by Amos Tutuola
When we had travelled about one-eighth of a mile to this country, we were unable to carry them further, because each of them was so heavy that the neck of each of us was bent so much that it was nearly to touch his back. So willing or not we did not know when we threw them on the ground and then without hesitation, we began to run away for our lives. But we hardly threw them down when they started to chase us along in the darkness. As they were chasing us along fiercly with their usual terrible noises it was so we too were running along as fast as we could so that we might be able to lose to their view. But to our surprise and fear, as we were running from them it was so they were getting nearer to us.
As they were getting nearer to us it was so they were rolling on the ground so heavily that all of the mighty trees, hills, ground, etc., were shaking as if they were going to sink down within that moment. And it was so they were warning us very loudly and continuously:
“Wait and carry us along with you!”
“If you wait, you wait for dangers!”
“But if you don’t wait, you don’t wait for money!”
“It is better for you now to wait and carry us along with you!”
“But if you carry us, you carry troubles, misfortunes, poverty, etc. along to your house!”
“If you don’t wait to carry us, you fail to carry good-luck along to your house!”
“If you don’t wait but we catch you by ourselves, your right arm and left leg will be torn away from your body; and all will be given to the god of Iron!”
“Better you wait now and carry us along with you!”
“But if you wait and carry us along to your house!”
“It is certain that you carry vanity, poverty, troubles, sickness, and uncountable of money along to your house!”
“Better you wait now to carry us along with you to your house! Wait! Wait! Wait for us, the money seekers!”
It was like that these talking lumps of the iron were warning us loudly and continuously as they were making fearful noises and were chasing us along fiercely. But when we ran with all our power for about two hours, we were tired. We were so tired that we fell down and we were unable to stand up until they met us there. Without hesitation, when they saw that we were so tired that we could not do anything that time unless we rested for some minutes, they surrounded us and then they were repeating their usual warnings to our hearing.
However, after we rested for one hour, we put them on head and then we continued to carry them along with us. It was like that we were carrying them on and on until we reached the village after the third month that we had left the country of the witches and wizards. We reached the village at about eight o’clock in the morning. But as we were carrying them along in the village to Ojo’s and Alabi’s house and as we were entirely wetted by the perspiration and as our necks had already bent and were touching our shoulders. The whole people in the village saw us but as we were now strange to them although they recognized us, they gathered together and were following us with wonder. They were also shouting on us as they were following us: “Why the moneys you bring from your journey are nearly to kill you? Why? Are these the lumps of the iron which you carry now are the moneys you bring? Wonderful!” It was like that the whole people of the village were making mockery of us. However, as they were still shouting on us like that, cry with great shame, we reached Ojo’s and Alabi’s house which was at the extreme end of the village. And without hesitation, we carried these three terrible talking heavy lumps of the iron into the house. Then Ojo threw his own in one room, Alabi hastily threw his own in one corner of another room and I hastily threw my own down in one corner of the third room as well.
THE VILLAGE WIZARD TOOK US TO DEVIL FOR MONEY
One who relies on a legacy is on the road to poverty.
No one claims relationship with a poor man; but when he is rich, everyone becomes his relative.
*
The three of us were now in the village which we had left for more than six years in respect of the money. As soon as the whole people of the village followed us to the house and made a mockery of us, went back to their houses. Ojo, Alabi and myself entered the sitting room. The three of us sat on the floor, we were resting because we were entirely tired for the neck-breaking loads (the three terrible talking heavy lumps of the iron) which we had carried back to the village instead of money. After we had rested to our satisfaction, as the whole house had become almost dust and was full of refuses before we arrived. We swept the whole of it although all the walls were cracked and were nearly to fall down and the roof which was thatched with leaves by Ojo’s and Alabi’s father when he was alive, was nearly blown away by the breeze.
Immediately we finished sweeping the house, the three of us went back to the sitting room. We sat down and then we began to think of our journey which became to vanity at last. But of course it came to our minds this time that “One who relies on legacy is on the road to poverty.” The three of us believed this proverb this day, because before we set on our journey to the town of the Creator, we had a strong believe that we would return with a lot of wealths and moneys that which would set us free from this our chronic poverty. But instead, we returned home with another trouble. As the three of us were still thinking like that with great sorrow. I interrupted that: “It is certain now that I shall not be free from the poverty which I had inherited from my father and mother before they died!” And Alabi cut in at the same time with sorrow that: “I am quite sure as well that I shall die in poverty soon!”
But as both of us had despaired like that Ojo reminded us that: “If it be that we are going to die in poverty, we have to try our best to see Devil first. Because the Creator, the god of Iron and the wicked witch mother, had told us that Devil is the possessor of the money! Therefore, we must go to him and tell him to give us plenty of moneys!” When Ojo reminded us like that, I asked from him that: “Where does Devil live?” He replied that: “I do not know the exact place that he lives but I know one wizard who will take us to him (Devil)!”
When Ojo had explained to us like that, I was not happy to get money from Devil although I was in great need of it. However Alabi and myself agreed to see Devil for money. After we had finished the discussion of how to meet Devil, then we began to think of how to get food to eat because we had nearly died of hunger this time. To get the food to eat was another great problem to us, because we did not return with even one penny except with our usual poverty, matchets and the three talking lumps of the iron. However, Ojo stood up, he told us that he had known one foodseller before we went on our fruitless journey. He said that he would go to her perhaps she would agree to sell some food-stuffs for us. Ojo explained to us further that although he had owed her a lot of money before we went on our journey.
But to our fear again, Ojo hardly stepped one foot to the outside when one of the three terrible talking heavy lumps of the iron (the very one that he carried to the village) made a horrible shout that: “Please come back and carry me along with you!” This talking lump of the iron hardly shouted horribly like that when it rolled heavily on the ground to the outside. It stopped in front of Ojo as it was still shouting greatly to carry it along with him (Ojo). But as soon as some people began to hear the terrible shout, they rushed to the front of the house and were listening to this talking lump of the iron with great fear. Because it was too strange to them to see that a lump of the iron was talking like a human being but they did not know that the three of them had punished us even more than our poverty in the jungle or before we had carried them to the village.
Now, without hesitation and with great shame, Ojo ran back to the inside of the house as a large number of people had gathered round. But these people were greatly feared when they saw that as Ojo was going back into the house this talking lump of the iron was following him. It did not allow him to leave it at the outside at all. Then with great fear, the people shouted greatly with one voice: “Yay! Ojo, Alabi and Ajaiyi (myself) had brought the monsters to the villa
ge!” And then all ran back to their houses at once. Now, as this talking lump of the iron did not allow Ojo to go to the foodseller for our food, it meant we would be starved to death soon.
After about two or three hours later, Alabi stood up, he said that he would go to one foodseller probably that one would sell some food-stuffs for him in credit although he had owed her more than one hundred pounds before we went on our journey. But as he stepped to the outside of the house, again, the talking lump of the iron which he carried to the village did the same thing. It shouted horribly to come back and carry it along with him to wherever he was going. Then with great shame Alabi ran back into the house as the people were just gathering round. When he ran back into the house the three of us sat in the sitting room. We began to think how we could be able to get the supply of food without going out. But there was no way for us to get the supply of food unless we went out. So we remained in the house for three days without eating anything.
But in the morning of the fourth day that we had not eaten anything and we were then nearly to die of hunger. Ojo told the rest two of us to put his own talking lump of the iron on his head. Then he told us that he was going to one of his old foodsellers to beg her to sell some food-stuffs for him. He explained to us further that although he had owed her some money before we went to the town of the Creator, but he was sure that she would sell some food-stuffs for him because she was kind to him. Then he went out as he carried his talking lump of the iron. It was like that Ojo was carrying his talking lump of the iron along in the village to the foodseller. He carried his talking lump of the iron along with him otherwise if he had left it at home it would not allow him to go out or to his foodseller.
Two hours later, he returned with plenty of the food-stuffs. Having put the talking lump of the iron back in the room, he brought the food-stuffs to us in the sitting room. As soon as Alabi and myself had seen that Ojo had brought the food-stuffs, I put my own talking lump of the iron on head with the help of Ojo and Alabi. I then took the pitcher, I went to the river which was not so far from the village. I brought the water with it to the house for our use. And without hesitation, we cooked some of the food-stuffs and we ate it to our satisfaction. Having satisfied our hunger, the three of us did not go out to salute our old friends but we stayed at home and we began to play the native game (warry). Because we were not allowed to go out by these terrible talking heavy lumps of the iron.
But at last when we became tired of staying at home always, each of us put his own talking lump of the iron on head and then we went out. We began to visit our old friends. Unfortunately, as we visited the last friend, we put our talking lumps of the iron down in his parlour and then we began to drink the palm-wine with which he welcomed us. After a while we were so intoxicated by the wine that we did not remember to put our talking lumps of the iron on head before we went to the front of the house just to take some fresh air. But all the people in our friend’s house and all people around were nearly to die of fear when these talking lumps of the iron shouted horribly that we should come and carry them along with us to the front of the house.
So without hesitation, all the people of that house drove us away with our talking lumps of the iron at the same time. It was like that we carried them back to the house with great shame. So since that day we stopped to visit our friends and they too were fearing to visit us. Not only our friends feared to visit us but also the whole people in the village. But of course: “No one claims relationship with a poor man; but of course when he is rich, everyone becomes his relative!” It was so the three of us stayed lonely at home with our three terrible talking heavy lumps of the iron which had become our lord But of course if we were lucky enough to bring money and other wealths to the village instead of these talking lumps of the iron, the whole people of the village would rush to our house to share from them.
But when it was the seventh day that we had arrived in the village. One morning, Ojo, who had told Alabi and myself that he knew one brave wizard who would take us to Devil for money, he told us to let us go to that wizard. Then everyone of us put his own lump of the iron on head. Then we went to the next village in which the wizard lived. We reached this village in the midnight because it was far away. When we came to this village, we saw that there were only two small houses and Ojo took us to the house of this brave wizard. But when he saw these three talking lumps of the iron on our heads he knew what they were at the same time. Then without allowing us to put them down in his house, he took us to the shrine of his gods. He told us to put them down before his gods. The shrine was in the heart of a jungle.
Having put them down before his gods, he sat on a big skull of human being, after that he asked us to sit down on the floor before his gods. After that he asked us what we came to him for. Ojo did not waste time but he replied immediately: “The three of us had wanted to see you since last few days for help!”
WIZARD: “Yes, I will surely help the three of you if it is mainly on this worldly problems. I am a brave wizard. I have no fear to say that I am not created by any God but there is no shame in it to tell everyone who comes to me for help that I am the agent for Devil. I have killed more than ten thousand people since when I have been dealing with Devil and I still hope to kill more than that in my life. I have already rendered entirely useless thousands of people and I still hope to render more than that entirely useless in my life. There are thousands of skulls in my house. Bones of human beings are uncountable in my house and it is so uncountable of ribs of the human beings are no more useful in my shrine. But before a person comes to me he should have a firm decision. Therefore, Ojo, tell me now what exactly you want!” this brave wizard or Devil’s agent first introduced himself to us like that. But as a matter of fact, his attitudes, surroundings and shrine proved that all what he had told us were truth.
OJO: “My name is Ojo. I am so poor that my poverty has been driving me about since about ten years. All of my friends are so rich that they have married and have got many children although I work harder than any of them. The three of us who come to you now had visited the Creator, the god of Iron and the Wicked Witch Mother for money, but all of them told us that they were not in possession of the money but Devil. For this reason, I come to you to take me to Devil to give me much money that which will make me rich, even richer than all people in my village!” When Ojo had told this wizard what he wanted, he then prostrated for him for three times and then sat back.
WIZARD: “Yes, Alabi, tell me now what exactly you want!” he turned to Alabi and he asked from him what he came to him for with a huge and fearful voice.
ALABI: “You see, the wizard, I come to you mainly to take me to Devil. I want Devil to give me much money which will make me richer than all of my friends. If possible I want to be the richest man in my village. Because I am in great poverty since my father and mother had died. The more I work hard the more I involve in debts. All of my friends had married and got many children although I work harder than any of them yet I get no money to marry a wife. I get no money to buy clothes like my lazy friends but I wear rags about! I get no money to buy food but I buy it in credit. As the three of us who are before you now were returning from the town of the Creator, we branched to the town of the god of Iron. We asked him to give us money but he gave us the three terrible talking heavy lumps of the iron to be worshipping instead. And he (god of Iron) told us that if we wanted money we should go to Devil. Therefore I come to you to take me to Devil to give me the money which I will spend throughout my life time!” Alabi told the wizard all his difficulties before he prostrated for him for three times and then he sat back.
WIZARD: “Yes, Ajaiyi, will you tell me now what exactly you want me to do for you!” he then turned eyes to me, he asked from me with his usual huge and fearful voice.
AJAIYI: “My name is Ajaiyi. You see, the wizard, my father and mother were in greatest poverty throughout their lives time. Before both of them died, I had inherited this poverty from them. So my own povert
y is a chronic one. Therefore it will be very difficult for me to free from it. Before I left my village, I had pawned myself for money to two pawnbrokers in order to be free from it but all my efforts were not successful. At last, I left the village for abroad in order to get the money. I have been to the town of the Idol Worshipper, the town of fire, the town under the river, the town of the Creator, the town of the god of Iron, the country of the witches and wizards, etc. but I did not get any money from any of these towns. But the god of Iron gave Ojo, Alabi and myself three terrible talking heavy lumps of the iron to be worshipping instead to give us money. He then referred us to Devil. Now I cannot go back to my village without getting the money, so for this reason I come to you to take me to Devil to give me sufficient money which will set me free from my inherited poverty!” I explained to this wizard like that and then I prostrated for him for three times before I sat back on the ground.
WIZARD: “Yes, I see to the complaints of everyone of you that they (complaints) are the worldy ones. But now, I want you to understand that money is the father of all evils and the creator of all sins of this world. So if you really want money by all means or through Devil, my lord, who is the possessor of money and other wealths of this world. The three of you should go back to your village and think well. And you can come back to me after three days to tell me what you think about it.”
When the Wizard told us to go back to the village to think well whether we really wanted money by all means, we did not understand what he meant by that. But we told him at the same time that we really wanted money by all means.