The Witch-Herbalist of the Remote Town (17 page)

As soon as that man had left the Hall of Assembly or Temple, with the perfect healed body, the Witch-Herbalist or the Omniscient Mother of the Remote Town called my surname loudly and I answered loudly with fear, especially as I had been a “born and die baby” before. So without hesitation, I stood up from the seat and I went to the front of the altar.

I had hardly stood before her when she asked aloud: “What was your profession?” I replied at the same time: “I was a brave hunter of the wild bush animals before I left my town years ago!” Having answered that question aloud, she asked again: “What is the profession of your father?” I replied: “My father is the chief priest and pagan of gods, idols, spirits, etc!” “As your father is the chief priest and pagan, is he doing evil things after that?” the Mother asked solemnly. But I told her, “He does no evil things at all.”

After the Mother had asked all these questions from me and I had answered all, she asked again: “But what is your burden which has forced you to come to me?” So I explained to her, as I held the cruse with the left hand: “Since about five years from when I married, my wife has not conceived at all and that is the only burden which I bring to you!” But as the Mother wanted to say the next word, her deathless
paramount
chiefs, noble men and women mocked funnily at my father and the gods, idols, etc. of my town. They said with laughter: “But your burden which has cost you many years of journey to this town, is quite simple enough for your father, the chief priest and pagan and all the gods, idols, spirits, etc. of your town to make your wife pregnant!” But her paramount chiefs, etc. had hardly mocked at my father and the gods, idols, spirits, etc. when the Mother said with a sharp
voice: “There is no need to mock his father and gods, idols, spirits, etc. of his town who had failed to make his wife pregnant, because, without the approval of God Almighty, people will fail in all attempts!”

But when the Mother had explained like that to them, she told me to give her the cruse which was in my left hand and I bowed low and gave it to her with both hands. Then she called one of her dispensers, she gave it to him and then instructed him to go and prepare the herbs and meat soup in it. But when the dispenser left for the large dispensary, she told me to go back to my seat and wait till the dispenser had finished. Then as soon as I had returned to my seat she called the next burdened person.

But as soon as she had finished with the next burdened person, the dispenser returned with my cruse and he gave it to the Mother. For he had put the cooked herbs, some pieces of meat and many other ingredients inside the cruse, and it was brim-full. The mouth of the cruse was carefully covered with its cover and then it was wrapped with a piece of white cloth so that the soup might not smell out into my nostrils. As the Witch-Herbalist or the Omniscient Mother held up the cruse with both hands, she called my name loudly. But as I walked to the altar and stood before her, she first remarked loudly:

“Snail bewails for having no feet.

“Buffalo bewails for not having enough hair on his body but only horns.

“Tiger bewails for having no mercy.

“Elephant bewails for having too heavy a body and teeth.

“But Hedgehog bewails for having no teeth in his mouth!”

It was like that the Mother first remarked loudly, and then she gave the cruse to her Covenanter. But as the Covenanter held up the cruse with both hands, all the Mother’s deathless paramount chiefs and noble men and women remarked again:

“One’s children are a stream of happiness for him or her! One without even an issue is one of the mourners! The most
unfortunate person on earth may be the richest on earth. And many fortunate people say: ‘My child is my happiness, wealth, health, dresses, etc.’”

After the paramount chiefs and the noble men and women of the Omnipotent Mother had remarked loudly like that, and as soon as the “bird-like organist” of the Mother had attested to their remarks with the organ, then the Covenanter warned me seriously that I must not eat from the soup, even I must not let the smell of it reach my nose. Thus he warned me loudly and then he gave the cruse to me and I took it from him with happiness. But as the custom of the Remote Town was, I sang and danced for a few twinklings before I bowed for the Witch-Herbalist or the Omniscient and Omnipotent Mother of this Remote Town, her Covenanter, her deathless paramount chiefs and her noble men and women, while I waved my right hand to the “bird-like organist” of the Mother. And then I left the Hall of Assembly or the Temple of the Witch-Mother, that noon.

Then as soon as I had left the Hall of Assembly or Temple of the Witch-Herbalist, the Omniscient Mother of the Remote Town, I started to travel along in the town as hastily as I could with great joy which could not be described. And when it was about the sixth hour of the evening, I travelled to the same gate of the Remote Town, and then I stopped. But to my surprise, I met the very gateman whom I met there when I was going into the town a year ago. I met the colt which the two little delicate fellows gave to me and which the three of us rode to the gate a year ago. The colt had already grown to be a very big and healthy horse now, and I was very surprised that it was still alive. I met also my heavy matchet,
bags of food and juju, the bow and poisoned arrows, and the long two-headed spear on top of which the two “removable heads” were pierced. This good gateman had taken great care of them.

Without hesitation, the gateman surrendered the horse and the rest of my property to me. But as the night was near and as I saw that the darkness of the night would not allow me to continue my journey, then I became the guest of the gateman. And as soon as I sat in his beautiful booth, he prepared food and both of us ate together. After the repast both of us began to drink and discussed about the powerful Witch-Herbalist and the two little delicate fellows. He told me that these two fellows were the grandchildren of the Witch-Mother. Having discussed together about my town till midnight, both of us lay down and we slept.

Hardly in the morning had we woken, prepared breakfast and eaten it together, when I stood up and I began to collect my belongings together. As my colt had already grown to be a big horse, I needed a saddle and stirrup. But as I wanted to ask from the gateman where to get them, he brought both out from his booth. He gave them to me, and after I had used them for my horse, he told me that both saddle and stirrup had been left behind by a burdened man when he returned and found that his horse had died. So I thanked him greatly and then I fastened the cruse on my head with rope so that it might not fall down. After that I hung both my food and juju-bags on my left shoulder and also my bow and arrows. Then I held the spear and matchet with the right hand.

Then I mounted the horse, but as soon as I bade the gateman “goodbye” I started to ride the horse along the road with a joyful song and dance. It was like that I rode away from the gate of the Remote Town.

As I was riding along the road, I was singing loudly and joyfully, and my horse was also dancing here and there with great joy which it shared with me. I had hardly travelled about forty kilometres when I began to feel hunger. And it was not
so long after I was eager to eat when I rode my horse to where the two delicate little fellows stood at the roadside. The place on which they stood was opposite their little beautiful house. Both were dressed neatly in the best of their dresses and they were waiting for me. But I was extremely surprised that they knew the exact day that I left the Remote Town of the
Witch-Herbalist
, and the exact twinkling that I would reach the place where I met them.

When I met them unexpectedly like that, they were waiting for my return. They stopped me with gladness and I
dismounted
from the horse with gladness as well. Then with a smile, they greeted me warmly and they paid great respect to me as if I were a king, and with a smile, I greeted them warmly in return. I was much surprised as well that they knew I was terribly hungry for food at this time, because as soon as they had paid great respect to me, they told me to follow them to their beautiful little house which was near there. So without fear and hesitation, I followed them, as my horse was
following
me behind without my holding its rein. As soon as we had walked gently to the front of their house, and as soon as I had put the cruse down gently and also the rest of my
belongings
, they opened the well-polished door of their house and then all of us entered, while my horse stood satisfactorily in the shadow of one of the strange beautiful trees which were in front of their house.

Without wasting a twinkling, they asked me to sit down on one of the beautiful chairs which they had already arranged round one big table. I had hardly sat on that chair when they too sat on the chairs which were at the second side of the beautiful table. When I sat at the table opposite these two delicate fellows, I perceived very delicious food and also the drinks which they had prepared and put ready on this table. I hesitated to eat but I began to look on with wonder for about two twinklings, though I was badly hungry for food and drinks at this time. But as soon as the damsel and her little delicate man observed that I had become conscious, they asked
me to eat on. Then with greediness, I began to eat and they too started to eat along with me.

So as soon as they were quite sure that I had entirely
satisfied
my hunger, the beautiful and charming little damsel cleared the table except for the drinks. Having done that, she came back and sat back on her seat. Then the three of us started to drink. But when we had drunk for a few twinklings, they asked me whether the Witch-Herbalist who was their grandmother, had given me anything for my barren wife. So I explained to them that she had given me back the cruse which I had given to her, and that as I observed, the cruse contained cooked herbs, pieces of meat and many other kinds of ingredients, and that the Witch-Herbalist had told me that all would make my wife pregnant when she ate the soup.

Having explained to them like that, and as we were still enjoying the drinks, they asked me to tell them the history of my town. But when I told them how we were worshipping various kinds of gods, idols, spirit of the river, etc., both of them burst into a very lovely laughter. After they had laughed loudly for a few twinklings, and as I fastened my eyes on them, they asked me with pity why all the gods, etc. of my town could not make my barren wife pregnant. But when they asked this question from me, I dropped my head down heavily with shame for a few twinklings before I raised it up again. And then I explained to them that after the gods, etc. of my town and also my father had failed to make my wife pregnant, then I went to the Witch-Mother for help.

But they were very sad at last when I explained to them like that. So when we had drunk together for about one hundred and twenty twinklings, and they were sure that I was satisfied, they told me to stand up and I did so at the same time. When they had accompanied me to the front of their house, we stopped. They prayed for me and for my wife. After that I fastened the cruse of the soup on my head as usual. I tied on the back of my horse, the bag of my juju, the bag of food, although the food had already been exhausted
for a long time, and I hung the bow and arrows on my left shoulder. I held the two-headed spear upright with the same left hand, while I held my heavy matchet with the right hand. Then I mounted the horse and held its rein with the same right hand.

Having done all this, instead of allowing me to go back to the road of the Remote Town and continue my journey from there, they told me with a lovely smile to follow them to the back of their beautiful little house. When we reached there, they showed me a very narow path on which they told me to ride my horse to my town. So immediately they bade me goodbye and waved their hands to me. I started to ride my horse along on this strange path. It was like that I left these two good little fellows and their beautiful little house.

But to my fear, when I had travelled far away on the strange narrow path from the house of the two little fellows, I looked back, but there was no path at all. It was only thick bush that I saw behind. Now I observed that the more I travelled on, the more this strange path closed up behind. Therefore, this gave me much embarrassment at last.

Although I was travelling on this path without any danger or difficulties, and without meeting any obstacles such as the churlish wild jungle people, to my surprise I did not see any village or town in order to stop there, to beg the inhabitants to give me something to eat. And to my disappointment, the edible fruits were very scarce in the bushes and wild jungles through which this strange path went. It was like that I continued to ride my horse along with an almost empty stomach, and with the two-headed spear on top of which the two “removable heads” were pierced, my heavy matchet and
the rein of my horse on my right hand, while my juju-bag, food-bag etc. were tied on the back of the horse, and the cruse of soup was fastened onto my head.

When I had travelled for three days without seeing better things to eat than the little dried fruits which sometimes I found on the path, so at this time, my first “mind” advised me to stop and eat from the soup which was in the cruse. But my second “mind” hastily reminded me at this time that the Witch-Herbalist or the Omniscient Mother had warned me that I must not taste nor even smell the soup, but it was for my barren wife to eat the whole of it at a time. So I was greatly shocked when my second “mind” reminded me like that. However, without following the advice of the first “mind”, I did not stop to eat from the soup, but I continued to ride my horse along with hunger.

But it was a pity to say that when there remained less than two days to reach my town, which I had left for more than six years, I was so weary, tired and hungry for food that I could not ride along any more. And when I began to feel
giddiness
, I dismounted from my horse. As soon as I dismounted, I put the cruse down, and without following the advice of my second “mind” I removed the lid of the cruse and I ate from the soup to my entire satisfaction. After that I stretched myself on the ground and slept on that spot till the following morning.

Then as soon as I woke in the morning, I continued my journey with fear because I never knew what would happen to me because I had eaten from the soup.