killed a missionary.He sent for the five sons and they came and sat in his obi. I do not owe my inlaws anything.At last the rain came.

They can steal your cloth from off your waist in that market
They can steal your cloth from off your waist in that market. just beyond the borders of Mbaino. The troublesome nanny-goat sniffed about. it said. the white missionary. The cloud had lifted and a few stars were out. as was the custom." But it was a different Chielo she now saw in the yellow half-light. on their backs and their thighs. She prepared it the way he liked??with slices of oil-bean and fish. It might happen again this year.Yam."Where are her children? Did she take them?" he asked with unusual coolness and restraint. for in spite of their worthlessness they still belonged to the clan.The daughters of the family were all there.'"Parrot promised to deliver the message. but he did not answer. and she swore within her that if she heard Ezinma cry she would rush into the cave to defend her against all the gods in the world. because her father had called her one evening and said to her: "There are many good and prosperous people here. my great friend. but not overmuch.

" he said. Machi." said Okonkwo. He was greatly shocked and swore to beat Ekwefi if she dared to give the child eggs again." He threw his head down and gnashed his teeth. A man belongs to his fatherland and not to his motherland. and so they suffered."You must watch the pot carefully."Oye. This happened in the rainy season. Many of these messengers came from Umuru on the bank of the Great River." replied Okukwe. We do not dispute it. and soon returned with a bowl of cool water from the earthen pot in her mother's hut. greeted Okonkwo and turned towards the compound. At last Vulture was sent to plead with Sky. Near the barn was a small house. you would still have committed a great evil to beat her. and would not go to war against it without first trying a peaceful settlement.Ezinma lay shivering on a mat beside a huge fire that her mother had kept burning all night. Then everything had been broken.

entered their mothers' wombs to be born again.""Your words are good. But it was impossible to refuse Ezinma anything." said Ogbuefi Ezeudu. Their church stood on a circular clearing that looked like the open mouth of the Evil Forest. tears gushed from her eyes. It was instinctive. Sometimes it was not necessary to dig. She broke a piece in two and gave it to Ezinma. Darkness was around the corner. And so he killed her. "And he was riding an iron horse. "It is enough. It was a rare achievement. It was as if a spell had been cast. The law of Umuofia is that if a woman runs away from her husband her bride-price is returned. Then something had given way inside him. They were the harbingers sent to survey the land. my dear friend. rumbling like thunder in the rainy season. a debtor.

suddenly found an outlet. Alone Nnadi is cooking and eating." Ukegbu said.Uchendu had been told by one of his grandchildren that three strangers had come to Okonkwo's house.The priestess screamed. No one had actually seen the man do it. "You fear that you will die. Once upon a time there was a great famine in the land of animals. and so they made them that offer which nobody in his right senses would accept. To abandon the gods of one's father and go about with a lot of effeminate men clucking like old hens was the very depth of abomination. "We do not ask for wealth because he that has health and children will also have wealth. In ordinary life Chielo was a widow with two children. "Where did you bury your iyi-uwa?""Where they bury children.""Ee-e-e!"The oldest man in the camp of the visitors replied: "It will be good for you and it will be good for us. They are gods of deceit who tell you to kill your fellows and destroy innocent children. nor even a young wife."Umuofia kwenu!""Yaa!""Umuofia kwenu!""Yaa!"Evil Forest then thrust the pointed end of his rattling staff into the earth. She is buried there."How can I know?" Ekwefi wanted her to work it out herself. But now she found the half-light of the incipient moon more terrifying than darkness." He rose and left the hut.

or osu. You stay at home. And what is the result? An abominable religion has settled among you. No woman ever did. "one would think he never sucked at his mother's breast. Nwoye stood looking at him and did not say a word. He put them in the pot and Ekwefi poured in some water. The same thought also came to Okonkwo's mind.The drums were still beating. And if they could not help in digging up the yams. The harvest was over." said Obierika. He would speak to him after the isa-ifi ceremony. i fear for the clan. like learning to become left-handed in old age. He sighed again. We put our fingers into our ears to stop us hearing. urging the others to hurry up.- he was full of cunning. And so he killed her." said another man.

It was not that they had been lazy. Sometimes Okonkwo gave them a few yams each to prepare. guns and cannon were fired." she answered.""I think she has. and her arms folded across her breasts.Okonkwo's prosperity was visible in his household. "We shall give them a piece of land. should he. he was repentant. Okonkwo. who had lived about two hundred years before. "I have even heard that in some tribes a man's children belong to his wife and her family. calabashes and wooden bowls were thoroughly washed. picking his words with great care:"It is Okonkwo that 1 primarily wish to speak to.Okonkwo knew these things. As the Ibo say: "When the moon is shining the cripple becomes hungry for a walk. Okagbue emerged and without saying a word or even looking at the spectators he went to his goatskin bag."I was coming over to see you as soon as I finished that thatch. "Blessed is he who forsakes his father and his mother for my sake. Five matches ended in this way.

burning forehead. so she cupped her right hand to shelter the flame. It was like a wedding feast. which were black with soot. And he had all but achieved it." His staff came down again. From then on. Cam wood was rubbed lightly into her skin. He turned it on to his left palm. I began to own a farm at your age." said Mr.As for the boy himself. and you are afraid. she had said. and a girl. The lad's name was Ikemefuna. "My father told me that he had been told that in the past a man who broke the peace was dragged on the ground through the village until he died. having enough in his barn to feed the ancestors with regular sacrifices. my great friend. The egwugwu house into which they emerged faced the forest. something felt in the marrow.

Mr. very much shaken and frightened but quite unhurt. As soon as Unoka understood what his friend was driving at. when the rains had stopped and the sun rose every morning with dazzling beauty. The law of Umuofia is that if a woman runs away from her husband her bride-price is returned."I am following Chielo. She turned round on her low stool and put the beak in the fire for a few moments. Everybody soon knew who the boy was. Ekwefi muttered. Every man can see it in his own compound. If we allow you to come with us you will soon begin your mischief. Ofoedu ate slowly and talked about the locusts. a debtor. So he began to plan how he would go to the sky."There must be something behind it. He. The only work that men did at this time was covering the walls of their compound with new palm fronds. It ate rats in the house and sometimes swallowed hens' eggs.""He was indeed. That also is true."Unless you shave off the mark of your heathen belief I will not admit you into the church.

meanwhile. and stammered. Her husband's wife took this for malevolence. They sang songs as they went. all its metal taken out of it by the vast emptiness of the cave. was the wife of Ogbuefi Udo. I want you to be there. and she was greatly feared.And the little church was at that moment too deeply absorbed in its own troubles to annoy the clan.' But my wife's brothers said they had nothing to tell me. as her father and other grownup people did. Okonkwo had not bought snuff from him for a long time. and the burial was near. he sat down in his obi and mourned his friend's calamity."Just then Obierika's son. Without further argument Okonkwo gave her a sound beating and left her and her only daughter weeping. "Look at those lines of chalk."This is Obierika. No woman ever did.He brought with him two young men. He could not ask another man to build his own obi for him.

I also kill a cock at the shrine of Ifejioku."When did you set out from home?" asked Okonkwo. blew into it to remove any dust that might be there. Only then did she realize."I do not know the answer. It was as quick as the other two."He gave his mother seven baskets of vegetables to cook and in the end there were only three. and in one deft movement she lifted the pot from the fire and poured the boiling water over the fowl."Answer truthfully.Ezinma was still sleeping when everyone else was astir. Tortoise looked down from the sky and saw his wife bringing things out. persistent and unchanging. Kiaga was going to send into the village for his men-converts when he saw them coming on their own. and they closed in. He had therefore put his drinking-horn into his goatskin bag for the occasion. the shouting and the firing of guns. Some said Okafo was the better man. until crops withered and the dead could not be buried because the hoes broke on the stony Earth. On her arms were red and yellow bangles. and nodded their heads in approval of all he said. nor even a young wife.

"I will tell Obierika's wife that you are coming later. They were ugg outlet storesalready far enough where they stood and there was room for running away if any of them should go towards them. Two years after her marriage to Anene she could bear it no longer and she ran away to Okonkwo." said Uchendu to his peers when they consulted among themselves." said Okagbue. But as the dog said. like a funeral." was joyfully chanted everywhere."Come along then and show me the spot. "You will bring to the shrine of Ani tomorrow one she-goat. After that they began to eat and to drink the wine. When the women had exacted the penalty they checked among themselves to see if any woman had failed to come out when the cry had been raised.""Let them laugh. but offered to use his teeth. "Your wrestling the other day gave me much happiness. As Idigo had said. Unoka. who sat next to him. I have waited in vain for my wife to return. Okonkwo brought out l??s big horn from the goatskin bag. as usual.

And not only his chi but his clan too. It came from the direction of the ilo. These men must be mad."You think you are the greatest sufferer in the world? Do you know that men are sometimes banished for life? Do you know that men sometimes lose all their yams and even their children? I had six wives once. Okonkwo. As soon as he found one he would sing with his whole being. his harvest will be good or bad according to the strength of his arm. 'You are full of cunning and you are ungrateful. the wife of Amadi. "1 thought you were going into the shrine with Chielo. Okonkwo and the boys worked in complete silence. and Ojiugo's daughter." But she could not. He had been cast out of his clan like a fish onto a dry." he said."I must go home to tap my palm trees for the afternoon. Earth's emissary. But he now knew that they were for foolish women and children. Okonkwo stood by the pit. no matter how heavily the family ate or how many friends and relatives they invited from neighboring villages. because the cold and dry harmattan wind was blowing down Irom the north.

and asked no questions. and his bushy eyebrows and wide nose gave him a very severe look.""How did they get hold of Ancto to hang him?" asked Okonkwo. Unoka. even into people's beds." said Okonkwo. They thought the priestess might be going to her house. who were still outside the circle. The wailing of the women would not be heard beyond the village. mother is going."Obiageli broke her pot today.""Have you heard. but Ezeani seemed to pay no attention. It was a brief resting period between the exacting and arduous planting season and the equally exacting but light-hearted month of harvests. He called his son. At one stage Ekwefi was so afraid that she nearly called out to Chielo for companionship and human sympathy. His fame rested on solid personal achievements. and Obiageli told her mournful story.""Ee-e-e!""Prosperous men and great warriors. They did not really want them near to the clan. And every man whose arm was strong.

and two others after her. or what?"The interpreter spoke to the white man and he immediately gave his answer. That week they won a handful more converts. It was Chielo. He was a leper. he was treated with great honor and respect. long journey. touching the earth.""They have paid for their foolishness. He was greatly surprised. buoyant maiden. but I shall be happy if you marry in Umuofia when we return home.Okonkwo shook his head doubtfully.""I don't know how we got that law.Even Okonkwo himself became very fond of the boy - inwardly of course.Many others spoke. We are all children of God and we must receive these our brothers. She had borne ten children and nine of them had died in infancy. It was very much like Obiageli. there was always a large quantity of food left over at the end of the day." said the priestess.

and although it had not yet appeared on the sky its light had already melted down the darkness. Okonkwo saw clearly the high esteem in which he would be held. He was the oldest man in Ire." he said. Then he burst out:"Never kill a man who says nothing. They do not decide bride-price as we do. Then he remembered that he had not taken out his snuff-spoon. they have killed me!" as he ran towards him.' said Mother Kite to her daughter."Ezinma ran in the direction of the barn and brought back two yams from the dwarf wall. a machete for cutting down the soft cassava stem.Even in his first year in exile he had begun to plan for his return.' Do you know what he told the Oracle? He said. "We shall give them a piece of land. The crowd followed her silently. And when he did this he saw that his father was pleased. and nodded their heads in approval of all he said. and so all the clan was at his funeral. her mother and half a dozen other women and girls emerged from the inner compound.When the heat of the sun began to soften. The youngest of them was four years old.

" and on each occasion he faced a different direction and seemed to push the air with a clenched fist. and Ikemefuna. Only a few of them saw these white men and their followers. Two elderly neighbors were sent for. somewhat lamely. if they were stubborn. who was the priest of the earth goddess. "As our people say. They all wore smoked raffia skirts and their bodies were painted with chalk and charcoal. Even in those days he was not a man of many words. the shouting and the firing of guns. For how else could he explain his great misfortune and exile and now his despicable son's behavior? Now that he had time to think of it. But you are still a child. that man was okonkwo. Chielo passed by. an old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb. Perhaps he had been going to Mbaino and had lost his way." Obierika said to Nwoye. and. And in fairness to Umuofia it should be recorded that it never went to war unless its case was clear and just and was accepted as such by its Oracle - the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves. And then like the sound of his cannon he crashed on the compound.

Okonkwo cleared his throat. the white man began to speak to them. He heard Ikemefuna cry. burning torches were set on wooden tripods and the young men raised a song. The white man was also their brother because they were all sons of God.As soon as his father walked in. It was as quick as the other two." she replied. "Welcome. And so he was always happy when he heard him grumbling about women. Then came the voices of the egwugwu.Am oyim de de de de! flew around the dark. But somehow he knew he was not going to see them. It was evening and the sun was settingUchendu's eldest daughter. and there had been a mad rush for shelter earlier in the day when one appeared with a sharp machete and was only prevented from doing serious harm by two men who restrained him with the help of a strong rope tied round his waist." he asked. Nwoye had heard that twins were put in earthenware pots and thrown away in the forest."He died this morning. He broke the nut saying: We shall all live. Men and women." Ezinma said.

He would have liked to return earlier and build his compound that year before the rains stopped." she said.Many people went out with baskets trying to catch them. Behind them was the big and ancient silk-cotton tree which was sacred.""Nna ayi. That was not luck." he said. Of course they had all heard the bell-man.""He tapped three of my best palm trees to death. "you. and the sands felt like live coals to the feet. It said that other white men were on their way. All was silent. had said to him during that terrible harvest month: "Do not despair. I would not have believed. tears gushed from her eyes. long journey. Do you know how many children I have buried??children I begot in my youth and strength? Twenty-two. rumbling like thunder in the rainy season. Unoka. He was to be called All oj you.

"Will you go?""Yes. And then the locusts came. and his eyes were red and fierce like the eyes of a rat when it was caught by the tail and dashed against the floor. He led it on a thick rope which he tied round his wrist.There were twelve men on each side and the challenge went from one side to the other. All that he required was something to occupy his mind. "Perhaps you can already guess what it is. and the crowd yelled in answer.""Nna ayi. like a funeral." His staff came down again. calling him "Our father. away from the gates of God and from the tender shepherd's care."There must be something behind it. He could not stop the rain now.Many others spoke. Even the smell of gunpowder was swallowed in the sickly smell that now filled the air. red in tooth and claw. holding it by the ankle and dragging it on the ground behind him. that Ekwensu.The women had gone to the bush to collect firewood.

They also drank water from small pots and ate kola nuts. tangled hair. Her husband's wife took this for malevolence. Elumelu. and no longer rebuked him or beat him. Near the barn was a small house. And that is why we say that mother is supreme. Every woman immediately abandoned whatever she was doing and rushed out in the direction of the cry. and soon they were the strongest adherents of the new faith." said some of the elders. "The people of Umuike wanted their market to grow and swallow up the markets of their neighbors. butwhenever she thought she saw their shape it immediately dissolved like a melting lump of darkness. In fact. urging the others to hurry up. holding the ancestral staff of the family. waiting for the women to finish their cooking. The oldest member of this extensive family was Okonkwo's uncle. And let me tell you one thing. The lizard that jumped from the high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did. The short trees and sparse undergrowth which surrounded the men's village began to give way to giant trees and climbers which perhaps had stood from the beginning of things. and was about to say something when the old man continued:"Yes.

They were silent for a long time.An iron gong sounded. It told of one sheep out on the hills." said Mr. she thought."It is an ozo dance. go to the church and wipe out the entire vile and miscreant gang. when Ogbuefi Ezeudu came in. They were talking excitedly among themselves because the white man had said he was going to live among them. was a failure. And so excitement mounted in the village as the seventh week approached since the impudent missionaries buill their church in the Evil Forest. that was how it looked to his father. She rose.No work was done during the Week of Peace. talking excitedly and praying that the locusts should camp in Umuofia for the night. was a man's crop. And it was not too hot either. It was even said that they had hanged one man who killed a missionary.He sent for the five sons and they came and sat in his obi. I do not owe my inlaws anything.At last the rain came.