Feather Woman of the Jungle Read Free Page A

was flogging them repeatedly.
    She left them to flog when the whole whips were torn into pieces and then she mounted her ostrich back and rode away at the same time. But to our fear and embarrassment, those images groaned for about two hours before they could stop.
    When it was about seven o’clock of that morning, after we had eaten the rest fruits, we took our cutlasses and went to the nearest palm-tree. We cut some palm-fronds and we wove many baskets from them. Then from there we went to the place of the coal-nut trees. We plucked plenty of the nuts and after they were peeled, we put them in the baskets and then carried them to the hut.
    In the following morning we expected that the Jungle Witch would come to flog the images but she did not come that morning. Having waited till about nine o’clock just to see how she would flog them again but she did not come, then we carried the cola-nuts to the nearest market as she had told us to do. Of course, we wondered greatly to see such a famous market in that hidden place because such a famous market should not be near that jungle. But of course, the sort of people that we met there were quite different and together with their movements and the way of their talking to one another, were very suspicious.
    But to our gladness, we sold the nuts for a considerable amount of money. Out of the money, we bought coco-yams and many kinds of food stuffs and then we came back to the hut and dug a deep pit in one corner of the hut. We put the rest money in it and then covered the pit with a flat plank. That pit was our safe. Then we were waiting for the market day which was every fifth day. And we did not attempt to see what were in that pit at all for the Feather Woman had warned us not to remove the cover of the pit which was near the images and see what were in it.
    But when it was four days after the woman had come and flogged the images, she came again with another bunch of whips. She whipped them one by one until the whole whips were torn into pieces as the first time. Of course, when she was still flogging them and I saw how mercilessly she was flogging them, I did not know when I went and knelt before her and I started to beg her to pardon them. But I wondered that she was so annoyed that she spat on my eyes suddenly and then said with great anger: “Of course, both of you will soon change into the images as well!” When she told me like that, I was so afraid that I hastily left her and then entered the hut. After she had flogged and scorned them to her satisfaction , she mounted her ostrich back and rode away with her birds which were crying and following her.
    After we had spent about two years in that jungle and we had saved enough money, then we were preparing with gladness to return to our village. But unfortunately, our young sister, Ashabi, whom we had left with our father and mother, had left the village this time. She was looking for us when our father and mother were anxious greatly to see us. Because both were not sure whether we had been killed by the wild animals or we had lost in the jungle. They told Ashabi that wherever she might meet us, whether we had got money or not, she must bring us back to them.
    One morning, as she was wandering about, she met us in the market when we were selling the cola-nuts. But of course, we could not recognize her at first when she saluted us for we did not think that she could come to such a far, dangerous and hidden market as this one. But when she explained herself to us we did and then we embraced her with gladness. So we did not keep so long in the market on that day as we had been doing before but we returned to the jungle with her as quickly as possible.
    “So my people I shall continue to tell you the remaining story of my first journey next night. I wish every one of you good luck.”
    Then after my people drank the remaining of their palm-wine , sang and danced for a while then they went back to their houses.
    But they did