Simbi and the Satyr of the Dark Jungle (9 page)

After, he tied a strong long rope to the head of that boa which they had already killed. He gave the second end of the rope to his son to hold it. Then he hung all their cutting instruments on his shoulder. After that he and his son put the stretcher on heads. The father carried it at the front while the son carried it at back. And they were carrying her to the town and the son was towing the boa with the rope towards his back, they were going to eat it.

Having travelled for two hours, they reached their town. And immediately they put her in the room. The woodcutter and his son started to beat the broken pot and calabash near her head, so that the soundings might call her spirit back to her from heaven’s road. Having beaten the broken pot, etc. for a few minutes, her spirit returned to her, she started to feel as a person might feel. At that time she could swallow all the medicines which were giving to her, and all the necroses of the boa bites were treated with another kind of a medicine.

Thus Simbi was saved out of the hole by the woodcutter.

“Rali! Rali! Rali!” that was the first word which Simbi exclaimed since when she had brought from the hole to the town. She thought that she was still with Rali who was still wandering about in the Dark Jungle.

She never knew where she was and never knew who had saved her. All was just a dream to her.

“Who is Rali?” the woodcutter asked softly. “I think I am with Rali now. Rali is a lady with whom I had been travelling before I had been taken away by the eagle. Please can you know whereabouts she is at present?” Simbi explained and asked after she had become conscious. “I don’t know who is Rali and I don’t know whereabouts she is.”

Within a few weeks Simbi’s condition was so improved that it seemed as if she had not met any difficulty since when she was born.

“Many thanks, the woodcutter. But I am sorry that I have no money to pay for you for the treatments you have
given me before I recovered and for the wonderful work you have done before you saved me out of the hole. But, be sure that God will pay another thing for you which will be even better than my ‘thanks’.

“And this is to tell you that I am continuing my journey tomorrow morning, and I shall be grateful if you will be good enough to show me a safe path from this town to my village.”

“Where is your village?” the woodcutter wondered. “My village is far away from here,” Then the woodcutter explained that there was no another path after the Path of Death. “Is that so?” Simbi asked calmly. “It is so, Simbi. But I wonder, what had forced you to leave your village?” he asked when he thought over of all the punishments, etc. which she had met before he had saved her and he thought as well of uncountable punishments, etc. which she was still going to meet ahead, probably before she would die.

“You see, Mr. Woodcutter, it was after I had been kidnapped from my village by a man called Dogo, I found out that I had made a mistake to tell my wealthy mother that I liked to know the punishment and the poverty. She warned me not to attempt to do that, but I disobeyed her. And since from when Dogo had kidnapped me and sold me from hand to hand, I was struggling hardly to go back to my mother but all were in vain.”

“Will you let me marry you? If you do agree, I promise, that a few months after the marriage, I shall take you back to your village,” the woodcutter deceived her in respect of her beauty. Because she was so beautiful
at that time that a crowd of people used to come to the woodcutter’s house just to enjoy her beauty for a few minutes. And whenever she was going to somewhere in that town, several people would be rushing here and there just to look at her beauty.

“I am afraid, Mr. Woodcutter, you are trying now just to obstruct my leaving. But all your activities before you saved me implied that whatever a promise you give to a person you will fulfil it.

“And in respect of that, I do agree to your request. But I bring it to your notice now that in the future, if you fail to take me back to my village, the ‘day will be changed into the night’ for you.”

Now Simbi had turned to the wife of the woodcutter.

Unfortunately, after some months Simbi delivered of a male baby. And within a few months the baby developed to such a state that Simbi could not depart from it for a moment. And she was in happiness every day in respect of her baby. Although when several people used to die in one day in this town, and as this had never happened or it was an unusual bad omen for the king, the king asked from his god the kind of the sacrifice which was to be made to expel the unusual death from the town.

The god explained that before the death could be expelled a living baby would be put in a wooden mortar and plenty of soap would be put as well. After that the mother of that baby would pound the baby together with the soap thoroughly. After that the soap would be distributed among the people of the town. And having washed their bodies with that juju-soap for three times,
the death would not be able to approach anybody to be killed having smelt the smell of the juju-soap from that person’s body, the god said.

But as there was none of the natives of this town who could volunteer her baby, therefore Simbi’s baby was taken from her by force, being she was not a native, and they forced her to pound the baby with the soap.

She wept bitterly when she was pounding her baby, but all was in vain. Having seen this bad habit, she was feeling to go away from this town, until she delivered another baby. But it was at that time the people of this town heard the information that the locusts were coming to their farms. And Simbi’s baby was among the sacrifices which they prepared and put at the junction of paths just to drive the locusts to another place, and it was so when they did it.

Now, Simbi was in a great sadness. She told the woodcutter, her husband, to take her to her village, but he was telling her to wait for some weeks. But when she discovered that it was a lie and he did not know where her village was, then she repeated her curse and at the same moment, the woodcutter’s day changed into the night. He could not see anything and it was in the darkness he was when Simbi continued her journey from that town. But after a few days that she had left him, his day changed to as usual, he could see. For he had done good to Simbi, otherwise he would remain in the darkness throughout his life time. Then he chased her to bring her back to his house and be his wife as usual. But all his efforts were failed. Simbi had gone far away.

Simbi was travelling on and on until she came to a land and that was the land of poverty. Although she was in sadness at being away from the town of the woodcutter.

This land of poverty was too wonderful because all the clothes of her body turned into ashes immediately she started to travel on it. She was then in nakedness.

Having travelled for many hours she was ambitious to eat. Then she went to a tree to pluck some fruits and eat them. But to her great horror, immediately she touched the fruits just to pluck them, they turned into small stones. She was unable to eat them. Then she left there. A few minutes later, she travelled to a pond of water. As she was hungry badly for food she thought to drink some water perhaps she would be more powerful. But when she bent down just to start to drink that water it dried at once.

But at last when she noticed that it was the land of poverty she was travelling along as hastily as possible just to leave there in time.

Having left that land, she came to a path and she could not distinguish this path from the Path of Death. But
anyhow she was travelling along on it until she came to a stream of water.

She stopped there and drank some water, though there was no food at all. But as she needed the looking glass and there was none, she sat down closely to this stream. She bent her head downward onto the water. And her shadow proved that she had leaned, the hairs of her head had become almost dust for want of care and she was greatly ashamed to see herself in nakedness. All these things had happened to her immediately she had entered the land of poverty.

With shame she left the stream at once. After a while she travelled to a bush. She cut plenty of broad leaves. She stitched them together with ropes. She wrapped her body with it as if it was a cloth. Having done that, she began to travel along on that path until she came to a house. The house was near this path.

As she was feeling to eat from a long time, she entered the house. She met an old woman inside it. She sat in a corner. She noticed that the house was full of all kinds of gods, who were the neighbours of the old woman. Because there was no any human being there with her. She was the owner of those gods. Although several food sellers and drapers were visiting there occasionally just to sell their merchandise. And she was buying clothes and food from them for herself and for her gods.

“Good afternoon here,” Simbi knocked the door and saluted with faint voice, for she was nearly to die of hunger by that time.

“Good afternoon, for whose voice shows that of a
lady,” the old woman answered quietly from her usual sitting corner. And she was so old that she could only distinguish the voice of a man or a woman.

Then Simbi entered and with sharp sight she discovered the old woman sat down in a dark corner, although she was about to run out with fear when she perceived those gods which nearly occupied the whole house.

“Can I thank for something to eat?” she knelt before the old woman and asked softly.

“Oh! I am sorry, the bananas which you are looking before me now, are for me and for my gods only,” the woman replied.

“What about the food which is near you?” “And that food is for me and for my gods as well,” she explained.

“All right, can I thank for the water to drink then?” “What? the water is for me and for my gods,” she replied sharply.

“I think, you see me now that I am so poor that I can only wear leaves as a cloth?” Simbi said. “Yes I see you.” the old woman replied after she had tried and opened her dim eyes. “All right, can I thank for a cover cloth which is hung before your gods?” “Hah! not at all, that cloth cannot be spared because it is for me and for my gods and the rest things that I have are for me and for my gods only!” she replied without being sorry for Simbi.

“Hah! what kind of an old woman is this? Everything you ask from her, she will reply, ‘is for me and for my gods’.

“Madam! can I pawn myself to you then so that I can buy some clothes with the money you give me and to be spending the rest money for buying my food while I am working for you?” Simbi asked for a loan because she could not leave this old woman and continue her journey without food and clothes on her body.

“Of course, I am not a pawn broker, but if you will be faithful to me and to my gods, I will lend you some amount of money with which you will buy some clothes to be wearing instead of the leaves which are now on your body. And you will be spending the rest money for buying your food.”

“Yes, madam, I shall be faithful to you and to your gods,” Simbi promised. “You are not going to make a promise simply like that, but you will swear before me and my gods, that you will be faithful to me and that you will not betray my gods,” the old woman bursted into a great laughter when Simbi simply promised before her and not before her gods as well.

Then Simbi knelt down before the gods and the old woman cut a part of her left thumb with a knife, and the blood which came out of the cut was dropped onto the gods.

“I shall not betray you,” Simbi swore before the gods. After that the money was loaned to her. Thus Simbi became a maid of this old woman.

The second day that she had given her the loan, the cloth seller and food seller came there. And with a part of the money she bought some clothes and she was spending the rest for buying food.

“Have you sacrificed to the gods?” “Have you drawn water to the house?” “Have you washed the clothes for the week end?” “Have you cooked my food?” “Yes, madam.” Thus the old woman used to ask from Simbi every day.

But when she believed that Simbi was faithful to her gods and to herself and in everything without giving her anything to eat, she gave her some of the gods as prizes and she taught her how to be worshipping them and how to be asking helps from each of them.

These three gods were the god of thunder, the god of famine and the god of iron respectively.

She warned Simbi to be taking great care of them for they would be her saviour in future. After that, she gave her a satchel in which she kept them.

“These three gods are the prizes of your faith,” the old woman said.

But after some weeks since when Simbi had inherited the three gods—

One midnight, the Satyr of the Dark Jungle with whom she had fought the other day, heard the information that Simbi was living with that old woman. And as he was still looking about for her so that he might revenge from her of what she had done to him when both fought, came to the old woman’s house after Simbi and the old woman had slept.

He woke Simbi alone, he explained that he came to take her back to the Dark Jungle where he would kill her. Simbi was so puzzled that she did not know what to do immediately heard like that from him. But instead to wake the old woman and tell her to assist her to help her fight this Satyr, she ran to the corner that she put the satchel in which her three gods were put. She hung it on her left shoulder and then she took one cutlass. After that she came back to him and started to fight him with the intention that her gods would help her to conquer him.

But the Satyr slapped at her breast instead to fight her in return. And she became to the size of a baby. Without hesitation, he vomited a big bottle, he put her inside it
by force, and before the old woman woke he had taken her to the Dark Jungle.

Then he put that bottle on a rock, after that he invited some evil creatures of his kind. All of them sat round the rock, and they were looking at Simbi inside the bottle as they were drinking a certain drink. The Satyr told them that he was going to kill Simbi in a few days’ time. But Simbi feared greatly when she heard like that.

“What can I do now which can safe me out of this bottle?” She was confused entirely.

A few minutes later, she remembered to ask for a help from her gods. “Please, the god of thunder, help me to come out from this bottle.” She hardly said like that when the god of thunder sent the lightning onto that rock suddenly. It broke the rock and the bottle into several pieces and the Satyr with his invitees ran far away with fear. Without hesitation Simbi left there for another part of the Dark Jungle before the Satyr came back.

It was at that time Simbi believed that her gods could help her and then she held them as her soldiers.

Then she was wandering about in that jungle. A few days later she met Rali, Sala, Kadara, the rest nameless refugees and Bako, under a tree. They sat and were thinking seriously of the way to come out of this Dark Jungle, and they were thinking as well as how they could escape from Bako, the cockish lady. Because she was giving them much troubles.

But as Simbi was explaining to them with a dead voice all her difficulties, the phoenix who was the helper of the
Satyr, suspected that they hid under that tree. And it pounced on them and took one of the nameless refugees away unexpectedly.

Then the rest left that place for another one.

A few minutes after that the phoenix had carried one of them away, it came again and started to jump from one branch to another, it was looking for them.

And immediately they had seen it, they were hiding themselves in the darkness. If it took one direction they would take another direction, and by so doing it was unable to find them out, but it did not go away.

After a while, to make sure the right place that they hid, this phoenix screeched horribly.

But Bako, the cockish lady, who was among them, started to crow continuously immediately she heard the horrible cry of the phoenix.

“Please, Bako, stop crowing, it would suspect us to the phoenix,” the rest warned her whisperly.

“Heigh! don’t tell me that or don’t you know I ought to be acting here as my Siamese twin sister is acting at home!” Bako explained to them so loudly that the phoenix heard and then it was coming to them. Having seen them, it dashed to them just to take one of them away.

But it was unable to do it, when Simbi started to cut every part of its body with the cutlass which she took with her from that old woman’s house, when the Satyr went there and put her inside the bottle.

Within a few minutes, the phoenix flew away when it could not bear the cuts any longer. When it believed that it could not hesitate and take some of them away, for the fear of the cutlass with which Simbi was cutting its body, then it flew high in the sky with a very large stone, and it screeched suddenly just to make sure the right spot that they hid and then to throw that stone on them.

Unfortunately Bako started to crow loudly immediately she heard its horrible screech and this showed it where they were. And then it released the stone. The stone pressed many of them to death. Then the rest rushed to another spot and hid there. They tried to drive Bako back from them but she did not agree, she was shouting greatly instead.

It was like that the phoenix was throwing heavy stones on them until it killed Kadara, Sala and all the nameless refugees, and it remained Simbi, Rali and Bako, the cockish lady, who was suspecting them out to the phoenix.

The Satyr was greatly admired the work of the phoenix. Although he himself was struggling about in the jungle to find them out and kill all of them at once, but he never saw them.

When it was in the mid night, Simbi was feeling cold so much that if she did not warm herself with fire, doubtless she would die before the day-break, of course the rest were feeling the cold but not as much as she did.

As she was discussing about the cold with the rest, she remembered her three gods. Then she commanded the god of thunder to provide the fire.

Hardly commanded it, when it sent the fire onto a dead
wood which was near them. The dead wood had a hole which was an impasse.

Within thirty minutes, it had burnt the hole very far and it shone to a very long distance. Then Simbi with the rest were warming their bodies from it. But as Bako did not stop of crowing because she was enjoying the warmth giving to her by the fire, when the phoenix was hearing her crow, it discovered the fire and it was quite sure that they were before it. Instead to throw stone on them as usual, it dashed from the sky to them, but it could only carry Bako away. Having seen this, Simbi and Rali left there for another spot, they hid there.

After a while the phoenix came again, and as it was still seeing the fire from the sky it thought that the rest were still there and it dashed towards the fire, but it flew inside the hole of the tree by a mistake.

It struggled hardly to come out but it was in vain, the fire burnt it into ashes at the same time.

It was like that the phoenix, the Satyr’s assistance, was killed.

Before the day-break, news had reached the satyr and the whole evil creatures of this Dark Jungle, that a number of refugees had killed the phoenix.