool, my bags, bow and poisoned arrows were on my left shoulder and I held the spear and matchet with the left hand. I ate from the foods and drank the water to my satisfaction. Then as I was still chewing one long and big bone, my second “mind” advised me to stand up and walk toward the south of the town. But as I always obeyed my second “mind’s” advice, I stood up and then I kept going toward the south of the town as it advised me to do.

  It was against the law to pass through a town without seeing the king and asking his permission to pass through his town or land or domain, and also without telling him the purpose of his travel or journey. Therefore, willing or not, I must see the king of this Roadside Town before I could pass through his town. So when I had travelled heavily and zigzag for about fifteen twinklings, my first “mind” advised me wrongly to travel to the north of the town. But my second “mind” hastily condemned its advice. It (my second “mind”) warned me strongly that I must not follow my first “mind’s” advice at all, because the palace of the king was not at that part of the town but at the south.

  However, as both of them were still quarrelling with each other, and the second “mind” was accusing the first “mind” of being a liar, I followed the advice of the second “mind” and I still kept going sluggishly and zigzag toward the south of the town. Of course both “minds” had made up their quarrel after a few twinklings.

  Luckily, when I had travelled zigzag in the town towards the south, I came to the palace of the king, who peeped through a large window when he heard the barks of hundreds of dogs, which had surrounded me and were barking at me terribly. But as I wanted to force my way through to the entrance of the palace, with the hope of meeting the king and asking him to give me permission to pass through his town to the road of the Remote Town, a number of the king’s bearers hastily shut the large door of the entrance. They had hardly done so when they went back to the king, and I heard when the king ordered them loudly that they must not allow me to enter the palace. Then he walked confusedly from that window back to his throne.

  But as I stood all the while at a little distance from the entrance of the palace, I fixed upon the ground the long two-headed spear on top of which the two “removable heads” were pierced. Again, I put my juju-bag, food-bag and bow and arrows on the ground. Then I held my heavy matchet firmly, and as I was not allowed to enter the palace, I sat down close to my loads. But I was still chewing that long and big bone of meat which I took from the market greedily, it was so I was waiting for my “minds”, to hear their advice at this moment. Of course, after a few twinklings, my first “mind” advised me suddenly to stand up and break the large door of the entrance and then force my way into the palace.

  But when I heard this wrong advice from my first “mind”, I hastily shook my head to left and right to show that its advice was risky to comply with. And at the same time, I continued to chew the big bone as if I were a mad man. Of course, my appearance was more or less of a habitual mad man at this time or before I came to this town.

  However, as my first “mind” had misled me, my “memory” did not forget to record it down as an offence.

  As I was still chewing the big bone voraciously, the large door of the entrance was opened suddenly. And as uncountable dogs were still surrounding me and barking at me terribly, about twenty giant-like bearers of this king, with clubs, matchets, thick ropes, thick chains and one large net in their hands, rushed out from the palace with full force. But as soon as I saw that they were coming to me to do something hostile, I hastily put my juju-bag, bag of food and bow and arrows on my left shoulder. Then as I held the spear with the left hand it was so I held my matchet with the right hand firmly, and then I stood up and I was ready for them to come to me.

  To my surprise and fear, as I was still looking at these giant-like bearers sternly, I was not aware when two of them came to my back cautiously and spread that large thick net on my head which ran to my feet at the same time. Having done so unexpectedly, the rest rushed forward to me. They helped those two to twist the net all over my body. Then, without hesitation, the whole of them lifted the whole of me off the ground together with all my belongings. And without wasting time, they began to carry me along to the palace. Having seen this, I started to struggle to come out from the net and then to escape from their town, because I thought that they were going to kill me or harm me or sacrifice me to the king’s god or idol.

  But as I was still struggling to come out from the net with all my power and as these giant-like bearers were now afraid of me, for they did not know whether I was a dangerous evil spirit or devil, they were unable to hold me with all their hands, I wanted to cut a part of the net and come out through the space, but they did not allow me to do so, and they began to drag the net along on the ground until they dragged it to the palace.

  When they had dragged the net to the palace, they put it before the king who was seated on his throne with his subjects. And as they saw the two “removable heads” and the long two-headed spear on top of which I pierced the heads, they began to tremble with great fear, and they got ready to run away for their lives at the same time for they thought that I might be hostile to them. Then the bearers loosened the net away from my body. But they had hardly done so when I stood up suddenly with the spear of devil in my left hand and the two heads on top of it faced the king and his subjects as if both wanted to talk to them with great annoyance.

  Again, as they saw as well the bag of juju, bag of food and bow and poisoned arrows on my left shoulder, and as I held my heavy matchet with the right hand, and as they saw my appearance which was fearful beyond description, I stood up suddenly with all these things. When they saw my hostile action the king and his subjects were so much afraid that they hastily ran to the extreme end of the palace, thinking that perhaps I might rush to them and kill them.

  As the king and his subjects stood with fear at the end of the palace, and his giant-like bearers stood far away from me, the king turned his face to his subjects and said: “How could a man like this one (he pointed his finger at me) get these two ‘removable heads’ which belong to the Crazy Removable-Headed Wild Man of the wild jungle. And I am sure, there is no human being who could even go near him, how much more to get his strange heads. This is not a human being at all, he must be a spirit or some other kind of a cruel living creature. But again, I must take him as the spirit of the devil because he holds the two-headed long spear which belongs to the devil only! Who is he?” Thus the king said loudly with confusion. Then he and his subjects and bearers put their eyes on me again. They were looking at me steadfastly with confusion and fear. Although I stood firmly on one place, I was expecting them to do whatever they wanted to do to me. Of course they were not to be blamed as they called me the spirit or d
evil, for my appearance was exactly like that of the devil at this time.

  As the king, his subjects and his strong bearers stood agile far away from me, hundreds of dogs were still barking with fear continuously in front and around the palace. There I saw that some of the strong bearers ran to my back, they held both my arms and neck unexpectedly. They tied both my arms together with a thick chain and they put also another big chain on my neck and then fastened it to the one which was tied to my arms. But they did this so suddenly that I was unable to take my juju from the bag to protect myself with it.

  Having tied both my arms and neck, then they pushed me roughly to one big pillar which was in the centre of the palace. Then they tied the whole of me onto that pillar. Now, as the king and his subjects were sure that I could not use my power to harm them, they came nearer to me and they looked at me very well. Having looked at me for about ten twinklings, they turned to my back and looked at it from feet to head with much surprise and fear, but with much agility to run away if I were the devil who could harm or kill them. But as yet they were confused whether I were the devil or an evil spirit who had mistakenly wandered to their town, and they wanted to make perfectly sure of that. They started to examine the strange spear of the devil which I held and on top of which the two “removable heads” were pierced, and they examined the two heads with great fear as well. But they were so fearful that they did not touch the heads.

  Having examined both spear and the heads for a while, they began to argue with one another with great fear and confusion. But after their arguments were clenched, then they confirmed that, indeed, I was the devil because the two-headed spear was that of the devil. But they were still confused as to how I managed to get the two “removable heads” because they believed that the Crazy Removable-Headed Wild Man of the wild jungle was so terrible that it was absolutely impossible for one to go near him and snatch his head from his neck.