But as Pauper was a hard-working man, he agreed to go and make a farm in that town, when Slanderer advised him. But as both of them could not stay so long in this Abanire town, so they bought hoes, cutlasses and many other kinds of the farm implements. It was like that they prepared to move to another town where there were rich lands.
But we should not forget that Pauper and Slanderer had left Brawler in Ofadafa’juro town while she was still fast asleep. But when she woke in the morning and did not see her husband and Slanderer, she understood at once that both of them had conspired together and fled from her.
But it was that very morning she left Ofadafa’juro town and then she started to seek about for her husband.
17
PAUPER AND SLANDERER
GO AND FARM IN
ARAROMI TOWN
As soon as Slanderer and Pauper had bought their farm implements, they went direct to Araromi town where there were very rich lands.
Having got to the town, they were fortunate indeed. They found the fertile lands on the north and south parts of this town. But the lands on the east and west were barren entirely.
Of course, the lands to the north and south were deep and uncultivated since the beginning of the earth. Mighty trees were here and there in them and litters of decayed leaves filled up the ground.
So Pauper chose the rich land of the north. But the first important thing which he did was that he built one farmhouse near the rich forest. He was living in that house instead of living in the vicinity of the famous Araromi town as Slanderer did.
But as Pauper was as strong as a buffalo, he cleared the land without any problem. After, he made the heaps ready for the imminent rains of the year, so that he might plant maize and other kinds of crops with the first rain.
But as ‘a lazy man chooses easy work to do’, so Slanderer went to the east. He made his farm on the barren land instead of making it on the lands of the north or south, because he was too lazy to do hard work like Pauper. Then he made heaps on the barren land easily for there were no trees or any refuse.
When both friends had made their farms ready for the imminent rains, they started to pay visits to each other regularly, even if the north where Pauper made his farm was a bit far from the east.
It was not so long before the first rain of the year rained. But then Pauper planted his maize and the other kinds of crops on his rich land, while Slanderer planted his own on his barren land of the east.
Within three weeks that the rains had started to rain continuously, Pauper’s maize shot out and thrived so well that each stalk was thick and the ears were growing very beautifully. And after less than two months, it was nearing its maturity.
But Slanderer’s maize was not good at all. The stalks were yellow because he planted it on the barren land.
One day. Slanderer accompanied Pauper to his maize farm. But it was a great sorrow to him when he saw how well Pauper’s maize thrived. He saw as well how each stalk was thick and the ears were green and the corn-cobs on each of the stalks were very robust.
But as ‘a barren woman is jealous of a woman who has children and a lazy man is jealous of a hard-working man’, so from the day that Slanderer had seen how well Pauper’s maize had thrived, he started to behave to him Hke a friend and like an enemy. Slanderer had forgotten that Pauper had toiled hard before he made his farm on that rich land.
However, Slanderer returned to his house in the vicinity of Araromi town. In the evening, he sat in front of his house. But with his face distorted by grief, he became startled suddenly when he remembered Pauper’s beautiful maize. And he was not aware when he shouted in greed: ‘Haaa! Don’t you see now how Pauper’s maize has thrived well, is very green and bears robust corn-cobs? But look at my own how its stalks are thin while its ears are yellow and they bear not even one corn-cob! But what did I come to do at Araromi town then?’
Slanderer continued his sorrowful despair, he said: ‘But of course “if the rat fails to eat the sese beans it will scatter them useless”. But what I shall do is that I shall deceive Pauper so much that he will believe whatever I tell him.’
Slanderer went on in his evil plan, he said: ‘I will tell a lie to Pauper that the Oba of Araromi town has made an order that all farmers in his land should cut their maize down or he would kill he who refused to comply with his order at once! ‘
Slanderer went further, he said: ‘Haa! I, Slanderer, the great cunning man! I, the man on whom Creator has bestowed the evil cunnings of this earth! I, “the treacherous man who invites the thief to go and steal from the farm and then informs the owner of the farm to go and keep watch of his farm”.
Slanderer planned further: ‘Surely, Pauper will believe my lie. Because he lives in his farmhouse so he cannot know what is going on in the town!’ It was thus Slanderer planned how he would deceive Pauper to destroy his well-thrived maize.
‘But Slanderer, why are you planning to destroy Pauper’s maize?’ a goodly man who overheard Slanderer’s evil plan asked in earnest.
‘Hee! You goodly man, better you keep to your own affair. But don’t interfere with my plan. But is Pauper your relative?’ Slanderer warned the man in anger.
‘But, but, it is bad indeed to destroy our companion’s or neighbour’s property!’ the goodly man advised Slanderer.
‘But it is a simple thing for me to do an evil thing to my companions. And that is one of my choices from Creator. Do you understand me?’ Slanderer frowned at the goodly man.
‘Hun-un. Is that how you are? Well, of course, “the truth fails to sell in the market, but lies are bought with ready cash”. Certainly, sooner or later, vengeance is coming upon the evil-doer, goodbye!’ the goodly man told Slanderer, and then he went away at once.
But it was hardly the following morning when Slanderer took his cutlass. He went to his maize field and without hesitation, he cut the whole stalks of his maize down. Then the following morning, he went to Pauper in his farmhouse. He greeted him in a grievous voice. But Pauper responded jovially. After, he gave him a seat and he sat as false grief showed on his face. Then Pauper served him with nice food. Having finished with the food, he put one big keg of undiluted palm wine and one tumbler in front of him.
But immediately Slanderer had drunk the last drop of the palm wine, he covered his head suddenly with both his palms. Then he began to weep bitterly and sorrowfully. Slanderer wept so bitterly that Pauper was nearly crazy.
‘But, Slanderer, what are you weeping like this for?’ Pauper asked in a trembling voice.
‘Huu, huu, huu!’ Slanderer in his cunning did not tell Pauper what he was weeping for.
‘Please, tell me, what are you weeping for?’ Pauper asked again in great confusion.
‘The Oba’s Iko! The Oba’s Iko! Huu, huu, huuu!’ Slanderer continued his pretence but Pauper did not understand what he was telling him.
‘But what did the Oba and his Iko have done to you?’ Pauper was so much perplexed that he did not know what he was doing at this time, except ‘Haa! Haa! Haa!’ which he could only express in great confusion.
‘The Oba! The Oba! Huu, huu, huu!’ Slanderer continued to pretend.
‘The Oba! The Oba! The Oba! But what the Oba has done to you?’
‘The Oba has given the order! The Oba has given the order, that all farmers should cut their maize down but one who failed to do so would be killed immediately! Huu! Huu! Huu!’ thus Slanderer with his cunnings deceived Pauper and he frightened him as well.
‘But what? The Oba had ordered the farmers to cut their maize down or what are you telling me?’ Pauper was shocked in his distorted face.
‘It is just so! It is so the Oba said!’ Slanderer stammered.
‘But why should the farmers destroy their maize?’ Pauper asked in a trembling voice.
‘The Oba said that the locusts were near and that when they came, if they did not see the ears of maize to eat, they would fly away immediately!’ Slanderer explained to Pauper in a clear voice as if h
e had lost all his senses but now he had regained them.
‘But, Slanderer, could you agree to cut your maize down while it is not yet ripe? Tell me. Slanderer!’ Pauper asked in earnest.
‘Haaa! The Oba’s order is a sword! Haa, the Oba who rules the town! For this reason, I had cut all my own maize down immediately the Oba had made the order!’ Slanderer shouted in shock and in earnest as if he was telling the truth to Pauper.
‘You have cut your maize down or what?’ Pauper was startled.
‘Really, I have cut it all down, because the Oba emphasized sorrowfully in his order that he would kill the farmer who did not comply with his order!’ Slanderer added to Pauper’s fear again.
‘Haaa! This Oba’s order is bad indeed! Alas, this means all the hard work which I had done on my farm comes to vanity in the end!’ Pauper lamented sorrowfully.
‘Hun-un. It is just so. Alas, I am fed up as well. But the Oba’s order is a great disaster to every farmer! But to save your life from killing, let us go to your farm now and I will join hands with you to cut all your maize down!’ Slanderer added to Pauper’s fright.
‘Well, let us go and cut all down! But it is a great blow to me to cut down the maize which I planted withth my hands and which will be ripe enough in about seven days’ time! Haa! Alas!’
‘Hun-un! Alas, it is very bad! But I join you in lamenting because, “One should not lament alone! Another man should share it with him!” But Pauper, follow my advice. You should comply with the Oba’s order without a bit of grief, because the order of the Oba of the town is a two-edged sword!’ Thus Slanderer deceived Pauper.
But then in great grief and depression. Pauper stood up. He took his cutlass and he told Slanderer to let them go to his farm and cut his maize down. He did so because he did not understand yet that Slanderer was just jealous of his well-thrived maize, in respect of his own which he planted on the barren land and which was not good.
It took them up to four hours to cut down the whole of the unripe maize. Before Pauper cut two maize down. Slanderer had cut about thirty down. He was perspiring profusely as he was jumping here and there on the farm.
Now, Slanderer became extremely happy to the bottom of his heart when he saw that his wicked cunnings worked successfully. After all Pauper’s maize was cut down, they returned to his farmhouse. When they sat down Pauper supported his chin with his left hand and he was thinking sorrowfully about his maize. Slanderer began to pretend to be sympathizing with him. But a little after, he returned to his house in the vicinity of Ararpmi town.
Now, Slanderer’s cunnings had worked more than Pauper’s strength, although he was lazy. ‘Haa, I am happy now that I, Slanderer, who was a sluggard and Pauper, who is a strong man, are the same now. I have no maize and Pauper has none!’ Slanderer derided Pauper when he returned to his house. ‘Pauper will admit now that what is called deshny exists!’ He continued, ‘And as from today, he will believe that it was the destiny of poverty and wretchedness that he chose from Creator when he was coming to earth!’ It was like that Slanderer helped Pauper to destroy his maize.
But of course Pauper’s poverty and wretchedness were so powerful that they used to infect his crops on the farm so much that they were not yielding well. The maize which he planted in this Araromi town yielded well. But in the long run. Slanderer caused him to lose all as well as he had lost the previous ones. So there was no difference between his former and latter crops.
Now, Pauper was in a great grief. Depression overwhelmed him so much that he was unable to go to his farm any longer.
But one day, when Pauper had expected Slanderer for some days to come and pay a visit to him, according to how they had been doing before, but he did not see him. He thought perhaps he was ill. But as Pauper loved Slanderer as a true friend, he went to his house.
But to Pauper’s surprise, he did not meet Slanderer at home. He walked round his house but the only sign that he saw proved that Slanderer had left his house for a long time.
But then he walked further in that area. But he was amazed greatly when he began to see maize on the left and right of the road on which he was travelling. The maize was not cut down at all. When Pauper was very sure that the maize was not cut down, he understood at once that Slanderer had simply deceived him to cut his own maize down but that the Oba did not give such order to farmers to cut their maize down.
Now, Pauper blamed himself that he should have found out from the other farmers before he allowed Slanderer and himself to cut his maize down.
‘Haa, alas! But it is sure that Slanderer and I will meet face to face again! Although it may be sooner or later!’ thus Pauper lamented in earnest. However, he returned to his farmhouse, because he knew that, ‘hissing precedes weeping; remorse follows a mistake; all the wise men of the country assemble but find no sacrifice for mistake’.
All Pauper’s maize had been already cut down and there was nothing that he could do to restore it.
18
PAUPER AND SLANDERER RETURN
TO OFADAFA’JURO TOWN
But it was not so long before Pauper, with empty hands, returned to Ofadafa’juro town, the town in which he. Brawler and Slanderer lived before the Oba and his chiefs expelled them, when Slanderer called himself a money-doubler and took money from the women.
Pauper and Slanderer had left this town at midnight for another town while they left Brawler there in respect of her brawls. But as Slanderer was a traitor, he did not tell Pauper before he left Araromi town for Qfadafa’juro. Of course, as ‘an evil-doer does things with suspicion’, so Slanderer knew that what he did to Pauper was extremely bad. So he feared to tell him when he wanted to leave Araromi town.
But when Slanderer returned to Ofadafa’juro town, he asked for clemency from the Oba and his chiefs. Then they pardoned him and they allowed him to live in their town. And when Pauper returned to this town, the Oba and his chiefs pardoned him too to live in the town.
But Pauper wondered indeed when he met Slanderer in this town, without telling him before he left Araromi town.
Although Slanderer was the cause of the destruction of Pauper’s maize in Araromi town, he continued to make friends with him in this Qfadafa’juro town. Even their friendship was stronger this time than ever, and they lived in the same house comfortably.
But Pauper ‘hid the blood in his stomach and he was spitting the white out’. He hid in his heart the pang of his maize which Slanderer forced him to destroy. But he waited till the day came when he would get the chance to take revenge on him for his maize.
But we should remember that Brawler, Pauper’s wife, was still seeking about for her husband. She was not aware till now that her husband and Slanderer had returned to Ofadafa’juro town in which they left her in the dead-night when they went to Abanire town and then from there to Araromi town where they farmed.
In this Ofadafa’juro town. Pauper returned to his usual wood-carving. But Slanderer, the father of sluggards, with his cunnings, he got the chance to see the Oba and his chiefs.
Fortunately, he was employed as one of the Oba’s Iko or messengers and he was also a tale-bearer for the Oba and his chiefs. For this, they gave him very poor remuneration and in addition, their useless dresses, as a reward for his busy-body tale-bearing.
It was so Pauper and Slanderer were carrying on their manner of living in this town. But Brawler was still looking about for her husband from one town to another.
19
PAUPER TAKES REVENGE ON SLANDERER ON
THE DAY OF HIS MARRIAGE
A little time after Slanderer was getting a little money from the Oba and his chiefs as a remuneration, and useless dresses, he started to court a lady.
The town of this lady was not so far from Qfadafa’juro town. And it was not so long after he started to court the lady that he began to boast to all the people of the town that there was not a woman in the town who had such beauty as his intended lady.
As Slanderer continued to boast all about,
thus he was preparing forcibly for his wedding day as hastily as he could. On Ojo-Asesedaye or Qjobo (The Day of New Creation) in the month of Erele (February), Slanderer paid the dowry of his lady to her parents and they betrothed her to him that very day. And they fixed the marriage day for seven days’ time in the same month of Erele.
Before the day was reached. Slanderer had announced to his countless friends that they would accompany him to his lover’s town on that day. For as soon as he had become the Iko for the Oba and the chiefs, he was so famous now in the town that he got so many friends at once. But Pauper refused to accompany him as his best man to the town of his in-laws.
Pauper deceived him that he had been warned not to ford streams or rivers in that very month of Erele. But he refused to accompany him just for a certain reason.
The reason was that as Slanderer was preparing to marry his lover, it was so Pauper too was preparing to take revenge on him on the very day of his marriage, in respect of his maize which was destroyed when he (Slanderer) deceived him. Just as ‘bat drops its head downwards, keeping watching the way the birds behave’, it was so for Pauper. He just kept silent and he was looking at Slanderer how he was preparing forcibly to marry his lover.
Before the day of Slanderer’s marriage was reached. Pauper had carved a strange image from light wood. It was a hideous and tawdry image whose appearance was just like an evil spirit. He carved this tawdry image in the size which, when he entered it, would contain him with ease. Its breast could be opened to left and right like two-way sliding doors and it could close jointly when he was inside it.
With the two feet of this hideous image. Pauper could walk here and there and as fast as he wanted to. Its two arms could move up and down or as one who was inside it wished to move both. Its neck could move to left, right, back and front. Pauper carved two fearful eyes on its head with which he could see clearly when he was inside it. He carved two thick horns on its head. Each was coiled like that of a buffalo. Having done all that, he adhered a large quantity of long hair on to its chin and upper lip.
Pauper, Brawler and Slanderer Page 9