Ama Read Free Page A

danger.”
    He guessed that Nandzi did not understand his language, but the sound of his own voice allayed his fear of being alone in Bekpokpam territory.
    Nandzi moaned. Every step the horse took jarred her body and sent shooting pains through her belly. Her tongue was parched and there was a foul taste of vomit in her mouth. At first she lay limp, but the movement of the horse threw her head from side to side and up and down. She felt her neck would snap. So she raised her head as far as the thongs would allow and tensed her neck muscles. A cloud of red dust enveloped them, irritating her nostrils. She sneezed. Her hands were bound. A mixture of mucus and dust hung from her nose until the motion of the horse shook it free. Tears ran down her cheeks and soon her face was marked with red streaks. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. What had happened? What should she do?
    The horse stumbled. Suddenly, as in a nightmare, she felt Abdulai driving into her again She screamed.
    â€œShut your mouth, woman,” Damba told her.
    Nandzi shook her head vigorously and breathed out hard through her nose, trying to dislodge a thread of mucus. Nowu, all alone by himself in the compound, she thought; and she despaired. Sick as he is, he might just wander off and be eaten by a some wild beast. Tabitsha will blame me for not looking after him properly. And Tigen, my father, who speaks to me so rarely these days, surely he will not be able to contain his wrath? Then it struck her that she might never see them again. Where is this man taking me? What will they do with me? She shuddered again at the thought of Abdulai. What if he were to take me as his wife? Better to die . With every fibre in her body, she hated him. I will kill him in his sleep and then try to escape. If I have to, I will risk the rage of the ancestors and kill myself afterwards.
    She saw the ground through the cloud of dust and flies which kept them company. Her eyes itched and she squeezed them shut, moving through a dark void, rising and falling with the motion of the horse. The image of Abdulai returned to her again and again. He was a giant black fly, mounting her from behind. She opened her eyes to drive the spectre away.
    They reached the summit of a ridge. Damba led the two horses through a farm. Their hooves kicked up the small mounds of earth, breaking the fresh yam shoots. Nandzi studied the head of the pack horse, its flaring nostrils, the shock of hair which fell forward between its ears, its mild eyes. What does a horse know? she wondered. She looked at the load on its back. With a shock she recognised the pattern of one of Tabitsha's favourite cloths. They must have stolen everything they found in the compound. She gnashed her teeth. It is lucky , she thought, that they put on their best for the funeral .
    â€œYou, our ancestors,” she whispered, using words she had heard spoken by the elders, “who send us rain, and shelter our homes and our farms from winds and lightning, it is I, Nandzi, daughter of Tigen, speaking. I have no drink to give you, but you will surely know the reason.”
    Tears came to her eyes. She concentrated on her task.
    â€œThe Bedagbam came on their horses and stole our goods. Their leader assaulted me. They abducted me from those who nurtured me and cherish me. My small brother, Nowu, is all alone, sick with fever and exposed to the wild beasts. Father of my father Tigen, father of Tigen's father and your forefathers before you, whose names are lost in time, strike down our oppressors. Especially, I beg you to kill the cruel one who raped me, who does not deserve to live amongst human beings. Hear my call. I will give you food and drink when I am able.”
    Then a thought came to her. Perhaps it is the ancestors themselves who have sent this trouble to me. It was just as I was tasting the meat soup that the raiders came. The ancestors are punishing me because I ate meat.
    So she spoke to them