But ‘in a wink of crab’ the slave raiders were seen far off in the opposite direction. But now everything turned into a great confusion suddenly. The matter had become now, ‘If you cannot run, leave the way for me’. So they scattered into the different hiding-places in the nearby bush. Everyone lay down flatly without talking or making noise.
But as the whole of them lay down flatly, but at this very delicate time. Brawler started her brawls loudly and suddenly. The rest of the people were waving hands in fear to her to stop or to keep quiet. But Brawler would not stop her brawls until the raiders travelled to the very place in which they hid.
As soon as the raiders heard Brawler’s brawls, they knew that some people were hiding themselves in that bush. But then without hesitation, all of them rushed into that bush and they started to search for them. A few minutes later, they found Brawler and they held her at once. But when they wanted to go away with her, she told them that her husband and many other people were still hiding there.
Having searched and searched the bush they found out her husband and Slanderer. But they failed to find out the rest of the people. It was so the slave raiders took Brawler, Slanderer and Pauper away that day.
Now, this proves that indeed ‘there is no remedy for unfortunate destiny’, as Pauper was already destined for poverty and wretchedness he was captured as a slave instead of capturing people as he intended to do. But in the end, the slave raiders sold the three of them into slavery to one slave-buyer.
But while Slanderer and Pauper were working hard for their buyer. Brawler’s hurtful brawls did not let her work at all. But when their master was enhrely fed up with her brawls, he sold her cheaply in anger to another slave-buyer who was in another town.
And it was not so long when Brawler had been resold, that Slanderer, with the help of his cunnings, escaped. But then there remained only Pauper who was serving their master now. But having served his master for a few months and his master having appreciated his hard work, he allowed him to pay a small amount of money for his ransom or redemption. Then with happiness Pauper paid the small amount of money which he had saved to his master and then he was set free.
That was how everything which Pauper did brought a deadlock to him in the end. But he never believed that destiny existed at all.
So, he returned to the same Aiku town in which he, his wife and Slanderer were living before all of them were captured and sold into slavery. But he was very surprised when he met Slanderer in the same house in which they were living before the three of them were captured and sold into slavery.
However, he and Slanderer continued to live together in that house as before. But he never knew whereabouts Brawler, his wife, was.
But as ‘hunger does not bother whether there is any money in hand; but one feels hunger every day’, so when Pauper returned to Aiku town, he began to feel hunger nearly to death. Because he got no any work to do in this barren town, although he was strong indeed.
One day, when Pauper sat down, in anguish of mind, he said: ‘In fact, I do not admit that it was the destiny of poverty and wretchedness that I chose from Creator. But since I am unfortunate in everything that I am doing, I shall put more efforts into working harder than before!’ It was thus Pauper, with doubtful mind, encouraged himself.
22
PAUPER BECOMES A
TRADER IN OWODE TOWN
Very soon. Pauper left Aiku town, he went to another town called OWODE. But later. Slanderer followed him. The two of them were living in the same house. The chief work which the people of Owode town were doing was trading. The land there was very rich for such crops as beans, maize, rice, pepper, etc.
One large river joined this Owode town to the town called Atepe. Large canoes were used to carry these foodstuffs to Atepe town. There they sold them for exorbitant prices, because these kinds of foodstuffs were rare for the people of Atepe town.
Just a few days after Pauper and Slanderer had arrived in Owode town. Brawler saw her husband. Pauper, and then she came to live with him at once. Although she was resold into slavery but at last her brawls were overmuch so that she was entirely useless to do any work. The last slave-buyer who bought her in Owode town drove her away in anger when he could no longer tolerate her hurtful brawls. But then she began to live in this town before Pauper and Slanderer came there.
But now. Pauper, the Father of Wretchedness, wanted to try trading, perhaps it would be favourable to his destiny and perhaps his destiny of poverty and wretchedness would not infect this sort of business, as they had infected all his crops on the farm. But at the same time he was dejected when he remembered that he had no money with which to buy the foodstuffs and no money to pay for hiring the canoe with which to carry the commodities to Atepe town where he would sell them.
One morning, however. Pauper went to the port and he started to help the traders load their commodities into their canoes. Then in the evening, he told one of the traders to help him get the foodstuffs and the hiring of one canoe on credit. Luckily that trader agreed to help him. But she told him to come back to her the following morning. Pauper was very happy when he was sure that this trader was prepared to help him.
It was hardly the following morning when Pauper went to the woman. Then she took him to the seller of the foodstuffs who sold all to him on credit. Again, this same woman trader took him to a canoe-owner from whom he hired the vessel on credit as well.
But then it took Pauper one full day to load the whole of his commodities into the canoe. After, he employed six paddle-men on credit as well. But when it was nine o’clock in the night, many passengers came to the port and he arranged all of them on top of the commodities, as well as many other traders put their passengers on top of their commodities.
But as Pauper’s canoe was just preparing to leave the port along with many other canoes which were more than forty. Brawler and Slanderer came. They told him that they wanted to follow him to Atepe town. Although he refused them to follow him they forced themselves to enter the canoe. However, he put them on top of the commodities as well.
At ten o’clock prompt. Pauper’s canoe left the port along with the other canoes. All the canoes were moving along swiftly on the water because there were no strong tides and breeze at that time. And according to the traditional behaviour of the canoe passengers, they began to sing joyfully as the canoe was moving along smoothly. But Brawler was brawling hotly and continuously instead of singing with those happy passengers.
Before daybreak. Pauper’s canoe and the others were nearing Atepe town. But when it was about three o’clock in the morning, the passengers began to be fed up with Brawler’s harmful brawls. And when it was seven o’clock, the passengers could no longer endure her brawls. They were entirely fed up with her brawls.
Meanwhile, brawls were so much intoxicating Brawler that she stood up from her seat. She started to walk up and down in the canoe and it was so she was wilhiUy trampling the passengers, so, fight and uproar began between her and the passengers unexpectedly. Brawler engaged herself with the passengers and they too engaged themselves with her.
As they were beating Brawler and she too was beating them. Slanderer stood up and he joined Brawler in beating the passengers instead of parting them or settling the misunderstanding for them. But because the fight was tough they were not aware when they rushed to one side of the canoe. Then the canoe bent heavily to that side.
But as there just remained one hundred metres for the canoe to land on the Atepe port, it broke into two suddenly. Then without hesitation, it sank into the water together with the commodities and all the people in it.
And it was with great difficulty that the other traders who had landed their own canoes safely on the port rescued Pauper, his paddle-men and a few of the passengers onto the port. But the strong tides carried away Brawler, Slanderer, the rest of the passengers and the whole of Pauper’s commodities.
‘Haaa, I lose in trading as well!’ Pauper grasped his head with both hands and t
hen he despaired loudly in earnest when he became conscious. ‘Or it is true that it is the destiny of poverty and wretchedness that I chose from Creator as the Babalawo, the Ifa priest, had said when he read my “esent’aye” on the third day that I was bom?’ Now it seems that Pauper wants to believe that destiny exists. But he is not yet very sure.
‘But you. Pauper, did you ask first whether your head has the luck of trading or not before you started it?’ the other traders who rescued Pauper asked him.
‘Haaa, it is a pity! But I did not ask my head!’ Pauper despaired in earnest.
‘Well, if you have not asked your head first before you started trading, you have made a great mistake then!’ the other traders blamed Pauper, and after they had sympathized with him for his loss they warned him not to attempt trading any longer. But then all of them scattered away.
It was thus all Pauper’s efforts to become a trader came to vanity as well in the end.
‘Haaa! the best thing for me to do now is to flee somewhere or else if I go back to Owode town, there is no doubt, the owner of the canoe and the seller who sold the foodstuffs to me on credit will tear me into pieces if I fail to pay her money, and so for the owner of the canoe which I hired on credit.’
After Pauper had lamented sorrowfully like that, he stood, he started to stagger along to an unknown destination just like a dead and alive man till he staggered into one wilderness. This wilderness was about forty kilometres from Atepe town. But till now, he never knew whether the tides which had carried away his wife. Brawler, Slanderer, and many passengers had lost all of them entirely.
23
PAUPER IS INSTALLED
THE OBA OF THE
TOWN OF WOMEN
When Pauper, the Father of Wretchedness, had wandered in great grief in this fearful thick wilderness for about six months, without having better food to eat, one day, it came to his mind to make one bow and arrows. And he made all with strong sticks. Then he started to kill the small animals which he ate as he continued to wander about.
One day, he wandered to where there were two mighty mahogany trees in this wilderness. These two trees were at a little distance from each other. But because Pauper was tired and weak this day, he sat at the foot of one of the two trees. After he put his bow and the quiver of his arrows on the left, he leaned his back on the mahogany tree. But as ‘sleep does not know death’, so as soon as the cool breeze started to blow on him, he was not aware when he was fast asleep.
Pauper enjoyed the sleep so much that it was already noon before he woke suddenly. But as soon as he rubbed his eyes with the back of his right hand and then he looked round that area, to his fear, he saw one feeble old woman who emerged suddenly from the back of the second mahogany tree.
The appearance of this feeble old woman frightened Pauper so much that he hastily took his bow and the quiver. But just as he wanted to run away for his life, the old woman screamed loudly in anger. She said: ‘Hee, you this hunter must not run away but you should come to me now at the foot of this tree on which I am standing!’
‘Haaa, to come to you?’ Pauper asked in a trembling voice.
‘I say, you should come to me here otherwise you will find yourself where you don’t expect yourself to be!’ The feeble old woman continued her warning, she said: ‘And you will continue to wander about in your usual poverty and wretchedness which are your destiny and which embitter your manner of living every day!’ The old woman warned Pauper again in peevishness as she supported her weak back with both hands.
‘But - but, a human being with the hair on head that I am!’ in fear. Pauper described himself and then he moved back a bit. For he took this old woman to be the spirit of that mahogany tree.
‘Shut up your mouth there and stop your excuse! But just come to me freely!’ she shouted in anger.
‘But by the way, for what reason am I fearing death? A man without any purpose that I am! If I can die let me die at once!’ Pauper despaired for he had forgotten at this moment that he. Brawler and Slanderer had been immortalized by the Oba of Laketu town on the day the three of them were expelled from there. But then he shook his head in sorrow and breathed out the breath of grief. After, he walked without fear to the feeble old woman. But when she embraced him, he feared her greatly and he nearly fainted.
‘But how did you manage to come into this dreadful thick wilderness?’ the old woman asked Pauper in an attractive voice this hme as she held him.
‘Haaa! Let me tell you the truth. I was driven into this wilderness by poverty and wretchedness!’ Pauper explained with throbbing heart.
‘Poverty and wretchedness or what?’ the old woman wondered.
‘Just so. But the people are saying that the destiny which I had chosen from Creator are poverty and wretchedness!’ Pauper said sorrowfully.
‘Hun - un!’ the feeble old woman hummed. ‘But where is your town or village?’ she released Pauper and asked.
‘Haaa! lya arugbo (old mother), my town is far away from this wilderness just as the sky is far from the ground!’
‘Is that so? But what had caused you to leave your town and come to the out-of-doors as this one?’ the old woman asked as she bent a bit forward and fastened her eyes on Pauper.
‘It was my wife. Brawler, who had caused the Oba and chiefs of my town to expel me and her out of the town after they had cursed upon us in the name of Creator!’
‘The name of your wife is Brawler or what?’ wondered the feeble old woman.
‘Yes, her name is Brawler!’ Pauper confirmed.
‘But where is your wife. Brawler, at present?’
‘Well, I cannot say exactly where she is now or whether she has gone out of existence together with one my dose friend. Because I have not seen any of them from the day that my hired canoe which all of us boarded sank and the tides carried them away!’
‘O, pity! I am very sad to hear that your canoe sank and the tides carried your wife and friend away! Sorry!’ the feeble old woman sympathized with Pauper for a few minutes.
‘But what is your name?’ asked the old woman.
‘My name is Pauper, the Father of Wretchedness, but sometimes people call me Pauper!’
‘Hun - un, wonderful! WeU, let me tell you about myself! You see, I am the senior Oba-maker (king-maker), of the town which was formerly called Town of Glory. But at present it is called the Town of Women!’ lya Arugbo, or feeble old woman who we know now as the senior Oba-maker, continued her story. She said: ‘But if you can follow me to my town, you will forget immediately your poverty- and wretchedness which are punishing you about all days!’
But as soon as this senior Oba-maker explained herself to Pauper in the mode of a human being, then Pauper was very sure now that she was a human being and by that his fear was dispelled. And then, in happiness, he started to follow this senior Oba-maker from that mahogany tree to her town which was not so far from the wilderness.
When Pauper and the senior Oba-maker walked abreast into the town, even though this Town of Women was strange to him, he wondered greatly when the multitude of girls, ladies, young women and old women rushed out and met him and the senior Oba-maker. Some were embracing him warmly while many were scrambling him with the shouts of joy.
‘But why are all of you scrambling me? Or are you going to kill me or how?’ Pauper was embarrassed.
‘Never, but we are not going to kill you!’ the multitude of women assured Pauper. ‘But we are taking you to the Aafin (palace) of our Oba!’ the women shouted.
But as these women and the senior Oba-maker were taking Pauper along to the Aafin, he started to notice this Town of Women how it was very beautiful. Of course the senior Oba-maker had foretold Pauper that the former name of their town was Town of Glory during the time that Peace and Joy came and lived with them there.
But Peace and Joy hastily left there for another peaceful and joyful town when there was rebellion in this Town of Glory. But of course, as ‘no matter how poor a prince is, there will stil
l remain in him the sign of the prince’, so this reason caused the sign of a bit of peace and joy to remain in this town till that time.
What had caused Peace and Joy to quit this Town of Glory was that Peace and Joy hated to live in a town or house in which there were rebellion, confusion, chaos, brawls, poverty, wretchedness, restlessness of mind, etc.
But we should not forget that Joy was the relative of Brawler’s mother while Peace was the relative of Pauper’s mother in Laketu town. The two of them had once lived with Pauper and Brawler for many years. But both of them left the couple in sorrow when Pauper’s poverty and wretchedness and Brawler’s brawls were too much for them to bear.
After a while. Pauper was led into the Aafin and he observed immediately that it was certain there was no Oba in the Aafin for several years. However they gave him a seat and he was seated with the dirty rags on his body like a madman. His bow and the quiver were yet on his left shoulder.
But before the women in the Aafin, who were the Olori or queens, told their problems to Pauper, they went to the kitchen, they began to prepare the nice food. But soon after the Olori went to the kitchen Pauper looked round the Aafin in which he sat. But he was not aware when wonder forced him to guess:
‘Am I Pauper? Pauper of yesterday or which? No! Not so! Or am I dreaming? Certainly, it is a dream that I am dreaming!’
Pauper continued his guessing, he said: ‘See how the multitude of women are singing and dancing and shouting in great joy for me! But for what reason they are doing all this for me?’ Pauper was guessing as if he was not conscious. ‘Or these women,’ Pauper went on in his guessing, ‘are doing all this for me in respect of my poverty and wretchedness?’ Then he looked at his right and left again. He did as if he was intoxicated, ‘Haa! I don’t understand this at all!’ It was so Pauper contined to guess when the Olori set the food in the royal dining hall for him.
But when Pauper started at the food, each of his morsels was bigger than his throat. So each time that he gulped each morsel it was so his throat made a very heavy sound. And it was so he was glancing this way and that way savagely as if he were a madman.
Pauper, Brawler and Slanderer Page 12