that he would fall off a palm tree and kill himself. He knew that Nwakibie would not refuse him. And they were right."Come and shake hands with me. and they closed in.

The heathen speak nothing but falsehood
The heathen speak nothing but falsehood. Akueni. or osu. He can curse the gods of his fathers and his ancestors. In fact he recovered from his illness only a few days before the Week of Peace began. Obiako. So he waited impatiently for the dry season to come. Even those which Nwoye knew already were told with a new freshness and the local flavor of a different clan." said Obierika. "It is a strange and terrible story. or osu."Yes." said Okonkwo. The priestess bent down on one knee and Ezinma climbed on her back. Now that she walked slowly she had time to think. He pressed the trigger and there was a loud report accompanied by the wail of his wives and children. Then he remembered that he had not taken out his snuff-spoon. i fear for the clan.""Yes. She had not as much as looked at Okonkwo and Ekwefi or shown any surprise at finding them at the mouth of the cave." said Akukalia.

and it was he who had received Okonkwo's mother twenty and ten years before when she had been brought home Irom Umuofia to be buried with her people. He immediately set to work digging a pit where Ezinma had indicated. In fact he recovered from his illness only a few days before the Week of Peace began. the distance they had covered.""I think she has. who sat next to him. followed by the bride and the other women. but they grew women's crops. of all people. and tears stood in his eyes. The Ibo evangelists consulted among themselves and decided that the man probably meant bicycle.""How did they get hold of Ancto to hang him?" asked Okonkwo. Guns were fired on all sides and sparks flew out as machetes clanged together in warriors' salutes.At last the rain came. She did not marry him then because he was too poor to pay her bride-price. No! he could not be. or the teeth of an old woman. On her arms were red and yellow bangles."Thank you. Okonkwo looked away. especially with the children.

The bride's mother led the way." Ezinma offered. almost to himself. And as he told them of the past they sat in darkness or the dim glow of logs. "I remember now. took her stick and walked over to the obi. Thirty." he said."Akueke moved to the other end of the hut and began to remove the waist-beads. Okonkwo. That was why he had called him a woman.It seemed to Ekwefi that the night had become a little lighter. and so they made them that offer which nobody in his right senses would accept. unlike most children. "all the birds were invited to a feast in the sky. Her deepening despair found expression in the names she gave her children." replied Okonkwo. Uzowulu. The total effect was gay and brisk. Uchendu. like a funeral.

jumping over walls and dancing on the roof." said Okonkwo. It was not done earlier because the rains were too heavy and would have washed away the heap of trodden earth.Suddenly Okagbue sprang to the surface with the agility of a leopard. He still thought about his mother and his three-year-old sister."Once upon a time.The arrival of the missionaries had caused a considerable stir in the village of Mbanta.The men in the obi had already begun to drink the palm-wine which Akueke's suitor had brought.""Your chi is very much awake."In her hut. "I thought he was a strong man in his youth.So Okonkwo encouraged the boys to sit with him in his obi. and sat speechless. women and children left their work or their play and ran into the open to see the unfamiliar sight. But it was really a woman's ceremony and the central figures were the bride and her mother. Soon it covered half the sky. I salute you. Ezeudu is dead. Okonkwo.He sent for the five sons and they came and sat in his obi. and what is good among one people is an abomination with others.

"Forgive me. building a new red-earth and thatch house for their teacher." Obierika replied sharply. he cried in his heart. They scrubbed and painted the outside walls under the supervision of men. That is all I am good for now. was a very exacting king. Okonkwo.When the women retired. jumping over walls and dancing on the roof. he thought. No. Evil Forest rose to his feet and order was immediately restored.Okagbue had again taken over the digging from Okonkwo. It was as if water had been poured on the tightened skin of a drum. But they soon returned and everyone was gazing at the rag from a reasonable distance. A man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi. That was the way the clan at first looked at it. perhaps even quicker. when his father had not been dead very long.She set the pot on the fire and Okonkwo took up his machete to return to his obi.

he burst out laughing.""Yes. I have come to pay you my respects and also to ask a favor. But the song spread in Umuofia. His actions were deliberate. But it was the season of rest between the harvest and the next planting season." Okonkwo threatened."We have heard both sides of the case. Umuazu.""I think she has. as you know. food was presented to the guests. the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves. He led it on a thick rope which he tied round his wrist. Okonkwo!" she warned." His tone now changed from anger to command.But the year had gone mad. As soon as he found one he would sing with his whole being. Two little groups of people stood at a respectable distance beyond the stools."We cannot all rush out like that.Okonkwo was popularly called the "Roaring Flame.

her wrath was loosed on all the land and not just on the offender. and about the locusts?? Then quite suddenly a thought came upon him. as you know. "Thank you for calling us together.' replied the young kite. And what made it worse in Okonkwo's case was that he had to support his mother and two sisters from his meagre harvest. another man asked a question: "Where is the white man's horse?" he asked.But Ekwefi did not hear these consolations. And ten thousand men answered "Yaa!" each time.""What has happened to that piece of land in dispute?" asked Okonkwo. The moon was shining." replied Ekwefi."That is not the end of the story.' replied the young kite. The musicians with their wood." shouted Chielo. "and don't allow it to boil over. who was laid on a mat." said the joker. Ezinma turned left as if she was going to the stream. Kiaga.

He does not belong here." said Obierika."I will not have a son who cannot hold up his head in the gathering of the clan. Soon it covered half the sky. called her mother by her name. relaxed again. Where is my daughter. Obierika. When Okonkwo brought him home that day he called his most senior wife and handed him over to her. She looked straight ahead of her and walked back to the village." came her voice. That is why Tortoise's shell is not smooth. The law of the clan is that you should return her bride-price.Obierika was a man who thought about things. He would have liked to return earlier and build his compound that year before the rains stopped. Every man wears the thread of title on his ankle. with which he carried the brown snuff to his nostrils. Now that she walked slowly she had time to think. And let me tell you one thing. Obierika and half a dozen other friends came to help and to console him. but Ezeani seemed to pay no attention.

in the sunshine. As for his converts. And so although Okonkwo was still young. Ekwefi was reassured. And then suddenly like one possessed he shot out his left hand and pointed in the direction of Mbaino. The elders and grandees of the village sat on their own stools brought there by their young sons or slaves."It is not our custom to fight for our gods. "People traveled more in those days." Okonkwo was specially fond of Ezinma. It told of one sheep out on the hills. There was authority in her bearing and she looked every inch the ruler of the womenfolk in a large and prosperous family.The priestess' voice came at longer intervals now. "We have men of high title and the chief priests and the elders. to go before the mighty Agbala of your own accord? Beware. The story had arisen among the Christians themselves. Groups of four or five men sat round with a pot in their midst. They were not the real wrestlers.Onwumbiko was not given proper burial when he died.The contest began with boys of fifteen or sixteen."And it died this morning?"Okonkwo said yes. or what?"The interpreter spoke to the white man and he immediately gave his answer.

Then there was perfect silence. the son of Obierika.""Let them laugh.- and in this way the cover was strengthened on the wall. love returned once more to her mother. He immediately set to work digging a pit where Ezinma had indicated. I shall give you some fish to eat. "We are going directly. Mr. He is an exile. and also a drinking gourd. breakfast was hastily eaten and women and children began to gather at Obierika's compound to help the bride's mother in her difficult but happy task of cooking for a whole village. and they." said Idigo. hung above the fireplace. especially with the children. suddenly changed his mind and agreed to take the message."That is the strange part of it." said Nwoye's mother. Okonkwo's second wife had merely cut a few leaves off it to wrap some food. her blood still ran cold whenever she remembered that night.

" said Obierika. But the one knew what the other was thinking. You will have what is good for you and I will have what is good for me.""He has. There were huge bowls of foo-foo and steaming pots of soup.The Christians had grown in number and were now a small community of men." said Okonkwo. There must have been about ten thousand men there. Ekwefi picked her way carefully and quietly. The conversation at once centered on him. each of them carrying a heavy bag on his head. Darkness held a vague terror for these people. It very quickly went damp. but they are too young to leave their mother. Can you tell me. He was tall and huge." said one of them.""How did they get hold of Ancto to hang him?" asked Okonkwo." said Okonkwo as he rose to go. Men stirred on their bamboo beds and listened anxiously. who had been talking.

It was not until the following day that Okonkwo told him the full story. She knelt on her knees and hands at the threshold and called her husband. Okonkwo's wives and children and those who came to help them with the cooking began to bring out the food. with music and dancing and a great feast. looked left and right and turned right. one of the people of the sky came forward and tasted a little from each pot. There was something in it like the companionship of equals. If the song ended on his right foot." he said.' said the birds when they had heard him. and about some effeminate men who had refused to come with them. And for many days this rare food was eaten with solid palm-oil. And so.One morning Okonkwo's cousin. and in the end Okonkwo overcame his sorrow. He was greatly shocked and swore to beat Ekwefi if she dared to give the child eggs again. His words may also be good." They offered them as much of the Evil Forest as they cared to take.The wrestlers were now almost still in each other's grip. Okonkwo walked behind him. The pots of wine stood in their midst.

Okonkwo had slaughtered a goat for her. and the rest went back. Even the very little children seemed to know. vibrating heat. The ancient drums of death beat. This man told him that the child was an ogbanje. "We have men of high title and the chief priests and the elders. with love. and only the old people had seen them before. She was about sixteen and just ripe for marriage. In that way she will elude her wicked tormentor and break its evil cycle of birth and death. was a very exacting king.With a father like Unoka.""Once upon a time. With this magic fan she beckons to the market all the neighboring clans. And that was how he came to look after the doomed lad who was sacrificed to the village of Umuofia by their neighbors to avoid war and bloodshed. But if a man caused it.""If we leave our gods and follow your god. and in the end they were received by them They asked for a plot of land to build on."The body of Odukwe. empty men.

guttural and awesome. Three converts had gone into the village and boasted openly that all the gods were dead and impotent and that they were prepared to defy them by burning all their shrines. My case is finished. And so he did now." replied her mother.These outcasts." Okonkwo replied."Who is that?" he growled. On great occasions such as the funeral of a village celebrity he drank his palm-wine from his first human head. They have said so. but in doing so he would have taken something from the full penalty of seven years." said Obierika to his son. succulent breasts. The troublesome nanny-goat sniffed about. Nwoye knew that it was right to be masculine and to be violent. And they were right. In fact." said one of the younger men. Go and see if your father has brought out yams for the afternoon. It was said that when such a spirit appeared. especially with the children.

Okonkwo was among them. and from the very first seemed to have kindled a new fire in the younger boy. holding it by the ankle and dragging it on the ground behind him. a large crowd of men from Ezeudu's quarter stormed Okonkwo's compound. It was a rare achievement. and each party brought with them a huge pot of palm-wine. and so were his cousins and their wives when he sent for them and told them who his guest was. something felt in the marrow.His anger thus satisfied. Every village had its own ilo which was as old as the village itself and where all the great ceremonies and dances took place.""Let them laugh. Everybody was lean except Cat.Okonkwo did as the priest said. That was how Okonkwo first came to know that agbala was not only another name for a woman. What is it that has happened to our people? Why have they lost the power to fight?""Have you not heard how the white man wiped out Abame?" asked Obierika. No! he could not be. but even if you came into your obi and found her lover on top of her. and he said so with much threatening. Her basket was balanced on her head. As soon as she got up. and he prayed to the ancestors.

Young men pounded the foo-foo or split firewood.The contest began with boys of fifteen or sixteen. occasionally feeling with her palm the wet. '1 am a changed man. Every man and woman came out to see the white man. The Oracle said to him. her blood still ran cold whenever she remembered that night. indeed. of course. Nwoye went to his mother's hut and told her that Ikemefuna was going home. and although it had not yet appeared on the sky its light had already melted down the darkness." said Obierika."Unoka was like that in his last days. and he who could feed his family on yams from one harvest to another was a very great man indeed." said Nwakibie. very shyly. She slowed down her pace so as to increase the distance between them. As soon as he left.Okonkwo did not taste any food for two days after the death of Ikemefuna. Okoye said the next half a dozen sentences in proverbs. Okonkwo.

He had a bad chi or personal god. "Mother Kite once sent her daughter to bring food. Her back was turned on the footpath that led out of the hills." he said. Most of them were sons of our land whose mothers had been buried with us. They set out early that morning. like a mother and her daughter. It was clear that the bags were full of cowries. But good men who worshipped the true God lived forever in His happy kingdom." said Obierika. I shall give you twice four hundred yams. But the third created a big sensation even among the elders who did not usually show their excitement so openly. Okonkwo. But you are still a child. Ikemefuna looked back. Some of them will even ride the iron horse themselves. "His name is Amadi. As soon as Unoka understood what his friend was driving at. But when a father beats his child. Then he took it away to bury in the Evil Forest. and at the end he had been taken out and handed over to a stranger.

'When mother-cow is chewing grass its young ones watch its mouth. "My father told me that he had been told that in the past a man who broke the peace was dragged on the ground through the village until he died. which were passed round for all to see and then returned to him. "We have men of high title and the chief priests and the elders. She was the priestess of Agbala. called round his neighbors and made merry. Has he thrown a hundred Cats?He has thrown four hundred Cats. He asked them for health and children." said Okonkwo. The first rains were late. But whenever they came to preach in the open marketplace or the village playground. Ezinma?""She has been very well for some time now. in the other hand. and looked at her palms. He does not belong here." said Obierika. He knew that he was a fierce fighter. and in one deft movement she lifted the pot from the fire and poured the boiling water over the fowl. They were duly presented to the women. and although ailing she seemed determined to live. and everybody agreed that he was as sharp as a razor.

And so at a very early age when he was striving desperately to build a barn through share-cropping Okonkwo was also fending for his father's house. Although he had prospered in his motherland Okonkwo knew that he would have prospered even more in Umuofia. And in all the nine villages of Umuofia a town crier with his ogene asked every man to be present tomorrow morning.When all the egwugwu had sat down and the sound of the many tiny bells and rattles on their bodies had subsided. called round his neighbors and made merry."I am following Chielo. Okonkwo always asked his wives' relations. looked forward to the New Yam Festival because it began the season of plenty??the new year. her face streaming with tears. He who brings kola brings life. suddenly changed his mind and agreed to take the message."That is not strange.It was going to be Okonkwo's last harvest in Mbanta."Call your wife and child."Yes. panting. Then the foo-foo was served."Father. one of these women went to Ozoemena's hut and told her. Ikemefuna came into Okonkwo's household. But it is not our custom to debar anyone from the stream or the quarry.

""That cannot be. Okonkwo's son. They had then drawn patterns on them in white. said Ezeugo. Suppose when he died all his male children decided to follow Nwoye's steps and abandon their ancestors? Okonkwo felt a cold shudder run through him at the terrible prospect. The yams were then staked. So they made a powerful medicine. but nothing like this had ever happened. They also drank water from small pots and ate kola nuts. We should have waited for the sun to rise and dry the leaves. It is the law of our fathers. He searched his bag and brought out his snuff-bottle. Everyone looked in the direction of the egwugwu house." said Uchendu. Everybody was killed. A proud heart can survive a general failure because such failure does not prick its pride. or the children of Eru. He wanted Nwoye to grow into a tough young man capable of ruling his father's household when he was dead and gone to join the ancestors. A palm-oil lamp gave out yellowish light. who are known in all the nine villages for your valor in war? How can a man who has killed five men in battle fall to pieces because he has added a boy to their number? Okonkwo." said Uchendu after a long silence.

Ekwefi rose early on the following morning and went to her farm with her daughter. carrying on their heads various sizes of pots suitable to their years. The priestess was now saluting the village of Umuachi. and thank Okonkwo for having looked after him so well and for bringing him back.There were seven men in Obierika's hut when Okonkwo returned. roots snapped below. Iweka. If your in-law brings wine to you. not dead. Her heart jumped painfully within her. And that is why we say that mother is supreme. We have albinos among us. When everything had been set before the guests. "1 have brought you this little kola. unearthly voice and completely covered in raffia. and soon they were the strongest adherents of the new faith.""Some people say the Oracle warned him that he would fall off a palm tree and kill himself. He knew that Nwakibie would not refuse him. And they were right."Come and shake hands with me. and they closed in.