years.Okonkwo returned when he felt the medicine had cooked long anough. a debtor.

but she must wait for Ezinma to wake
but she must wait for Ezinma to wake. When we gather together in the moonlit village ground it is not because of the moon. the farthest village in the clan."Agbala do-o-o-o! Agbala ekeneo-o-o-o! ??" Chielo began once again to chant greetings to her god. but he had not expected he would be so generous. with love. The two voices disappeared into the thick darkness.""Do you think a thief can do that kind of thing single-handed?" asked Nwankwo."Come along. It was such a forest that. These women never saw the inside of the hut. the whole clan gathers there. but the ekwe carried the news to all the nine villages and even beyond. and two or three pieces of land on which tofarm during the coming planting season."You must watch the pot carefully. The water began to boil. In these seven years he would have climbed to the utmost heights."Come and show me the exact spot."Have you slept enough?" asked her mother. When they were out of earshot."Yes. It was a full gathering of umuada. like a funeral.

It was clear from his twinkling eyes that he had important news. I kill a man on the day that his life is sweetest to him. Ekwefi had nothing but good wishes for her. and each wife built a small attachment to her hut for the hens. my daughter. "who will protect us from the anger of our neglected gods and ancestors?""Your gods are not alive and cannot do you any harm. "Are you mad?"Okonkwo did not answer. They had the same style and one saw the other's plans beforehand. But all he said was: "When shall I go home?" When Okonkwo heard that he would not eat any food he came into the hut with a big stick in his hand and stood over him while he swallowed his yams.That year the harvest was sad. Now that she walked slowly she had time to think."Thank you. She did not marry him then because he was too poor to pay her bride-price. with which they sat on the floor. Okonkwo. the priest of the earth goddess."And it died this morning?"Okonkwo said yes. He could hear in his mind's ear the blood-stirring and intricate rhythms of the ekwe and the udu and the ogene. who has promised everlasting life to all who believe in His holy name. Tortoise looked down from the sky and saw his wife bringing things out. There was a drinking horn in it. 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." said one of the younger men.

" he said. He breathed heavily. That was a source of great sorrow to the leaders of the clan. A young man from one team danced across the center to the other side and pointed at whomever he wanted to fight. At last Sky was moved to pity. women and children. But if you allow sorrow to weigh you down and kill you they will all die in exile. So Nwoye and Ikemefuna would listen to Okonkwo's stories about tribal wars. and everybody agreed that he was as sharp as a razor. in their proper order. now desperate. She just jogged along in a half-sleep. met to hear a report of Okonkwo's mission. as her father and other grownup people did. The egwugwu house into which they emerged faced the forest. But let us drink the wine first. only more holy than the village variety. and asking it if it had brought home any lengths of cloth. Then everything had been broken. When he brought out the snuff-bottle he tapped it a few times against his knee-cap before taking out some snuff on the palm of his left hand. Some of them were not at home and only four came in. Tortoise began to sniff aloud. from a few cowries to quite substantial amounts.

She slowed down her pace so as to increase the distance between them. His name was Okagbue Uyanwa.It was going to be Okonkwo's last harvest in Mbanta." said Ekwefi."Umuofia kwenu!" he roared.The footway had now become a narrow line in the heart of the forest. roasting and eating maize. Near the barn was a small house. The women and children sent up a great shout and took to their heels. Her deepening despair found expression in the names she gave her children. Obierika and half a dozen other friends came to help and to console him. They should have armed themselves with their guns and their machetes even when they went to market.The woman with whom she talked was called Chielo. He threw down the gun and jumped into the barn and there lay the woman. demolished his red walls. She would wait at the mouth. Even as a little boy he had resented his father's failure and weakness. But you will never hear. In the end Okonkwo threw the Cat. Among the Ibo the art of conversation is regarded very highly.Okonkwo was sitting on a goatskin already eating his first wife's meal. Her husband had brought out more yams than usual because the medicine man had to be fed. using some of the chicken.

Obierika then presented to him a small bundle of short broomsticks. and long stacks of yam stood out prosperously in it. He brought out a sharp razor from the goatskin bag slung from his left shoulder and began to mutilate the child. But his whole life was dominated by fear. and earth and sky once again became separate. But his wives and young children were not as strong." replied Uzowulu. he won his first three converts. Now Ekwefi was a woman of forty-five who had suffered a great deal in her time. and so they made them that offer which nobody in his right senses would accept."Those who knew Amadi laughed. It was a crime against the earth goddess to kill a clansman. And so although Okonkwo was still young.At that moment they heard someone crying just outside their compound. that was how it looked to his father."Umuofia kwenu!" shouted the leading egwugwu. I am Dry-meat-that-fills-the-mouth. Living fire begets cold. the messenger of earth. They were already far enough where they stood and there was room for running away if any of them should go towards them. I salute you."Umezulike. my dear friend.

"lest Agbala be angry with you. Her husband's first wife had already had three sons."She will bring her back soon. If you turn against me when I am dead I will visit you and break your neck. Nkechi was the daughter of Okonkwo's third wife." said Okonkwo. They were talking excitedly among themselves because the white man had said he was going to live among them. who saw only its back with the many-colored patterns and drawings done by specially chosen women at regular intervals. It was for this man that Okonkwo worked to earn his first seed yams. The crowd then shouted with ainger and thirst for blood. Ekwefi's mind went back to the days when they were young. Two little groups of people stood at a respectable distance beyond the stools. He did not understand it. That was always the trouble with Okeke's snuff. living in a special area of the village. A baby on its mother's back does not know that the way is long. he is not too young."The medicine man then ordered that there should be no mourning for the dead child.But the war that now threatened was a just war. had entered his eye. The moon had been rising later and later every night until now it was seen only at dawn. A man stood there with a machete in his hand. but never heard its voice.

" said Obierika. Most of them were sons of our land whose mothers had been buried with us. At such times she seemed beyond danger. It was like a wedding feast. and I am happy you have come to see us." said Ezinma. The way he said it sent cold fear down Ikemefuna's back. Kiaga was praying in the church when he heard the women talking excitedly. unearthly voice and completely covered in raffia. which was now surrounded by spectators." Uzowulu bent down and touched the earth with his right hand as a sign of submission. taking each string separately. long journey. but offered to use his teeth. He had a large barn full of yams and he had three wives." They were hard and painful on the body as they fell. Everyone looked in the direction of the egwugwu house. but achievement was revered. And so he regretted every day of his exile." said Machi."That is the strange part of it." He turned to Odukwe."On the following Sunday.

yellow and dark green. light and gay. Ezinma rushed out of the hut."That was all he had said. let his wing break. the god of the sky. But the Ibo people have a proverb that when a man says yes his chi says yes also. It was as quick as the other two." The three rose and went outside." he said.He was by nature a very lively boy and he gradually became popular in Okonkwo's household. when he was young. They have a big market in Abame on every other Afo day and. women and children.""Some people say the Oracle warned him that he would fall off a palm tree and kill himself. And there were indeed occasions when the Oracle had forbidden Umuofia to wage a war.Okonkwo's neighbors heard his wife crying and sent their voices over the compound walls to ask what was the matter.Ogbuefi Ezeudu. Why did they not fight back? Had they no guns and machetes? We would be cowards lo compare ourselves with the men of Abame.Onwumbiko was not given proper burial when he died." said Ezinma."They would have gone on arguing had Ofoedu not come in just then. consulting among themselves and with the leaders of the two wrestling teams.

She wore the anklet of her husband's titles. but no one spoke. They will serve you when I have eaten. and soon returned with a bowl of cool water from the earthen pot in her mother's hut. their legs and feet. and he who could feed his family on yams from one harvest to another was a very great man indeed. what do I do? Do i shut my eyes? No! I take a stick and break his head That is what a man does. He knew that Nwakibie would not refuse him. who suddenly gave up his trade.""But he had no wings." Quite often she bought beancakes and gave Ekwefi some to take home to Ezinma.""I was only speaking in jest. persistent and unchanging. A sickly odor hung in the air wherever he went. Ezinma's voice soon faded away and only Chielo was heard moving farther and farther into the distance. but now sat with Okonkwo in his obi. He could not do anything without telling her. It was on the seventh day that he died. whom they had asked to leave them for a while so that they might "whisper together. The three white men and a very large number of other men surrounded the market. And what was more." But she could not. his mind would have been centered on his work.

Nwoye. Two judges walked around the wrestlers and when they thought they were equally matched. a debtor. "that he repeated over and over again a word that resembled Mbaino." answered one of Obierika's companions. As soon as he found one he would sing with his whole being. jumping over walls and dancing on the roof. She turned round on her low stool and put the beak in the fire for a few moments. in a body. I shall pay you. He always gnashed his teeth as he listened to those who came to consult him." said Nwoye's mother." said Obierika's eldest brother. Okonkwo helped them put down their loads. which every man kept in his obi and with which his guests drew lines on the floor before they ate kola nuts. Unoka was able to give an answer between fresh outbursts of mirth. Thirty. some alligator pepper and a lump of white chalk. We pray for life. Okonkwo. He had tried to protect them from the smoldering earth by making rings of thick sisal leaves around them. But such was her anxiety for her daughter that she could not rid herself completely of her fear. Every woman immediately abandoned whatever she was doing and rushed out in the direction of the cry.

male and female. He therefore treated Ikemefuna as he treated everybody else - with a heavy hand. She rubbed each string downwards with her palms until it passed the buttocks and slipped down to the floor around her feet. how many twins she has borne and thrown away. Obierika sent word that the two huts had been built and Okonkwo began to prepare for his return.Ikemefuna had begun to feel like a member of Okonkwo's family. It was such a forest that."Yes.""It is so indeed. I will only have a son who is a man. "Let us not presume to do so now. A vague chill had descended on him and his head had seemed to swell. All the other dancers made way for her. impotent ash. There were five groups. emerged from her hut. to sit with him in his obi. and it came floating on the wind. He does not belong here. He turned again to Ezinma. "We shall give them a piece of land." asked Obierika. who was then an ailing man.

Hisspeech was so eloquent that all the birds were glad they had brought him. Okonkwo's fear was greater than these."There must be something behind it. She buried her face in her lap and waited. He asked Okonkwo a few questions about the dead child.""They were fools. And so he regretted every day of his exile."Ekwefi went into her hut and came out again with Ezinma. and in the end Okonkwo overcame his sorrow. The harmattan was in the air and seemed to distill a hazy feeling of sleep on the world. and the dry. At first they were afraid they might die. after the rains. the messenger of earth. and he knew that his father wanted him to be a man. "I remember now. anxiety."That was all he had said. But it went from day to day without a pause. during the last harvest season."Yes."The weeping was now quite close and soon the children filed in.But Ezinma's iyi-uwa had looked real enough.

They had no hatred in their hearts against Okonkwo. But I think you ought to break it. The child was called Onwumbiko. else it would break and the thousand tiny rings would have to be strung together again. building a new red-earth and thatch house for their teacher." replied Okoye. They then set about painting themselves with cam wood and drawing beautiful black patterns on their stomachs and on their backs. But the Hills and the Caves were as silent as death. yet young people ran about happily picking up the cold nuts and throwing them into their mouths to melt. but he went to the birds and asked to be allowed to go with them. Nwakibie sent for his wives. Machi." said Obierika.' Everybody laughed heartily except Okonkwo. and within a short time all the birds agreed that he was a changed man. He led it on a thick rope which he tied round his wrist."Since I survived that year. the son of Obierika.She wore a coiffure which was done up into a crest in the middle of the head. therefore. His greatest friend."He belongs to the clan. In Umuofia's latest war he was the first to bring home a human head.

Okonkwo stood by. But as the dog said."You must watch the pot carefully. She could not see beyond her nose. He raised his voice once or twice in manly sorrow and then sat down with the other men listening to the endless wailing of the women and the esoteric language of the ekwe. It might happen again this year. had entered his eye. a cake of salt and smoked fish which she would present to Obierika's wife."Leave her to me."I wish she were a boy."And it died this morning?"Okonkwo said yes. Why should a man suffer so grievously for an offense he had committed inadvertently? But although he thought for a long time he found no answer. Some years the harmattan was very severe and a dense haze hung on the atmosphere. bringing the third dish. what do we do? Do we go and stop his mouth? No. Amikwu. Ekwefi was the only person in the happy company who went about with a cloud on her brow. Old men nodded to the beat of the drums and remembered the days when they wrestled to its intoxicating rhythm." she said. Uzowulu should recover from his madness and come in the proper way to beg his wife to return she will do so on the understanding that if he ever beats her again we shall cut off his genitals for him. Tortoise began to sniff aloud. Ezinma? You are older than Obiageli but she has more sense."Although they were almost the same age.

These men must be mad. old way. and although it had not yet appeared on the sky its light had already melted down the darkness. and then. where titled men climb trees and pound foo-foo for their wives. what did the mother of this duckling say when you swooped and carried its child away?' 'It said nothing." he said. As soon as he heard of the great feast in the sky his throat began to itch at the very thought. Unoka. It is more difficult and more bitter when a man fails alone. touching the earth." said Ibe. which was strengthened by such little conspiracies as eating eggs in the bedroom." said Ezinma. It had its shrine in the centre of Umuofia. The villagers were so certain about the doom that awaited these men that one or two converts thought it wise to suspend their allegiance to the new faith. whom he had thrown away." said Okonkwo. the god of the sky. Ekwefi mopped her with a piece of cloth and she lay down on a dry mat and was soon asleep. and it seemed now as if it was happening all over again. Okoye rolled his goatskin and departed. Ezinma struggled to escape from the choking and overpowering steam.

It was indeed the shrine of a great god. and through these Okonkwo passed the rope. He told them that they worshipped false gods. I would not have believed." he said. He was greatly shocked and swore to beat Ekwefi if she dared to give the child eggs again.Many others spoke. I shall break your jaw. On his head were two powerful horns. There was something in it like the companionship of equals."Father. flat. On her arms were red and yellow bangles." she replied and disappeared in the darkness. But let us ostracize these men."He will do great things."Okonkwo had just blown out the palm-oil lamp and stretched himself on his bamboo bed when he heard the ogene of the town crier piercing the still night air. He warmed himself in the fire and ate the entrails. who then unrolled the goatskin which he carried under his arm. Okonkwo!" she warned. They went outside again. I greet you. lest he strike you in his anger.

Okonkwo was only a boy then and Uchendu still remembered him crying the traditional farewell: "Mother."Who are the young men with you?" he asked as he sat down again on his goatskin. father? You are beyond our knowledge. and stayed. with which he made two wings. And he was already beginning to know some of the simple stories they told. who was two years younger."It was in the second year of Okonkwo's exile that his friend. Some of these prisoners had thrown away their twins and some had molested the Christians. I want you to be there. all its metal taken out of it by the vast emptiness of the cave. the messenger of earth. Tortoise also took one. Chielo never ceased in her chanting. She prepared it the way he liked??with slices of oil-bean and fish. She could no longer think. all the same. my child. But he was struck. It was the first time for many years that a man had broken the sacred peace. calling him "Our father. She looked very much like her mother. No! he could not be.

And so although Okonkwo was still young. "Where did you bury your iyi-uwa?""Where they bury children." said Okonkwo as he rose to go. their legs and feet. before the first cock-crow. Okonkwo walked behind him. The happy voices of children playing in open fields would then be heard. they set off in a body. But he now knew that they were for foolish women and children. the rulers and elders of Mbanta assembled to decide on their action. The first cup went to Okonkwo. afraid of your next-door neighbor. Ezeudu is dead. Your generation does not know that. And he was already beginning to know some of the simple stories they told.Share-cropping was a very slow way of building up a barn of one's own. I have come to pay you my respects and also to ask a favor.That was years ago. Mr. But his fondness only showed on very rare occasions. He had had the same kind of feeling not long ago.After the singing the interpreter spoke about the Son of God whose name was Jesu Kristi.But the year had gone mad.

people said it was refusing food.When the women retired. This roasted yam soaked in red palm-oil and eaten in the open farm was sweeter than any meal at home. The villagers were so certain about the doom that awaited these men that one or two converts thought it wise to suspend their allegiance to the new faith. and sent for the missionaries.""That is true.The priestess' voice came at longer intervals now." Nwoye's mother said.""Ee-e-e!""And this will not be the last. not even with broomsticks. was a failure. It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic. The new year must begin with tasty. And if the clan did not exact punishment for an offense against the great goddess."Is this yours?" he asked Ezinma. Okonkwo sprang to his feet and quickly sat down again. which was now surrounded by spectators. Every woman in the neighborhood knew the sound of Nwayieke's mortar and pestle.On the third day he asked his second wife. or with their father in his obi warming themselves from a log fire. A sudden fury rose within him and he felt a strong desire to take up his machete. for his father's relatives to see. "My daughter's suitor is coming today and I hope we will clinch the matter of the bride-price.

But there were many others who saw the situation differently. Then he poured out for the others. and brought out his snuff-bottle from the goatskin bag by his side.The elders. Obierika presented kola nuts to his in-laws.As the years of exile passed one by one it seemed to him that his chi might now be making amends for the past disaster. something felt in the marrow. 'You have taken back your sister." said Ezinma touching the ground with her finger. The egwugwu house into which they emerged faced the forest.The night was very quiet. She slowed down her pace so as to increase the distance between them."Umezulike. persistent and unchanging. He was poor and his wife and children had barely enough to eat. His sons brought out the pots of palm-wine. Okonkwo's youngest wife also came out and joined the others.""They were fools. I am not afraid of work.He went back to the church and told Mr. "When I think that it is only eighteen months since the Seed was first sown among you.The drummers took up their sticks and the air shivered and grew tense like a tightened bow. It was then uncertain whether the low rumbling of Amadiora's thunder came from above or below.

The younger of his sons. It told of one sheep out on the hills. They were very fat goats. And as if they had been waiting for that. Only the really great men in the clan were able to do this. and was about to say something when the old man continued:"Yes."Just then Obierika's son. In the center of the crowd a boy lay in a pool of blood. eating the peelings. They do not decide bride-price as we do. It might happen again this year. called on Okonkwo in his obi. "Life to you.""They were fools. each carrying a pot of wine. Anyone seeing Chielo in ordinary life would hardly believe she was the same person who prophesied when the spirit of Agbala was upon her. "That is the story.""We have seen it. broke into life and activity. who had brought it from her mother's hut. because you understand us and we understand you.""It is the result of a great medicine.Evil Forest began to speak and all the while he spoke everyone was silent.

'She should have been a boy. greeted Okonkwo and turned towards the compound. Those who found themselves nearest to them merely moved to another seat. the anger on his face was gone. "We should do something. Okafo raised his right leg and swung it over his rival's head. "that was why the snake-lizard killed his mother. Her husband's first wife had already had three sons." And after a pause she said: "Can I bring your chair for you?""No. They were silent for a long time." Obierika thought. "Okoli told me himself that it was false. But Ekwefi was not thinking about that."Yes. The seven wasted and weary years were at last dragging to a close."Bring me a low stool for Ezinma. The old man who received him was his mother's younger brother. He was a very strong man and rarely felt fatigue. There must have been about ten thousand men there. "on an Eke market day a little band of fugitives came into our town.""Nna ayi. and he who could feed his family on yams from one harvest to another was a very great man indeed. And when he got there he found it was a man making a sacrifice.

And then appeared on the horizon a slowly-moving mass like a boundless sheet of black cloud drifting towards Umuofia." And he arranged the requisite rites and sacrifices. An ultimatum was immediately dispatched to Mbaino asking them to choose between war - on the one hand. And for the first time they had a woman. But it was momentary. The thick mat was thrown over both. and he sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating. his face beaming with blessedness and peace. He then invited the birds to eat. Many of them spoke at great length and in fury. the interpreter." said Obierika. Okonkwo's youngest wife also came out and joined the others."1 have told you to let her alone. who had been talking."That wine is the work of a good tapper. But on further thought he told himself that Nwoye was not worth fighting for. he was treated with great honor and respect. roots and barks of medicinal trees and shrubs. Okonkwo told him. fifth and sixth years.Okonkwo returned when he felt the medicine had cooked long anough. a debtor.