Chapter 24 twenty four

Okonkwo and his companions were released immediately after the fine was paid.And the rector had much to say to them about the great queen, about peace, and about good government.But they didn't listen to a word.They just sat there, watching the prefect and his interpreter.Finally, the court returned their pockets and machetes in their sheaths and told them to go home.They stood up and left the courthouse.Not a word was said to anyone, nor was there a conversation with each other. The court, like the church, is located not far from the village.The path leading from the village to the courthouse is very lively. It bypasses the courthouse and you can follow the path all the way to the river.The path is wide and the road is covered with grains of sand.It is always like this in the dry season.As soon as the rainy season arrives, the bushes on both sides will become dense and slowly grow to the road.It's the dry season.

The six people walked towards the village, and along the way they met many women and children carrying water jars to the river to fetch water.But their faces were so gloomy and terrible that the women and children didn't even dare to say welcome to them, but just stood aside quietly and let them pass by.As soon as they entered the village, groups of men came to follow them, gradually gathering a rather large group.Everyone walked forward in silence.When they came to the yard of one of the six people, some people followed him in.The whole village moved quietly and quietly. As soon as word spread that the six were about to be released, Ekinma prepared some food for his father, Okonkwo.She delivered the food to his main house.Okonkwo ate absently.He had no appetite at all, and ate only to please Ekinma.His male relatives and friends were with him in the main room, and Obierika kept urging him to eat.No one else spoke, but they all saw the bloody wounds left by the guard's whip on Okonkwo's back.

At night, the messengers in the village traveled all over the village again.He struck the gong and announced that another general meeting would be called the next morning.Everyone understands that Umm Ofia is finally going to give his thoughts on what happened. Okonkwo slept very little that night.The pain in his heart was now mingled with a childish excitement.Before going to bed, he took out the samurai clothing which he had not touched since his return from exile.Spread out the smoked raffia-leaf apron and examine the feathered headdress and shield.He felt that he was very satisfied with these things.

Lying on a bamboo couch, thinking about how he was treated in a white court, he swore revenge.If Umm Ofia decides to fight, fine.If they were going to be cowards, he would also stand up and avenge himself.He thought about some of the battles in the past.The most magnificent, he thought, was the battle with Iseki.At that time Ocudo was still alive, Ocudo sang a battle hymn, no one could sing a war hymn like him.Ocudo is no warrior, but his voice can turn everyone into a lion. There are no worthy men now, Okonkwo sighed as he recalled those days, and Iseki will never forget how we killed them in that battle.We killed twelve of them and they only killed two of us.Before the fourth market week was over, they came to make peace.In those days, men really deserved to be men.

While he was thinking about these things, he heard the sound of an iron gong in the distance.He listened carefully and could barely hear the messenger's voice.But the sound is muffled.He rolled over on the bed, touching the scar on his back.He brushed his teeth.The messenger got closer and closer, and finally passed outside Okonkwo's courtyard. Okonkwo thought bitterly: Umm Ofia's biggest obstacle is that coward Egon Wana.His sweet words will turn the Heat into cold ashes.As soon as he opens his mouth, we all become weak people.If they hadn't heeded his effeminate rhetoric five years ago, we wouldn't have gotten to where we are.He brushed his teeth, and tomorrow he will tell everyone that our ancestors never fought reprehensible wars.If people listen to him, I leave them alone and plot how to get my revenge.

The messenger's voice became indistinct again, and his iron gong gradually became farther away, and it was no longer so piercing.Okonkwo tossed and turned, but felt a kind of pleasure from the pain in my back. Tomorrow, whatever Egon Wana said about the reprehensible war, let them see my back and my head first.He brushed his teeth again. As soon as the sun came up, the market was packed with people.When Okonkwo called for Obierika, he was already waiting in the house.He took the sheepskin bag and the machete with sheath on his shoulder, and went out to the meeting place with Okonkwo.Obierika's house was just down the road.He could see all who passed by on their way to the market.That morning, many people had already passed by here, and he greeted each other with them.

When Okonkwo and Obierika arrived at the venue, there were already so many people that even if you threw a handful of sand in the air, not a single grain would fall to the ground.There are more people coming from all corners of the nine villages.Okonkwo felt warm at the sight of such a large crowd.But he was looking for one person in particular whose tongue he feared and despised. did you see himhe asked Obierika. who? Egon Varna.He said, looking from one end of the vast market to the other.Most people spread sheepskins and sat on the ground.There were also a few men sitting on wooden stools they had brought.

No, said Obierika, glancing at the crowd, yes, there it is, under the kapok tree.Are you afraid he'll talk us out of fighting? Afraid?Whether he convinces you or not, I don't care.I despised him, and I despised those who obeyed him.I can fight alone if I want. They raised their voices very high, for all the people were talking, and it was almost like a great fair. Okonkwo thought to himself: I will let him speak first, and then I will speak after he finishes speaking. How do you know that he will definitely oppose the war?Obierika paused for a moment before asking. Because I know he's a coward.Okonkwo replied.Then he said something else, but Obierica didn't hear it, because at that moment, someone behind him touched his shoulder, and he turned his head and shook hands with five or six friends.Those voices sounded familiar, but Okonkwo didn't look back.He didn't have the heart to say hello to each other.But one of them came to touch him and ask how his family was doing.

They are all good.He replied indifferently. The first person to speak to Umm Ofia that morning was Okaka, one of the six imprisoned.Okaka was a great man and an orator.But his voice was not loud, the first person to speak had to have a loud voice to silence the clan assembly.Anika had such a voice; so it was up to him to salute Umm Ofiah before Okaka began to speak. Guinu of Umm Ofia!With a roar, he raised his left arm, letting his palm dance in the air. Ah ah!Umm Ofia roared in unison. Gwenu of Umm Ofia, he roared again, and then again, each time turning in a different direction.The crowd replied, ah ah!

The venue immediately fell silent, as if cold water was suddenly poured on a raging flame. Okaka stood up, and likewise saluted the clan four times.Then start talking: You all know why we're here, this is the time we should build our warehouses, or tinker with our houses, this is the time we should tidy up our yards.My father used to say to me: Whenever you see a toad jump out in broad daylight, you know there must be something endangering its life.Now that I see all of you flocking to this meeting place from all directions early in the morning, I know that something must be endangering our lives.He paused for a moment, then began again:

All our gods are crying.Idmiri is crying, Og-Ugwu is crying, Agbara is crying, all the other gods are crying.Our dead ancestors also wept because of their shameful desecration and because of the abominable acts that we have seen with our own eyes.He paused again, stabilizing the trembling voice. This is a big gathering.Never before had any clan called such a gathering, and displayed such heightened courage.But are we all here?I ask you: have all the sons of Umm Ofiah come here with us?Then there was a murmur of murmurs from the crowd. They didn't all come here, he said, they divided our clan and each took a different path.Those of us who came here this morning are still true to our ancestors, but our brothers have deserted us to soil their homeland with a stranger.If we fought this stranger, we would hurt our brothers, and perhaps bleed our own clan.But we have to.Our ancestors never dreamed of such a thing, they never killed their own brothers.But no white people ever came here then either.So we must do what our ancestors never did.Someone asked the Inaki bird why it keeps flying for a long time, and it replied: since people have learned to shoot without stopping, I will learn to fly for a long time.We must root out this demon, and if our brothers stand with the devil, we shall root them too.And we must do it now.The water is only ankle deep now, we must pump it out At this time, there was a sudden commotion in the crowd, and all eyes shot in one direction at the same time.There was a sharp bend in the road from the market past the white court to the creek.The five court officials were not seen until after they had turned the bend, when they were only a few steps away from the people in the outer circle.Okonkwo also sat on the outer ring. Okonkwo jumped up when he saw who they were.He stood in front of the leading official, trembling with anger, unable to speak a word.The man showed no fear, and stood still, and the four men he had brought stood in a line behind him. For a split second, the whole world seemed to stand still, waiting.The audience was silent.The people of Umm Ofia waited, as if lost in a backdrop of silent trees and giant vines. The leading official finally broke the enchanted scene and ordered: Let me pass! What are you doing here? You should know very well how powerful that white man is, and he forbids you to continue the meeting. In an instant, Okonkwo's machete was out of its sheath.The official stooped to avoid it, but it was too late.Okonkwo slashed twice, and the man's head fell and rolled beside the body in military uniform. As if the people waiting in the set were thrown into chaos at once, the assembly was interrupted.Okonkwo stood there, looking at the man he had killed.He knew that Umm Ofia would not fight.He thought so because they let go of the other four servants.Instead of taking action, they end up in chaos.He saw their fear in the confusion.He heard many voices asking: Why did he do this? He wiped the knife clean on the sand and walked away.