The Witch-Herbalist of the Remote Town

by Amos Tutuola

  We had hardly stopped our canoes and fastened their ropes onto the beautiful trees which lined the banks of the river, when everybody began to pack his or her property from the canoe onto the bank of the river.

  People Thought that

  We were Deads

  So without hesitation, every one of us put his or her property on his or her head, and as I held the rope of my horse with the left hand, my bow and many other things were hung on my left shoulder. I held the spear with the right hand. Then my wife with her new baby on her back and the rest of the people followed me. We started to go to the town as we began to sing loudly and joyfully. And when we sang loudly to the town, the people in the town ran from their houses to the front of their houses just to see what was happening.

  But the majority of these people were so fearful and confused as soon as they saw us that they shouted unexpectedly with horror: “Ah! these people had been sacrificed to the god of the river, therefore they are deads!” Then they fled into the bush with fear. However the other people went to their houses with gladness and I went to my father’s house with my wife. But my father and mother were also shocked when they saw us. But they were exceedingly happy when I explained to them that the god and goddess of the river had released my wife, myself and the other people who had been sacrificed before the two of us when I gave them the two strange “removable heads”. And I explained to them further that my pregnancy disappeared a few days after the god started to strike my belly with a strange club of bone.

  Having explained to my father and mother like that, both were very surprised. But when my mother took our new baby from my wife and started to feed it with happiness, my father ran to his friend’s house, who was the Progenitor and my father-in-law. He told him that my wife who was his daughter and I had returned to the town together with the whole people who had been sacrificed to the god of the river several years ago. But my father had hardly left for his friend’s house when my first “mind” and second “mind” reminded me: “One day, when you were going to the Remote Town we hinted you that, though you would return from the Remote Town to your town safely, you would be sacrificed to the god of the river a few months after you returned, but that later, you would return to your town with a new-born baby! So as we have been your partners who have given you useful advice throughout your journeys, we are now going back to take up our usual normal duties in your body. We wish you good luck and prosperity in all your undertakings! Goodbye!” It was like that my first “mind” and second “mind” said. But before they went back to take up their usual duties, I hastily thanked them thus: “I thank you greatly as well for your help and the useful advice which you gave me throughout my first and second journeys. Although you deserted me sometimes when I was in danger, that did not affect me so much for my “memory” remained with me and served me each time that you deserted me. But I think your desertion and misadvice may be brought to the judgment by my ‘memory’ sooner or later, for he recorded down all your behaviour throughout the journeys! Goodbye till then!” Thus I replied to my first “mind” and second “mind”.

  But as soon as my first “mind” and second “mind” had gone back to perform their usual normal duties in my body, my father and his friend the Progenitor who was my father-in-law came with my father to see us with his own eyes, because it was unusual that one who had been sacrificed to the god of the river ever returned. So when he came with my father and saw me and his daughter, my wife, with her new baby, yet he still did not believe his eyes but had to make sure that we were not deads. He bent down, he took a handful of sand from the ground and then threw it on both of us. But when he saw that we did not disappear, he believed that we were not wraiths or deads. And then he was exceedingly happy. He was so happy that he began to flatter the god and goddess of the river as he was dancing round us.

  After he had danced and flattered the god and goddess of the river for a few twinklings, he and my father went to the nearby bush. They called the people who had fled into the bush back, and as my father was the Chief Priest and Pagan and as my father-in-law was the Progenitor, the people respected them and they returned to their houses but with fear.

  Then the following morning at about one-third of the day, I invited the whole people of the town to the state hall. And without wasting any time, the people rushed to the hall and as thousands sat on chairs, it was so thousands stood and thus thousands bent down to see what was going to happen. Those who were too old to walk told their people to carry them to the hall because they too wanted to hear the outcome of my journeys.

  Having seen that the whole people of the town including children had gathered in the hall, I sat on a high chair and I put all the trophies, such as the two-headed spear of the devil, etc. on the long table which was in front of me. But when I noticed that the people had kept quiet and that they were now expecting to hear something from me, then I first addressed the old people as the custom of the Rocky Town was. Thus as soon as I climbed the long table: “You my people of the Rocky Town, I greet you all! Your night will prosper more than your morning! I pay my utmost respect to every one of the old people, young and children, for accepting my invitation, though I am too young to do so. I bow low for you all! Because when the head of the unicorn touches the ground, the horns will sprout from its head. When the pinnacle of the okro-plant touches the ground, the okro on it will become over-ripe, and when the pinnacle of the garden-egg plant touches the ground, its leaves turn to red as red blood. Therefore, I, the hunter of the wild beasts of this Rocky Town, bow with all my utmost respect for you all the people of the Rocky Town today!” So the whole people applauded me greatly when I first adressed them like that.

  Then as soon as the people became quiet, I continued to address them: “Now, as every one of you knows, I returned from the Remote Town about eleven months ago with some trophies, among of which were the two strange ‘removable heads’. But as I conceived like a woman, you the people conspired together and then sacrificed both my wife and me together with our property to the god of the river. However, as I was brave enough to go anywhere, I fought gallantly with the soldiers of the god and goddess until my wife, myself, horse, canoe and other property were swallowed by the water together with the soldiers, god and goddess.

  “To our fear, we found ourselves in a very beautiful town which was under the river. The god and goddess together stood before us in front of their beautiful mansion. But when they saw the two heads in my hand, they were so interested in them that they began to treat us with kindness. So for these two heads they released my wife, myself, and the whole people who had been sacrificed to them before the two of us. Again, they told me to warn the old people of the town that they should stop sacrificing human beings to them. They said that they do not kill or eat human beings. So we are not deads, but the god and goddess released us!” It was like that I explained to the people. But once they had heard that there was to be no more human sacrifice, they shouted greatly with joy which could not be described. After that they apologized for sacrificing my wife and me to the god.

  Then they went out from the hall to the town, and great merriment began in every part of the town and it lasted for seven days. But it ended in front of my father’s house in order to show that I was the hero who had put a stop to the human sacrifice.

  My “Memory” Sued My First “Mind” and Second “Mind”

  But as the old people did not follow the young people when they left the hall for the town, so they waited until they went far away. Then they told me to kneel down and I did so. After they blessed me then they went out. But as there remained me alone in the hall, so I started to pack the trophies which I showed to the people so that they might believe my story. Then I felt unexpectedly that many things stood up in my skull and chest. A few sixtieths of a twinkling later, I saw that something like thick grey smoke rushed out from my nostrils to the outside, and it went direct to one chair which was at a little distance from my left. But as soon as that smoke reache
d the chair, it became like a solid white thing. When it sat on that chair which was near a table, I noticed this thing that it was in a form which did not actually resemble that of a man. I felt in my head now that there was nothing in the skull. But as soon as I had seen this strange thing, I became so weak that I could not go out of the hall as I had been preparing to do, but I sat back on the high chair on which I sat before.

  As I was still wondering about this incident, I noticed that another thick grey smoke rushed out from my nostrils unexpectedly. As soon as it rushed out, it went direct to the two-seater bench which was at a distance of ten metres from me. As soon as the grey smoke rushed to the bench it divided into two. It had hardly divided into two when each was turned to a solid thing. But as soon as each sat on that bench, it turned to a figure which did not actually resemble that of a man. Both of them sat closely to each other, and they so resembled each other that there was nobody who could identify one from the other. Again, I felt in my chest that something had gone out of it.

  But as I still fastened my eyes on these three grey figures who had become living things, I saw another thick grey smoke which emerged gradually from my shadow which was thrown on the floor by a sunbeam. And as soon as it emerged from my shadow, it became the solid form which was not actually the form of a man. Then he walked to the place that I sat. He took one of the chairs, he put it a few metres away on the right of the circle. Again, he put one table before the chair. Then before he sat on that chair, he put one big hand-bag which he brought with him, on the table.

  But as I fastened my eyes on him with fear and confusion, he opened his hand-bag. He brought out from it many white sheets of flat shell, he put them on the table. Again, he brought two round short shells from the same bag. One was blue and the other one was red. Both resembled lead-pencils. But as soon as he had put the red one on the table, he held the blue one, he took one sheet of the white flat shell and put it in front of him. Then he posed himself as if he was a judge, and as soon as he raised his head up he looked at the two grey figures who sat together on one short bench. Both were those thick grey smokes which had rushed to the outside from my chest.

  Having looked at them without talking to them, he took his eyes away but he directed them to the one who rushed out from my skull in the form of thick grey smoke and sat on one of the chairs. Then he said loudly: “Yes, Mr ‘Memory’, what are your accusations against Mr First ‘Mind’?” Then when the thick grey figure which was my “memory” stood up, he first bowed for the deceptive judge which was my “kidney” and he explained to him with a sad voice: “Yes, Judge ‘Kidney’, my accusations against Mr First ‘Mind’ are that when we were with our Possessor,” my “memory” called me their possessor, “as his partners and advisers, while he went and returned safely on his two dangerous journeys, Mr First ‘Mind’ misled our Possessor several times, which nearly ran our Possessor to death. But if I were not with him, and also Mr Second ‘Mind’, our Possessor would have perished in the wild jungles or when he and his wife were sacrificed to the god of the river. So for this reason, Mr First ‘Mind’ must be severely punished even to death!” Thus Mr “Memory” explained to the deceptive Judge “Kidney” and then he bowed and sat back.

  Then with the blue shell lead-pencil which the Judge held, he wrote the whole accusations of Mr “Memory” on many of the white flat sheets of shell which were on the table. Having done so, without hesitation and as I fastened my eyes with fear on all these deceptive figures who came out from my body, the Judge told Mr First “Mind” to defend himself. So he stood up, he bowed for the Judge, and then he defended himself thus: “But of course, it was not my fault that I misled our Possessor when he was on his two dangerous journeys. I was always insane whenever our Possessor was in danger, though I wilfully misled him about the dangers on several occasions and deserted him several times as well. But I could not control my insane actions at that time!” Thus Mr First “Mind” defended himself.

  But as he wanted to sit back, Mr “Memory” stood up suddenly. He asked with zeal: “But you were not insane the day that things were good for our Possessor?” As Mr First “Mind” replied “Yes!” and then sat back, the deceptive Judge “Kidney” wrote the defence of Mr First “Mind” on two white sheets of the shell.

  After that, the Judge turned his deceptive eyes to Mr “Memory” and he asked loudly: “Yes, Mr ‘Memory’, what are your accusations against Mr Second ‘Mind’?”

  “My accusations against Mr Second ‘Mind’ are that, although he did not mislead our Possessor throughout his two dangerous journeys, and gave him very useful advice and was also a very good partner to him, he deserted him on several occasions when he was in danger. So whenever Mr Second ‘Mind’ deserted him like that, I used to help our Possessor instead of deserting him, otherwise he would have gone wrong or been killed by the men of the wild jungles, etc. So, for this reason, I think Mr Second ‘Mind’ deserves punishment, but not to be condemned to death!” Thus Mr “Memory” accused Mr Second “Mind”.

  But as soon as the deceptive Judge “Kidney” had written all the statements on another white sheet of the flat shell with his usual blue lead-pencil, he raised his head up, he told Mr Second “Mind” to give his own statement about the allegations which Mr “Memory” had made against him. Then Mr Second “Mind” stood up, he bowed for the Judge before he started to give his own statement thus: “As a matter of fact, I gave our Possessor very useful advice on his two dangerous journeys. But sometimes when he was in trouble, I deserted him as Mr ‘Memory’ has alleged. And that was when I was weak and weary or ill, or when I fell asleep unnoticed!”

  When Mr Second “Mind” had explained to the Judge all that had happened to him to desert their Possessor sometimes, he bowed and sat back. The Judge wrote all his explanations on another white sheet of the flat shell. Having done so, he turned his faint eyes to me. He asked: “Yes, you as the Possessor of all of us, have you anything to say about the criminations made by Mr ‘Memory’ against Mr First ‘Mind’ and Mr Second ‘Mind’?”

  But when Judge “Kidney” asked me like that, I was unable to decide within myself what to tell him. Though I had a lot of useful things, it was a pity that as my “memory”, first “mind” and second “mind” were not with me at this time, I was unable to say anything and instead, I simply nodded, for I heard words because my ears were still with me.

  Then when the Judge understood that with the absence of my “memory” and “minds” I could not say a single word, he took his red lead-pencil and many sheets of the white flat shell. He wrote the judgments of Mr First “Mind” and Mr Second “Mind” on them. Having completed them, he stood up just to announce to Mr First “Mind” that he was guilty and therefore he was sentenced to death for misleading and deserting me when dangers were near. And he had already written on the white sheets of the flat shell, that Mr Second “Mind” was also guilty for deserting his Possessor and that he was also niggardly sometimes about giving his useful advice to his Possessor when he was in danger. Therefore, he was imprisoned for six years’ hard labour. Luckily, it was at this very moment that the day became lurid and thick fog came all over the hall suddenly. Now my eyes could only see things very faintly at this moment, and it could not see the figure of a person who was in the thick fog. But of course I heard his voice, which was identical to that of my own. Now I understood that this person was my “Supreme Second”.

  So as my “Supreme Second” appeared suddenly in the fog, with the big law-book which he held, he sat on a chair. Then without hesitation, he put his law-book on the table which was before the chair. Having opened the law-book and read some pages as quickly as possible, he stood up and he bowed for the Judge as the Judge was preparing to announce the judgments to Mr First “Mind” and Mr Second “Mind”. He started to plead for Mr First “Mind” and Mr Second “Mind” with great pains. He pointed to the deceptive Judge “Kidney” and said: “To sentence Mr First ‘Mind’ to death means to make one of the members of
his Possessor’s body incomplete. And to make one of the members of a body incomplete means that body will lose its true function and that may cause death to the possessor of the body. Therefore for this reason, your worship may change that sentence to a sort of punishment which, in any way, will not affect or harm Mr First ‘Mind’s’ Possessor!” Thus my “Supreme Second”, who was the lawyer, pleaded for Mr First “Mind”, as he stood up in the thick fog.

  Again, the Lawyer “Supreme Second” hastily called the attention of the Judge “Kidney” back to the six years’ imprisonment to which he had sentenced Mr Second “Mind”. Then the Lawyer pleaded for him thus: “If Mr Second ‘Mind’ will serve the term of six years’ imprisonment, it means he has to stop the work which he is performing in the body of his Possessor for the period of six years. So as his Possessor will miss the work for that period, it may result even in death to him. So for this reason, I suggest that a sort of light punishment that which will not, in any way, debar Mr Second ‘Mind’ from performing his work, should be given to him instead!” Thus the Lawyer who was my “Supreme Second” pleaded for Mr Second “Mind” as well.

  But as soon as the Judge “Kidney” had written the plea on the white sheets of the flat shell with his round shell lead-pencil, he then studied it carefully. He lifted his head up, he replied to the Lawyer: “But I am afraid, Mr Lawyer ‘Supreme Second’, that I don’t know any other kind of punishment which I can give to Mr First ‘Mind’ and Mr Second ‘Mind’ to substitute for the sentences of death and the six years’ imprisonment respectively, and which will not debar each of them from performing his work for his Possessor. But of course, as these two cases are internal ones, I shall change them to external ones so that I may hear the public opinions about them. And I shall be grateful if some more intelligent people of the town will advise me as soon as possible.