The Witch-Herbalist of the Remote Town

by Amos Tutuola

  After they had danced here and there at the bank of the river for many twinklings, both old and young people began to beg the god of the river to accept my wife and myself and also our property as his sacrifice, and that he should have mercy on them and not allow bad luck to come to the town. Having shouted like that on us for a few twinklings, some of the strong men were told by the oldest people to push the canoe on to the middle of the river. So as soon as they had pushed it to the middle of the river, they returned to the bank of the river. But as the strong tides were pushing the canoe slowly along toward the south of the town, my father, mother, my father-in-law, and my wife who was with me in the canoe, continued to weep louder than ever, as every one of the rest of the people was then snapping the fingers above his or her head and was saying greedily: “Oh! my head, let these two unfortunate persons carry my death, bad luck, sickness, sorrow, etc. away to the god of the river!”

  Thus the oldest people, middle-aged people, young people and children were saying repeatedly and loudly, as the tides were carrying the canoe along on the river. But at this time I was just waving hands to the people with smiles, though my wife continued to weep. After a while, the tides pushed the canoe to such a distance that the people could not see us any more. So they danced back to the town. That was how my wife and I were sacrificed to the god of the river, because I conceived like a woman.

  Under the River

  But as soon as our canoe was lost to the view of the people, and as my wife continued to weep bitterly, I started to row the canoe with the oars as quickly as I could so that I might row far away before darkness would come to cover the surface of the water. Thus I continued to row on and on as I was singing the song of the hunter loudly and joyfully without stopping. But when it was the first hour of the morning, something horrible happened which forced my wife to stop weeping and which stopped me also unexpectedly from rowing the canoe further.

  First, my horse neighed so loudly and fearfully three times that my wife and I were startled with great fear unexpectedly. Again, the horse had hardly stopped its horrible neigh when a very bright light came from the bottom of the river onto the top of the fast flowing water suddenly, and our canoe was in the middle of this very bright light. Now my wife and I knew that the time had come when the god of the river to whom we were sacrificed would come to take us away as his sacrifice.

  But as soon as we saw this second sign again, I hastily set my bow in action and then I stood ready to fight. It came to my “memory” at this moment that the kind of adventure which I liked always would soon come. But my first and second “minds” had already deserted me as soon we saw these two signs. So there were no partners who could advise me now, whether to fight or not. However I had got myself ready to fight with whomsoever might come to take my wife and me away. But I had hardly got my bow ready when there appeared on top of the water unexpectedly one old man, one old woman and many strong soldiers, with various kinds of fighting weapons on their hands, and all of them followed the old man and old woman.

  As soon as both of us saw their appearance, which was not exactly that of a fish or a beast or a human being or a bird or a snake, etc., the fear overwhelmed both of us so much that we nearly fainted at the same time. But as they were walking on top of the water toward us, my wife was so much afraid that she fell down in the canoe unconscious. And it was now I knew that the old man was the god and the old woman was the goddess of the river.

  Although the god and goddess of the river were so stern and terrible, I did not fear at all to fight them. Instead I began to shoot at them and their soldiers with my bow. But there was none of my poisoned arrows which hit any of them. Having seen that I was determined to fight them probably to death, their soldiers did not waste time in retaliating. As I continued to shoot at them, they too began to shoot at me continuously.

  After a few sixtieths of a twinkling, my arrows forced them to move back to a little distance from their soldiers, and they kept watching the fight without talking to one another. But as I began to dodge here and there so that their bullets might not hit me, they too were dodging here and there in order to avoid my arrows. My canoe began to turn round, and after a few twinklings one of their bullets hit my horse. And as it was not hitched to a part of the canoe, it fell heavily in the canoe and then the canoe was bent heavily to one side. So at this time, the water had nearly run into it although it was capacious. Having seen this, it came to my “memory” that my wife and I were going to perish in the water soon.

  However, as my canoe wanted to sink and my horse had been shot, this gave me more power to shoot at the soldiers of the god and goddess of the river faster than ever. But they continued to shoot at me, though none of their so-called bullets hit me. And I was shooting at them continuously, and none of my arrows hit them either. But as the fierce fight continued, my poisoned arrows finished unexpectedly. Again, without hesitation, it came to my “memory” to pick up the two-headed spear from the bottom of the canoe and to use it as a fighting weapon for the soldiers. So I hastily picked it up, but I wanted to remove the two heads from the top of the spear first and then to continue to fight with the soldiers with it. The god and goddess saw the heads and both of them were startled at the same time. They were so fearful when they saw these two “removable heads” that they hastily commanded their soldiers with hands and horrible voice to stop shooting at me.

  So as I noticed that the heads frightened them, I left both on top of the spear. But at this time, I had not yet understood whether it was the two strange heads which frightened them or the two-headed spear of the devil. But it was hardly a sixtieth of a twinkling since their soldiers stopped shooting at me when a very strong hurricane began and a very strong wave rose high to the sky on the spot of this fighting field of water. And as soon as the hurricane started to turn my canoe round, it wanted to sink it. The bright light disappeared suddenly. But the light had hardly disappeared when the strong wave fell heavily onto my canoe. Then it sank my canoe together with my wife who was still unconscious, and also our property. But to my fear, within one sixtieth of a twinkling we were in front of one beautiful mighty building which was in a beautiful town which was under that river.

  As I stood up in the canoe holding the spear, and as I was still wondering how we came there and why we were not wet and my canoe, etc. were not wet as well with water, the god and goddess walked out from the mighty building to the outside. When they came nearer to the canoe, they bowed for me and for the two heads with great respect. After that they told me with smiling faces to come down from the canoe. So when I noticed that they were not hostile to us, I pulled my wife up and I held her as I still held the spear and then we came down.

  When we came down they told two of their bearers to treat my horse, and after that they should take it to the nearby pasture. Having told their bearers what to do, then they led us into their mighty building. After a while they led us to their sitting-room. Then they asked us to sit on one beautiful two-seater chair. And after they bowed for us with great respect again as if we were a king. They sat on another two-seater chair which was opposite the one on which we sat. Having received us with respect like that they told their bearers to go away. And within a few twinklings very delicious food was brought to us and to them as well.

  But as my wife and I were very hungry for food at this moment, so we ate the whole food within a few twinklings. Then after we had satisfied our hunger, many kinds of drinks were brought to us and to them as well. But as my wife could not drink, I started to enjoy the drinks as much as the god and goddess were enjoying their own. As soon as we had started to enjoy the drinks, the god began to introduce himself and the goddess to me thus: “I am the god of the river who your people in your town are worshipping, and to whom your people are sacrificing many things in which human beings are included. I am the king, and the goddess who is my wife,” he pointed hand to her, “is the queen of this town. We live comfortably in this town. Although the people of many towns sacrifice
human beings, whom they dislike, to us, alas! we don’t kill or eat human beings but we keep them safe and we use them as servants. We have the power to come to any town, banks of river etc. at any time. We are kind to human beings sometimes, and we are hostile to them sometimes. We do this because they are cruel to one another sometimes. My wife, the goddess, has the power to give children to barren women. But she does not give sometimes when the people are cruel to one another.” Thus the god introduced themselves to me as his wife, the goddess, looked on.

  Then as we were still drinking on, the god asked me to tell them something about myself, and I told them in brief thus: “Yes,” I sipped some of the drink which was in my hand, “before my wife and myself and all our property were sacrificed, I was a brave hunter of the wild beasts. Several years after I had married my wife, she was not pregnant. I went to the Witch-Herbalist in order that she should help me make the medicine that which would make my wife pregnant. The Witch-Mother was so kind that she gave me a juju-soup from which I ate on my way returning to my town, although the Witch-Mother warned me seriously not to eat from the witch-soup. When my wife ate the remaining soup she conceived. But unfortunately, as the belly of my wife has begun to swell up, so my own belly has begun to swell up. So after a few months that my wife and I had conceived, the people in the town saw that I as a man had conceived. Then in order to drive away the bad luck from the town, they sacrificed both of us and our property to both of you!” Thus I explained to both of them in brief.

  Both of them kept quiet with wonder for a while. Then the goddess started to ask question from me thus: “Whose son are you in your town?” I answered, as the god looked on: “I am the son of the Chief Priest and Pagan. My father with his assistant used to perform the sacrificial ceremonies for the people of the town!” Thus I explained to her. “Whose daughter is your wife?” the goddess asked. “She is the daughter of the Progenitor who assists my father to perform the sacrificial ceremonies, and he is a close friend of my father as well.” It was so I explained to her. But when both of them heard that I was the son of the Chief Priest and Pagan and that my wife was the daughter of the Progenitor, they shook their heads to left and right and then said: “Thou shall not sacrifice the children of the god of the river to the god of the river! It is forbidden! The people of your town were wrong to sacrifice both of you to us!” But when the goddess and god blamed the people of my town for sacrificing us to them, I stood up, I exposed to them my belly which had so swelled that it nearly touched the floor. Then I explained to them that the people of my town sacrificed us to them so that peace and good luck might come to the town, therefore, as I thought, they were not to be blamed so much. Then I sat back on the chair. Of course they were not satisfied with my explanations.

  As they were asking questions from me which I was answering carefully, my wife could not raise her head up and look at them because they were too stern and terrible for her. But as for me, their fearful appearances were nothing to me, because I had seen many terrible things when I went to the Remote Town. Again, the goddess asked me: “How did you manage to get these two heads,” she pointed her finger to them “which are on the top of the spear of the devil?” So I explained to her: “When I was going to the Remote Town, I fought with the ‘Crazy Removable-Headed Wild Man of the Jungle’ and I took the heads from him.” But when I told them how I got the heads, the goddess and the god kept quiet as they fastened their eyes on the heads with wonder and fear for many twinklings.

  Then as soon as they took their eyes away from the heads, the god and goddess stood up; they told my wife and me to follow them to the houses in which all the people who had been sacrificed to them lived comfortably. But as soon as we entered one of the houses with the god and goddess, the people ran to me, they embraced me with happiness. They recognized my wife as well. Their appearance showed that they were not punished and that they were well cared for. Though these people knew that both of us were sacrificed as well to the god and goddess, they wondered to see that the god and goddess paid much respect to us. But they wondered and were confused when they saw that I had conceived like a woman. However every one of them asked me whether his wife, children, mother, father, friends, etc. were still alive. I assured every one of them that their people were still alive and in good health, but they still mourned their absence. After the god and goddess had taken us to all the houses, they led us back to the sitting-room as I held the spear.

  But when we had sat and drunk for some twinklings, I told the god that my wife and I wanted to wash away all the rotten blood which the people of my town had poured on our heads and body the day that they sacrificed us to the god of the river. So the god led us to their bathroom. After we had washed all the rotten blood away from our bodies, we came back to the sitting-room. Again, the goddess led us to one beautiful room, she gave us fine garments. So we took our dirty clothes away from our bodies and then we wore those which the goddess gave to us. After that we returned to the sitting-room and we had hardly sat when I continued to drink the hot drink.

  After a while, the goddess asked from me politely: “Will you please give us these two ‘Removable Heads’? I promise, if you give them to us, we shall treat your swelled-up belly so that it becomes as normal as before. In addition, we shall not detain you and your wife but we will send both of you back to your town, though the children of the god and goddess must not be sacrificed to the god and goddess of the river.” But when the goddess asked me to give them the heads, I told her and her husband, the god, to give me some time to think well whether I would be able to give the heads to them.

  Now, my wife was happy once she had heard that they would send us back to our town if I could give them the heads. She knew now that they were greatly interested in these two heads. And it was at this time that she could look at their stern and terrible appearance.

  So after we took supper, then the goddess led us to that beautiful room and then we slept there comfortably till the following morning. In the morning, a very nice breakfast was served to us, and after that the god told us to come to the sitting-room. Again, as soon as we started to drink the hot drinks, the goddess asked from me whether I was ready to give them the heads.

  So I promised them that I would give them the heads provided they would treat my swelled-up belly, release all of the people of my town and allow me to take them back to my town, and allow my wife and me to stay with the god and goddess till my wife had delivered. When they agreed to all of my requests, then I gave them the two heads. But they told me that they were going to worship them, when I asked them what they were going to do with them. Now there remained with me only the two-headed spear of the devil. And as soon as I gave them the heads, my first “mind” and second “mind” reminded me that when I had wanted to throw them away as I was going to the Remote Town, they told me that I must not throw them away because they would be helpful to me when I returned to my town, thus my two “minds” reminded me.

  Then with gladness the god started to treat my swelled-up belly. The kind of the treatment was that he struck my belly three times with a heavy club of bone every morning. It was like that he did for many days until my pregnancy disappeared entirely. But a few days after my pregnancy had disappeared, my wife was delivered of a male child. So with happiness, the god and goddess took great care of her and the baby for the period of three months.

  Then when we had enjoyed ourselves for that period, one morning, the god and goddess invited the whole of the people who had been sacrificed to them before us to their house. They told them that they were free to go back to their town that morning. They told them further that every one of them should go back to his or her town with the very canoe with which he or she was sacrificed to them.

  So these people, having heard so, were so happy that they began to jump up, they danced and sang here and there. But they never knew how they could reach the town, whether they were going to trek or fly or swim, they never knew at all. However when they had danced and sung joy
fully for some twinklings, the god and goddess told them that each of them should enter his or her canoe with which he or she was sacrificed to them. And as their canoes were near the houses in which they were living, every one of them entered his or her own canoe with happiness.

  As soon as those people had entered their canoes, the god told some of his bearers to bring my horse from the pasture into my canoe. But I wondered that the part of its body which the shot hit had been healed. After the horse had been guided into the canoe, the god and goddess told both of us to enter the canoe. So my wife entered it first with happiness as her new baby was on her back, and then I too entered as I held the two-headed spear. After that the god commanded the whole of his bearers to push the canoe onto the small stream which was near their mighty building. Having done that, he commanded the bearers again to push the canoes of the rest of the people onto the same stream.

  Having pushed the whole of the canoes onto the stream, then the god and goddess told me to warn the old people of my town to stop sacrificing human beings to them as from that month. Then after the god had blessed every one of us, he and the goddess bade us goodbye and then went back to their mighty building as soon as we were lost to their view. So it was like that I ransomed the whole of these people, my wife and myself with the two “removable heads” which I had brought together with the two-headed spear of the devil, etc. to my town as trophies when I went to the Remote Town. So as my canoe was in front, I became the pilot of the rest of the people and they were following me. But to our surprise, we had not rowed our canoes for more than sixty twinklings when we came to the river of our town unexpectedly. It was on the banks of this river that all the shrines of gods, idols, etc. were built. It was on these banks that the “god of the state” was erected as well. Even we were confused when we reached this river which belonged to our town. But we were very happy when we saw the “god of the state” standing at the bank. Having seen the god standing on its high platform, then we believed that we had reached our town.