🧚 Xxv.--how Two Bendega Young Men Changed Their Skins., part 3

Now Chief Erim had only two wives; one was an Okuni woman, by whom he had a son called Odoggha Eyu, and the other was a native of Inkum, whose son’s name was Oga Erim.1 The chief was very fond of both his sons, and never allowed them to do any work on the farm.2 He gave them plenty of food and good cloths, and they grew into strong young men.3 There was one thing, however, that vexed Chief Erim, and that was that Odoggha Eyu was his eldest son, and he knew that when he died Odoggha Eyu would return to Okuni, which was his mother’s birthplace.4 The chief therefore made up his mind that his youngest son, Oga Erim, should inherit his property, and for several years taught him how to rule the people with a strong hand and to punish them severely if they did not work, as that was the way he had become rich.5

When the two sons had grown up, the slaves made a plan to kill Chief Erim, whom they hated so much.6 The head slave waited until the day came for the women to bring their camwood to be counted, and then told his wife to keep back three balls of camwood, so that if the chief flogged her, he would be able to give a good reason to the other slaves why they should kill their master.7 When all the women slaves had brought their camwood, the chief told the head slave to count the cakes as usual.8 He did so, and told Chief Erim that his wife had only brought nine cakes of camwood instead of twelve, as she had been very busy in the house and had had a lot of other work to do.9 The head slave also said that ever since he had been married his wife had always brought the right number of cakes, and as this was the first time she had failed to do so he begged the chief not to punish her.10 But Chief Erim was angry, and said that the head slave’s wife ought to know better and should set a good example to the other slaves.11 He then had her tied up to a tree, and she was given fifty lashes, the blood running down her back on to the ground, the woman becoming unconscious from the pain.12 She was then released and water having been thrown over her she was carried to her house, where she was placed on the sleeping-mat.13

The next day the woman was made to pay for the three missing cakes of camwood, and the chief told the other women slaves that the punishment the woman had received should be a warning to them and make them work harder.14

The head slave washed the wounds on his wife’s back, and put some mashed-up leaves on the sore places to stop the bleeding and heal the cuts.15 When he saw what a terrible flogging his wife had received, his heart was full of rage against Chief Erim, so that very night he went to every slave, and they all agreed to kill their master.16 The head slave then went to a clever poisoner who lived not far away, and bought two powerful ju-jus; one would give the person against whom the ju-ju was made the “dry cough” (consumption), and the other would give him paralysis.17 He then hid the ju-jus, as they had decided to wait some time after the woman had been flogged before they gave the poison to the chief, so that no suspicion should be attached to them of having poisoned their master.18 All the slaves went about their work as usual until the time arrived for the new yams to be dug, at which season it was customary for the people to give presents to their chiefs.19 The head slave then went into the bush and made a calabash of strong tombo.20 He then called Chief Erim’s name, and having put the two ju-jus into the tombo, told the ju-ju to kill Chief Erim and not to harm anyone else.21 Having bought twenty-five yams and one cock, he took them, together with the calabash of tombo, and gave them to Chief Erim as his present.22 The chief thanked him for his dash, and told his small boy to pour out the tombo.23 The first glass was given to the head slave, who had brought the tombo, and he threw it on the ground, asking Ossorwor (God) to bless Chief Erim with plenty of wealth and long life.24 The “pourer-out” drank the second glass, and Chief Erim drank the next, the tombo was then passed round until it was finished, but the head slave poured the last glass, which had the remains of the poison in it, on the ground in front of the ju-ju, which was in the middle of the compound; this he did when the Chief Erim’s back was turned so that he could not see.25

About a month afterwards the ju-ju began to work, and Chief Erim felt sick; he coughed all day, and one side became useless so that he could not walk.26 He wanted to go to the ju-ju man to ask him what was the cause of his sickness, but being unable to move about he sent for his head slave and told him to go to the ju-ju man and tell him to come to his house so that he could consult him.27

When the head slave came, he said to Chief Erim, “I have been your slave ever since I was a small boy.28 Surely you can trust me.29 Let me go and consult the ju-ju man on your behalf, and he will tell me what you should do in order to get well again.30 You have only to give me your loin-cloth, and then when he has seen it he will know what is the matter with you after he has cast lots.”31

Chief Erim agreed to this, and told his head slave to take two boxes of rods and some fowls as a present to the ju-ju man.32 The head slave kept the fowls and rods for himself, and did not go near the ju-ju man, but the next day he went to his master and said that he had consulted the ju-ju man, who had said that the chief’s life was in danger, and that he had been poisoned by his Okuni wife, who wanted her son to inherit her husband’s property.33 If Chief Erim wanted to get better, he should at once send the wife and her son to Okuni, as they were both witches, and that in three months’ time he would be quite well again.34 The ju-ju man also said that if it had not been for the small ju-ju in the middle of Chief Erim’s compound, who had been fighting the witches for him, he would have been dead long before.35 The chief should therefore make a sacrifice of a white cock and a goat to the ju-ju for his help.36

Chief Erim then told his wife to go back to Okuni and take her son with her.37 He also told the head slave to sacrifice the white cock and the goat to the ju-ju.38 This was done, but instead of getting better, chief Erim died in less than a month, and his son Oga Erim inherited his father’s property.39

When the chiefs of Inkum heard of the disease which Chief Erim had died from, they made an order that the body should be buried in a deep grave in the bush, that the funeral should not be kept as usual, and that no one was to mourn for the dead chief, as the sickness he had died from was a very dangerous one, and if anyone cried for him they would get the disease.40 The chief’s body was therefore buried without any of the customary funeral rites, which saved Oga Erim a large amount of money.41