Chapter 6 six

All the men, women and children of the village came to the square.They stand in a large circle, leaving the center of the square empty.The elders and the dignitaries of the village sat on stools brought to them by their young sons or slaves.Okonkwo is one of them.The rest stood, and only the earlycomers found seats in the limited number of stands made of polished wood resting on forked posts. The wrestlers have not yet appeared, and the drummers dominate the arena.They also have seats, just in front of the large circle formed by the spectators, facing the elders.Behind them was a big old kapok tree, a sacred tree in which lived the souls of good children waiting to be born.On ordinary days, women who wished to have children would come and sit under the shade of the tree.

There are a total of seven drums, which are placed in a long wooden trough in order of size.The three men beat the drums with sticks, beating one drum and the other drum like crazy.They are completely mesmerized by the elf of the drum. I saw those young people who were in charge of maintaining order on this occasion, running around, whispering to each other for a while, and discussing something with the captains of the two wrestling teams; the wrestling teams were still outside the circle at this time, behind the crowd.Every once in a while, two young men would hold palm leaves and run around in a circle, slapping the ground in front of the crowd with the leaves, telling them to back up a little, and those who refused to back off, the leaves would hit their legs and feet superior.

Finally both teams of wrestlers danced into the circle and the audience cheered loudly and clapped their hands.The drums sound like crazy.People flocked forward.The orderly youths were running around, waving palm fronds.The old men nodded to the beat of the drums, remembering their own wrestling days to the intoxicating beat. The competition started with fifteen or sixteen-year-old children.There are only three children of this age in each team.They're not really wrestlers, they're just coming up for a start.In a very short time, the first two games are over.But the third scene caused a great commotion, and even those elders who were not usually excited in front of people were also excited.This one went as fast as the previous two, or even faster.But this kind of wrestling has rarely been seen before.No sooner had the two children approached than one of them did something that no one can describe. His movements were as quick as lightning.The other child immediately fell to the ground face up.The audience clapped their hands and shouted, and even the frantic drums were covered up for a moment.Okonkwo stood up abruptly, then sat down quickly.Three young men from the victorious boy's team ran to the front, hoisted the boy on their shoulders, and danced their way through the jubilant crowd.Everyone knew immediately who the kid was.His name was Maduka, the son of Obierika.

Before the official competition, the drummer stopped to rest for a while.They were sweaty and shiny.They picked up fans to fan, held small jugs to drink water, and ate kola nuts. They talked and laughed with each other, and talked and laughed freely with the people standing nearby, and became ordinary people again.The tense and excited atmosphere just now became relaxed, as if a bowl of cold water had been poured on the tense drum surface.At this time, many people cast their eyes around for the first time, looking at the people standing and sitting beside them. Phew, I didn't know it was you, Ekawifi said to a woman who had been standing beside her since the start of the match.

I don't blame you, said the woman, I've never seen so many people.I heard that Okonkwo almost shot you to death, is that true? It's true!my dear friend.I still can't make up my mind to talk to you about it. Your Patronus is not dozing off, my friend.How is my daughter Ekinma? It's always been fine with her.Maybe she decided to stay this time. I think so too.how old is she now Almost ten years old. I think she will stay.If this kind of child does not die before the age of six, most of them will stay. I hope so, Ekawifi said with a long sigh. The woman who spoke to Ekavefi was called Chiero.She was the priestess of Agbara, the god of hills and caves.In everyday life, Chiero is a widow with two children.She and Ekwifi are good friends, and they share a shed in the market.She was especially fond of Ekima, Ekima's only daughter, and called her my daughter.She often divides the bean cakes she bought into pieces for Ekawifi and takes them back to Ekinma.Anyone who has seen Chiero in daily life finds it hard to believe that she is the woman who can predict good and bad fortune when Agbala's spirit possesses her.

The drummer picked up his stick again, and the air quivered, gradually tightening like a drawn bow. The two wrestling teams lined up in two rows facing each other across a clearing.A young man emerges from his own ranks and dances across the clearing to the other ranks, pointing out his chosen opponent.Then the two danced together and returned to the open space in the middle, gradually moving closer to each other. There are twelve wrestlers in each team, and the challenge is presented by one side in turn.Two umpires walked around the wrestlers, and when they thought a pair of wrestling gestures were evenly matched, they stopped letting them continue the fight.Five games ended that way.The most exciting moment is when a wrestler gets knocked out.The shouts of the crowd resounded through the sky and shook all directions, even in the neighboring villages.

The last game is the leader match of the two teams.They were selected from the best wrestlers in nine villages.People are speculating on who will win who this year.Some people say that Okafu may win, while others say he is no match for Yi Kaizu.During the match last year, neither of them beat the other despite the referee extending the game time.They wrestled in the same way, and each could predict each other's intentions.The same may happen again this year. As dusk approached, their game began.The drums were beating like crazy, and the audience was equally enthralled.When the two young men danced to the center of the clearing, the crowd pushed forward.Palm fronds can't force them back.

Yi Kaizu extended his right hand.As soon as Okafou got a firm grip, they drew closer.This is a very tense game.Yi Kaizu stretched his right foot behind Okafu, stood firm on his heel, and wanted to use the dexterous Eji posture to throw the opponent behind.Both sides guessed the opponent's thoughts.The audience rushed forward, drowning the drummers, and the crazy rhythm was no longer a separate sound, but seemed to be the beating of people's hearts. Now the pair of wrestlers clung to each other, barely moving.The muscles in their arms, thighs, and backs twitched.It seems that this is another close game.The two referees were about to go to the front to separate them, when Yi Kaizu suddenly got down on one knee, intending to throw his opponent over his head and behind him.This move was a sad miscalculation.Like Amadeola's lightning, Okafu suddenly raised his right leg and strode across the opponent's head.The crowd cheered like thunder.Okafu was lifted off the ground by his supporters, held high on his shoulders, and returned to his team.Songs were sung in his praise, and young women clapped their hands:

Who wrestled for our village? Okafu wrestled for our village. Has he knocked down a hundred men? He has knocked down four hundred men. Has he knocked down a hundred cats? He has killed four hundred cats. Say to him, then, fight for us.