Chapter 15 fifteen

In the second year of Okonkwo's exile, his friend Obierika came to visit him.He was accompanied by two young men, each with a heavy sack on his head.Okonkwo helped them remove the overhead.Apparently, the pockets were full of onyx shells. Okonkwo was delighted to receive his friend, his wife and children were equally delighted, and he sent for his cousins ​​and their wives and introduced them to the guests, who were also delighted. You should take him to pay homage to our father.said a cousin. Yes, Okonkwo replied, we will go now.Before going out, he whispered a few words to his first wife.She nodded and the kids went off to catch the cock in no time.

Uchendu had already heard from a grandson that Okonkwo had three guests, so he was already waiting for them.He greeted the guests as they entered his main room, shook hands with them, and asked Okonkwo who they were. This is my good friend Obierika, whom I told you about before. Yes, the old man said, turning to Obierika, my boy told me about you, I'm glad you came to see us.I know your father Ivica.He is an amazing person.He is friends with many of us here and visits them often.Once upon a time, a person could make friends with people from distant clans. It was a wonderful time.Your generation doesn't understand.You just stay at home and are afraid of your neighbors next door.Now, even my mother's hometown feels strange to me.He looked at Okonkwo, then said, I am an old man, I like to talk.That's all I have now.He stood up with difficulty, walked into the inner room, and took out a kola fruit.

Who are those two young men who came with you?The old man sat down on the sheepskin again and asked.Okonkwo told him. Ah, he said, children, you are welcome.He held the kola fruit before them.They looked at Kolaguo and thanked him.He split open the kola fruit, and everyone ate it. Go into that room, the old man pointed to Okonkwo and said, there is a jug of wine there. Okonkwo brought the wine and they all started drinking.The wine has been made for a day and is very strong. Yes, Wu Chengdu was silent for a while, and then said, at that time, people traveled much more than now, and I am not familiar with any of the clans in this area.I am familiar with Aninta, Umm Azuo, Yiguang Ocha, Elumelu, and Abam.

Haven't you heard?Abam is gone.Obierika interjected. What?Uchengdu and Okonkwo asked at the same time. Abam had been wiped out, Obierika said, and it was a strange and terrible thing.If I hadn't seen those few survivors with my own eyes and heard their words with my own ears, I wouldn't have believed them.Didn't they flee to Umm Ofiah on the day of Iki?This last sentence was addressed to the two young men who had come with him, and they both nodded. One day three months ago, Obierika said that it happened to be the day of the Iki market. A group of refugees came from our village. Many of these people were children from our hometown. Our people are buried together.There are also some people who come to us to find their friends, and some people who come because they can't think of any other place to escape.In short, they had a miserable experience, and they all fled to Umm Ofiah.He took a sip of palm wine and Okonkwo filled the horn for him.Obierika went on to say:

When the seed was planted last season, a white man came to their clan. It's a white-headed sheep [Note: that is, an albino patient. 】Bar?Okonkwo said. Not white sheep.He is completely different from Baitou sheep.Obierika took another sip of his drink, and he was riding an iron horse.Those who saw him first fled in fright, but he stood still and waved to them.Later, the bolder approached him and even touched him with his hands.The elders went to the temple to ask the gods for instructions, and the gods said that this strange person would destroy their clan and bring disaster to them.Obierika drank another sip of wine, so they killed the white man, and fearing that the iron horse would run to report the man's friends, they tied it to the sacred tree.Oh, and I forgot to tell you, the gods said something else.The gods say there are many more white people on the way.They were locusts, said the gods, and this first white man was but their herald, sent to scout out the situation.In doing so, they killed him.

Did he say anything to the white man before they killed him?Wu Chengdu asked. Nothing was said.said one of Obierika's companions. He spoke, but no one understood him, Obierica said, as if he spoke with his nose. I heard one person say that the white man repeated three words that sounded like Embeina.Maybe he wanted to go to Embeina and got lost.said another of Obierika's companions. Anyway, Obierica went on, they killed him and tied up his iron horse.This was before the sowing season began.After a long time, nothing happened.The rainy season has come and cassava is being planted.The iron horse is still tied to the sacred kapok tree.Then one morning, three more white men came, accompanied by a group of ordinary people like us.They looked at the iron horse and went away again.At that time most of the men and women of the Abam clan went to the fields.Only a few people saw these white men and the black men who came with them.Many more market weeks passed, and still nothing happened.You know, in Abam, there is a big bazaar every other Avu festival, when the whole clan gathers together.It happened on this day.The three white men brought many people and surrounded the market.They must have used some strong witch drug to make them invisible, and when the market was crowded, they shot.All were killed except those old and sick who stayed at home, and a few men and women, who, as their patrons were sober, brought them out of the marketplace.He paused.

Now there is no one in their clan.Even the god fish in the god lake escaped, and the lake water turned the same color as blood.The word of God was fulfilled, and a great disaster had befallen their land. For a long time, no one spoke.Wu Chengdu gritted his teeth.Then he said aloud: Never kill the silent one.Those folks in Abam are such idiots.What did they know about the white man?He brushed his teeth again, and told a story to illustrate what he meant, that a female eagle once sent her daughter out to find something to eat.It brought back a duckling.You did very well.The mother eagle said to her daughter.

But, tell me, when you flew down to snatch the duckling, did the duckling's mother say anything?Without saying anything, the young eagle replied that it just walked away. You must send the duckling back, said the eagle. Silence is a bad omen.So the eagle's daughter sent the duckling back, and brought back a chick. How is this chick's mother?the eagle asked.It cried, barked, and scolded me again.said the young eagle. Well, we can eat the chick, said the young eagle's mother, and there is nothing to fear from a rival that crows.Those folks in Abam are such idiots. They were really stupid, and after a pause, Okonkwo said that God had warned them of danger ahead.Even if they go to the fair, they should carry their knives and guns with them.

They've paid for their stupidity, Obierica said, but I'm very worried, we've heard stories about white people making great guns, brewing great wine, and robbing black people To be a slave over the sea, no one thought that these legends were actually true. All legends are not true, Uchendu said, the world has no end.What is good in one nation may be bad in another.We also have white-headed sheep here.Don't you think they came from a place where they belonged, where everyone was just like them, and they just went the wrong way to come to our clan? Okonkwo's first wife was quick to prepare meals, and she served a feast of tapioca and bitter leaf soup to her guests.Okonkwo's son, Nwoye, brought in a jug of sweet wine harvested from the raffia palm tree.

Now that you are a grown-up, Obierika said to Nwoye, your friend Anene asked me to say hello to you. How is he?Nwoye asked. We are all good.Obierika said. Ekinma brought them a basin of washing water.After washing their hands, they drank and ate. When did you start from home?Okonkwo asked. We were going to start from my house before the rooster crowed, Obierika said, but Enwicky didn't come until daybreak.Never make an early morning appointment with a newly married man.They all laughed. Is Enwicky married?Okonkwo asked. He married Oka Digpo's second daughter.Obierika said. That's good, Okonkwo said, I don't blame you for not hearing the rooster crow.

When they finished eating, Obierika pointed to the two heavy pockets. That's money for your cassava, he said, and I'll sell those big cassavas as soon as you leave.Later, I sold some cassava seeds and gave the rest to sharecroppers.I intend to do this every year until you go back.I thought you might need money right now, so I brought it to you.Who knows what will happen tomorrow?Maybe some green man will come to our clan and kill us. God will not answer.Okonkwo said, I don't know how to thank you. I can tell you, said Obierika, kill one of your sons for me. That's not enough.Okonkwo said. Then kill yourself.Obierika said. Forgive me, Okonkwo said with a smile, and I will say no more thank you.