murmur of suppressed anger to sweep the crowd.'When Ekwefi brought the hoe. "As for me.

and sat speechless
and sat speechless. But let us ostracize these men. if one finger brought oil it soiled the others. They were beaten in the prison by the kotma and made to work every morning clearing the government compound and fetching wood for the white Commissioner and the court messengers. It is a bad custom because it always leads to a quarrel. like splitting wood. Obierika offered him a lobe of the kola nut he had broken with Okonkwo. Do you hear that. "They have that custom in Obodoani. "I sold the big ones as soon as you left. and with him were his father and uncle. But he threw himself into it like one possessed. Nothing happened at its proper time. So they made a powerful medicine. "The world has no end."You are right. Men stirred on their bamboo beds and listened anxiously. He was afraid of being thought weak. But that was only to be expected. It all began over the question of admitting outcasts.

He was a man of action. Ezinma rushed out of the hut. But I think you ought to break it."Every year. or pounding food. though his dialect was different and harsh to the enrs of Mbanta. He went into the obi and saluted his father. Obierika sent word that the two huts had been built and Okonkwo began to prepare for his return. Kiaga stopped them and began to explain. They told the white man and he smiled benevolently. Once in a while two young men carrying palm fronds ran round the circle and kept the crowd back by beating the ground in front of them or. the son of Obierika. woman. and so they made them that offer which nobody in his right senses would accept. Dum! Dum! Dum! boomed the cannon at intervals. i have only a short while to live. Nwoye's mother and Ojiugo would provide the other things like smoked fish." Okonkwo was specially fond of Ezinma. untouched by the ax and the bush-fire. But it was really a woman's ceremony and the central figures were the bride and her mother.

"People traveled more in those days. She stood until Chielo had increased the distance between them and she began to follow again. 'If I fall down for you and you fall down for me. When a man was afflicted with swelling in the stomach and the limbs he was not allowed to die in the house. Behind them was the big and ancient silk-cotton tree which was sacred. and to soften his heart with a song of the suffering of the sons of men. now desperate. He was a great man."Ekwefi. now desperate."He belongs to the clan. Nwoye had heard that twins were put in earthenware pots and thrown away in the forest. And so it was time for the final ceremony of confession. called her mother by her name. Evil Forest then stood up. We are only his mother's kinsmen. Only then did she realize.Mr. will you go to see the wrestling?" Ezinma asked after a suitable interval. lest he should be found to resemble his father.

Okafo raised his right leg and swung it over his rival's head. he kept it secret. It was not very long since they had returned. Ekwefi had a feeling of spacious openness. Everybody was killed. But when she lived on to her fourth. They were silent for a long time. a debtor. Each of Uchendu's five sons contributed three hundred seed-yams to enable their cousin to plant a farm. when Mr. "one would think he never sucked at his mother's breast. who drank a cup or two each. called the converts the excrement of the clan. Ekwefi was also awakened and her benumbed fears revived. followed by Akueke. And he was afraid to look back. He grew rapidly like a yam tendril in the rainy season. He was quite different. But on further thought he told himself that Nwoye was not worth fighting for. If he had killed Ikemefuna during the busy planting season or harvesting it would not have been so bad.

Kiaga that he had decided to go to Umuofia where the white missionary had set up a school to teach young Christians to read and write.""That is very bad. It was quiet and confident.""That is very strange. Nwoye. Children were warned not to whistle at night for fear of evil spirits. He ordered the outcasts to shave off their long. yams of the old year were all disposed of by those who still had them. The egwugwu with the springy walk was one of the dead fathers of the clan.""That is very strange. Okonkwo. He presented a kola nut and an alligator pepper."We are all well. Even the very little children seemed to know." Ofoedu agreed. he was at a loss.Okonkwo sat in his obi crunching happily with Ikemefuna and Nwoye. Okonkwo ate the food absent-mindedly." said Nwoye's mother." she said when they got to the tree.

Soon it covered half the sky. Anasi was the first wife and the others could not drink before her. making music and feasting. Trees were uprooted and deep gorges appeared everywhere." said Obierika. very much shaken and frightened but quite unhurt." said Obierika. a fairly small swarm came. even the bravest among them. You have committed a great evil. Old men nodded to the beat of the drums and remembered the days when they wrestled to its intoxicating rhythm."Just then Obierika's son." he bellowed a fifth time.All the umunna were invited to the feast. "You will bring to the shrine of Ani tomorrow one she-goat. How his mother would weep for joy. Her suitor and his relatives surveyed her young body with expert eyes as if to assure themselves that she was beautiful and ripe. and was about to say something when the old man continued:"Yes.The moon was now up and she could see Chielo and Ezinma clearly. 'When mother-cow is chewing grass its young ones watch its mouth.

i fear for the clan. In ordinary life Chielo was a widow with two children. The egwugwu house into which they emerged faced the forest. and brought back a duckling.Okonkwo returned from the bush carrying on his left shoulder a large bundle of grasses and leaves. It was a rare achievement. who are known in all the nine villages for your valor in war? How can a man who has killed five men in battle fall to pieces because he has added a boy to their number? Okonkwo." said Obierika. to help them in their cooking.'"He began to eat and the birds grumbled angrily."It is here. Without looking at the man Okonkwo had said: "This meeting is for men. He turned again to Ezinma. "He hardly ever walks. Okonkwo had committed the female. about the next ancestral feast and about the impending war with the village of Mbaino. Obierika had sent one of his relatives all the way to Umuike to buy that goat It was the one he would present alive to his in-laws. who also counted them and said:"We had not thought to go below thirty. Now you talk about his son. In the end he decided that Nnadi must live in that land of Ikemefuna's favorite story where the ant holds his court in splendor and the sands dance forever.

He would speak to him after the isa-ifi ceremony. And what made it worse in Okonkwo's case was that he had to support his mother and two sisters from his meagre harvest. met to hear a report of Okonkwo's mission. Am I dead? They said I would die if i took care of twins."Obiageli broke her pot today. because it had been inadvertent.' Those men of Abame were fools. No! he could not be. The inhabitants of Mbanta expected them all to be dead within four days. Some of them came over to see for themselves. Ukegbu. Then he and another man went before Ikemefuna and set a faster pace. And so although Okonkwo was still young. lest he strike you in his anger. He was poor and his wife and children had barely enough to eat.""They have paid for their foolishness."I am calling a feast because I have the wherewithal. At the most one could say that his chi or personal god was good. empty men. a good harvest and happiness.

"that I shall bring many iron horses when we have settled down among them. Even the smell of gunpowder was swallowed in the sickly smell that now filled the air. "We have men of high title and the chief priests and the elders. He neither inherited a barn nor a title. especially their hair. saw clearly that Okonkwo had yielded to despair and he was greatly troubled. For a long time nothing happened."Do what you are told. All else was silent.When they had harvested a sizable heap they carried it down in two trips to the stream. He."The next day. That was a source of great sorrow to the leaders of the clan. It was quiet and confident. "Our own men and our sons have joined the ranks of the stranger. Sometimes the sun shone through the rain and a light breeze blew. and the dry. She ran faster.That was the kind of story that Nwoye loved. He would have liked to return earlier and build his compound that year before the rains stopped.

which means "the good one. We are only his mother's kinsmen. and he loved this season of the year. But he has not come to wake me up in the morning for it. shrill and powerful. But it had gone on living and gradually becoming stronger. and about some effeminate men who had refused to come with them.""I did not know that. And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion - to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved." Okonkwo was specially fond of Ezinma. he broke it and they ate. He was a flaming fire.The woman with whom she talked was called Chielo. This year they talked of nothing else but the nso-ani which Okonkwo had committed. But after a while this custom was stopped because it spoiled the peace which it was meant to preserve. Two little groups of people stood at a respectable distance beyond the stools.""It was always said that Ndulue and Ozoemena had one mind. Even the greatest medicine men took shelter when he was near. "and don't allow it to boil over. "the goddess of the earth.

and he sent his kotma to catch Aneto.Then the missionaries burst into song. He had had no patience with his father. three times. He was to be called All oj you. Every man of Umuofia was asked to gather at the market place tomorrow morning. solid drops of frozen water which the people called "the nuts of the water of heaven. The muscles on their arms and their thighs and on their backs stood out and twitched. Ekwefi believed deep inside her that Ezinma had come to stay. He made him feel grown-up. The women had come to the church with empty waterpots. with music and dancing and a great feast. Ezinma? Agbala wants to see her. Ukegbu. "it is this eyelid. She rubbed each string downwards with her palms until it passed the buttocks and slipped down to the floor around her feet. ozo is so low that every beggar takes it. "Your wrestling the other day gave me much happiness. with which he carried the brown snuff to his nostrils. perhaps for the first time.

anxiety. young and old. "My son has told me about you. And so everybody came to see the white man. and they ran for their lives.' he said as they flew on their way. I owe that man a thousand cowries."I am Evil Forest." said the leader of the ecjwucjwu. he was told. to honor the earth goddess and the ancestral spirits of the clan.Ekwefi had suffered a good deal in her life. A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing. But she had grown so bitter about her own chi that she could not rejoice with others over their good fortune. When everyone had drunk two or three horns. was passing by the church on his way from the neighboring village. But if you allow sorrow to weigh you down and kill you they will all die in exile. the king of crops. But you are still a child."At that moment Obierika's son.

Maduka. But by the end of the day the sisal rings were burned dry and gray. it is for you. For although locusts had not visited Umuofia for many years. That is a wise action. the king of crops.Then the tragedy of his first son had occurred. And so he was always happy when he heard him grumbling about women.Okonkwo and his family worked very hard to plant a new farm. Ukegbu. The spell of sunshine which always came in the middle of the wet season did not appear. do you know me?""How can I know you. was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness. Two elderly neighbors were sent for. He was determined that his return should be marked by his people. and we shall all perish. The white missionary was very proud of him and he was one of the first men in Umuofia to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion. cooking and eating.Very soon after. "who will protect us from the anger of our neglected gods and ancestors?""Your gods are not alive and cannot do you any harm.

having enough in his barn to feed the ancestors with regular sacrifices. like a solitary walker at night who passes an evil spirit an the way. He was very good on his flute." Obierika again drank a little of his wine."Ah." said Ezinma at last. "let her not sleep in her hut."Ekwefi!" a voice called from one of the other huts. The wavering converts drew inspiration and confidence from his unshakable faith. vibrating heat. Okonkwo stood by the pit. Once in a while Chielo was possessed by the spirit of her god and she began to prophesy." This was interpreted to them but very few of them heard."Point at the spot with your finger. Ojiugo.Okonkwo knew these things. nearly all the osu in Mbanta followed their example. and although it had not yet appeared on the sky its light had already melted down the darkness."Come and show me the exact spot. buoyant maiden.

the god of the sky.""That cannot be. It looked like an equal match.""But he had no wings.""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. "One of the young children had opened the gate of the cow-shed. and the little children to visit their playmates in the neighboring compounds. They went back to their caves in a distant land. and she was notorious for her late cooking. Chielo's voice now came after long intervals. and they agreed about the beating. he would use his fists."There must be something behind it. But he was always uncomfortable sitting around for days waiting for a feast or getting over it.The missionaries spent their first four or five nights in the marketplace. The neighbors and relations also saw the coincidence and said among themselves that it was very significant. It was there that her third child was born and circumcised on the eighth day. the troublesome nanny goat."Obiageli called her "Salt" because she said that she disliked water.As soon as day broke.

anxiety. There were only four titles in the clan. then. for in spite of the palm fruit hung across the mouth of the pot to restrain the lively liquor. and they nodded their heads. who went to plait her hair at her friend's house and did not return early enough to cook the afternoon meal."Take away your kola nut. The only work that men did at this time was covering the walls of their compound with new palm fronds. She cut the yams into small pieces and began to prepare a pottage.At last the young man who was pouring out the wine held up half a horn of the thick. "Whether you are spirit or man.When the heat of the sun began to soften. Then from the distance came the faint beating of the ekwe. and the crowd followed her. She went on fanning it until it burst into flames. in the land of his fathers where men were bold and warlike. and the rest went back. That was in fact the reason why he had come to see Unoka. food and palm-wine. Obierika's second wife followed with a pot of soup.

when he slept. No one had actually seen the man do it. The chalk women also returned to tell a similar story. Now and then a cold shiver descended on his head and spread down his body. and long stacks of yam stood out prosperously in it. Almost immediately the women came in with a big bowl of foo-foo.""How did they get hold of Ancto to hang him?" asked Okonkwo."You have not eaten for two days. Her back was turned on the footpath that led out of the hills. A sudden fury rose within him and he felt a strong desire to take up his machete." But he was a man of commanding presence and the clansmen listened to him. who had joined in plucking the feathers. armed with sheathed machetes. We must fight these men and drive them from the land." Uzowulu replied."What does it all mean?" asked Mr. Nwoye's mother thanked her and she went back to her mother's hut. asked her""Remember that if you do not answer truthfully you will suffer or even die at childbirth."Umuofia kwenu!""Yaa!""Umuofia kwenu!""Yaa!"Evil Forest then thrust the pointed end of his rattling staff into the earth.' he said as they flew on their way.

a machete for cutting down the soft cassava stem. He had therefore put his drinking-horn into his goatskin bag for the occasion. It was also the dumping ground for highly potent fetishes of great medicine men when they died. It came from the direction of the ilo. On the second day Uchendu called together his sons and daughters and his nephew. He dared not go too near the missionaries for fear of his father. The thick mat was thrown over both.It seemed to Ekwefi that the night had become a little lighter." said another woman. Today Okonkwo was not bringing his mother home to be buried with her people. who laughed uneasily because."You do not know the answer? So you see that you are a child. Ikemefuna came first with the biggest pot. Would he recognize her now? She must have grown quite big. raised the pot on his left knee and began to pour out the wine. young and old. There were little holes from one side to the other in the upper levels of the wall." he said. Nwoye knew that Ikemefuna had been killed. As the Ibo say: "When the moon is shining the cripple becomes hungry for a walk.

"Odukwe's body. Unoka went into an inner room and soon returned with a small wooden disc containing a kola nut. He changed them every day. his head pointing to the earth and his legs skywards. "is it true that when people are grown up. each carrying a pot of wine. nine of the greatest masked spirits in the clan came out together it was a terrifying spectacle. what did the mother of this duckling say when you swooped and carried its child away?' 'It said nothing. children. His name was Uchendu. I am still alive. Anyone seeing Chielo in ordinary life would hardly believe she was the same person who prophesied when the spirit of Agbala was upon her. And perhaps those not so young would be playing in pairs in less open places. Ezinma struggled to escape from the choking and overpowering steam. "Perhaps you can already guess what it is.

"No. "Look at those lines of chalk. empty men. who was also a diviner of the Afa Oracle."Have you slept enough?" asked her mother. They were very fat goats." He paused for a long while. But they always returned to the long rope he trailed behind.The year that Okonkwo took eight hundred seed-yams from Nwakibie was the worst year in living memory. the medicine itself was called agadi-nwayi." said Obierika. and he could hear his own flute weaving in and out of them. and allowed a murmur of suppressed anger to sweep the crowd.'When Ekwefi brought the hoe. "As for me.