The Brave African Huntress (5 page)

It was the “Day of Confusion” Wednesday, that I entered this Jungle of the Pigmies, at about eleven o’clock in the
morning.
After I travelled in this jungle for a few minutes—the great fears, wonders, and uncountable of undescriptive strange things, which I was seeing here and there were stopped me by force. When I was unable to travel further because of these things then I thought within myself to climb a tree to the top so that I might see these things to my satisfaction. And at the same time I climbed a tall tree to the top. I sat on one of its branches and as it was a leafy tree therefore these leaves were covered me and I peeped out very seriously as when an offender peeped out from the small window of his cell. Then I was looking at these handiworks of God with great wonder.

When it was about twelve o’clock in the afternoon, the sun came. The heat of the sun was so hot that it forced all the living creatures to remain quietly in the places that they were. All the wild animals were kept quiet as if they were harmless. The lions stopped roaring but kept quiet as if they were dumbs. The birds of the sky were perched on the branches of the mighty tall trees, except those of the minute birds as canaries, migratory birds,
etc., etc., which were jumping from one branch to another. Although the doves were crying in five minutes interval as they were telling the other creatures the right time (clock). Doves were the clocks of hunters because they never forget to remind or tell the hunters the right time. But as the owls were not coming out in the daytime or if they did come out or fly in the daytime and if a hunter saw it, it was a bad sign indeed. It was so their hoot was a great help to the hunters. Because their hoot was driving animals to the hunters and it (hoot) was also amusing the hunters as they (hunters) had no partners in the jungle.

And all these creatures were kept quiet where they were for the sun was too hot. Because the sun of this jungle was also very curious. Whenever it was out it would be as hot as fire and that was why these living creatures were hiding themselves from it whenever it was out.

When I sat on the branch of this tree and I did not see any living creature to move or walk about by that time and as the jungle was as calm as if there were none living creatures, then I was enjoying the peaceful cool breeze which my creator was sending to me. After a while I was feeling to eat, I was hungry badly. But to my surprise, as I was just thinking in mind what I could eat, one big edible fruit fell on to my head from the
topmost
branch of this tree. I took it and I ate it at once.

But when I raised up my head I saw that there were still many of this fruit on another branch of this tree. So I climbed that branch again, I sat down on it and then I started to eat the fruits one by one until when I was satisfied. After that I continued to look at the wonderful things of this jungle. And again I saw that the thick smoke was very common to see rushing out from the ground which was near the big trees, hills, rivers, ponds, etc. As this thick smoke was rushing out in large quantity it was so the sweet smell of food was rushing out as well and this showed
me that many of the pigmies who were the inhabitants and owners of this jungle were living under the ground.

Truly speaking—“Before we can see the animal like that of elephant will be in a very far jungle and before we can see a jungle like that of the Jungle of the Pigmies will be in the right place as this” because when it was three o’clock p.m. prompt, there I heard suddenly that a bugle was blown from a long
distance
as I was still looking at the wonders of the jungle. The tone of this bugle was so powerful that it was heard clearly everywhere in the jungle and it shook both ground and mighty trees. A few seconds after the bugle had blasted, there I saw that a very strong wind started to blow. In this wind there I saw that animals, big birds, pigmies, etc., of this jungle were running up and down and they were making fearful noises all over the jungle. As the wind was stronger it was so they were making more fearful noises and within five minutes the whole of the jungle was in disorder.

After a while all the trees were blowing here and there, they were touching the ground with their tops. As I still held the branch of the tree on which I was so tightly that I might not fall down, the wild animals as lions, tigers, wolves, etc., came to that spot. As they were running to and fro, they raised up their heads and they were sniffing my smell. After a while they saw me as I sat on the branch of that tree and by this time their attitudes were more terrible because they wanted to eat me. As they were surrounded the tree closely it was so the strong wind was forcing it to touch the ground repeatedly. Each time that it touched the ground these wild animals were hastily jumping to where I sat on the branch, but they were unable to touch me before the tree would stand upright again. It was like that these wild animals were jumping to me every time that the tree was bending down and getting up again. Luckily they were unable to take me away from the top of this tree until when the strong wind was stopped
at about seven o’clock in the evening. But as their attitudes were too terrible so I shouted with fear until my voice was not heard clearly again before the wind was stopped. I attempted to be shooting these wild animals to death with my gun but the wind was blowing the tree so swiftly that I was unable to sight
anything
by that time.

But after the wind stopped blowing and all the trees stood quietly, I thought that these wild animals would go away but they did not attempt, they surrounded the tree and were looking at me as I sat on the branch of that tree. When I believed that they would not attempt to go away, then I began to shoot them with my “shakabullah” gun and when I killed nearly half of them the rest went away with fear. When I kept watch for a few minutes perhaps they hid near there but they had gone away then I came down from this tree. I took the smallest one of those which I killed and then I left that area as soon as possible.

When I travelled far away in the darkness, as it was then nine o’clock, for I heard when a dove gave the sign of time by that time. So I stopped under a tree which was almost covered by the running plants. I made a big fire, after I cut that animal into several parts then I started to roast them with this fire. One hour later they were roasted enough and I ate as much as I could from them. After that I gathered refuses and dried leaves together near this fire, I lay down on them, I put my head on my hunting bag as if it was a pillow. I lay the two poisonous cudgels at my left and my gun at my right, but I still held it with fear until I fell asleep unnoticed.

Of course, I was woken very early in the morning with great fear of the numerous birds which were surrounded me and they were crying repeatedly because I was curious to them. At the same time that I woke and I saw that I was already surrounded by these birds, I simply took my gun, hunting bag, cudgels and my cutlass and I left that spot. But to my fear these birds were
still following me and they were still crying with their loudest voices. I was running away from them so that they might not suspect me to those super-human creatures. Luckily when I travelled to the darkest part of this jungle they could not see me again and then they went back from me.

It was like that I was travelling along and I was looking here and there perhaps I would see my four brothers in respect of whom I came to hunt in this jungle, till the light of the sun came down to all over the jungle when it was about nine o’clock and then I stopped. But when I felt to eat and there was nothing inside my hunting bag to eat. I started to look for a small animal to be killed. After a while I came across a small porcupine and I shot it to death at once. I made a fire and I roasted it in it and I ate the whole of it at a time because it was fatty. After I ate the porcupine to my satisfaction, I began to think in mind whether to kill the whole of the wild animals first, which would be the great obstacles to me when I would be looking for my four brothers or to be looking for my brothers first, before I would come back to these wild animals or to be looking for where the pigmies were living in this jungle first before I would come back to kill those wild animals. Because I ought to do all these three works—“To see that I kill the whole of the wild animals. To see that I kill the whole of the pigmies who were detaining many hunters or to drive them away from this jungle and the third work was to see that I bring my four brothers back to my town, because I had promised my people and the people of my town to do these three works before I left them for this jungle.”

After a while it came to my mind to see that I killed the whole of the wild animals first so that there would be no any obstacle for me when I would start to look for my brothers and the pigmies. But immediately I concluded this thought, to my fear there I saw that a very small round hill which was at a little distance from me, splitted or parted into two suddenly and at
the same moment a heavy black smoke was rushing out in large quantity. When I saw this again I feared greatly and I started to take all my things and then to leave there at once. But I was unable to take the whole of them when I saw that this smoke had covered the whole of that area and I could not see well as before. And as I was running along just to go out of this smoke, because I believed that no doubt something which was dangerous would come out of it very soon. As I was mistakingly dashing to both trees and rocks and all these things were distopping me to go out of this fearful smoke in time, I did not know when several creeping plants were twisted to both my legs in such a way that I fell down heavily unexpectedly. My gun, cudgels and cutlass were sprung away from me. But as I was hastily trying to take myself away from these ropes and then to
continue
to be running away for my life as before, there I saw a huge man appearing from this thick smoke and he was coming to me direct and I was greatly feared immediately I saw him.

This huge man was one of the “obstacles” of this jungle. He was one of the strongest and the most cruel pigmies who were keeping watch of the jungle always. His work was to be
bringing
any hunter or anyone who came to the jungle, to the town of the pigmies, for punishment. And indeed this huge pigmy was the “obstacle” of this jungle because he was too cruel and fearful. He was so huge and short that if he stood at a distance you could not believe that he was a living creature but the stump of a mighty tree. Each of his fingers was as big as a big plantain and it was permanently slightly curved. His arms were very long and thick. He had a big half fall goitre on his neck and he had a very big belly which, whenever he was going or running along, would be shaking here and there and sounding heavily.

Before he reached the place that I was held up by the ropes or the creeping plants, I had taken these creeping plants away from my legs and I had taken my gun, cudgels and my cutlass
and then I continued to run away as before. As he was chasing me along to catch and when his palms were touching me slightly, then I started to run to left. But to my surprise there I saw him at my front, he was laughing and coming to me. When I saw him that he did so I ran to my right perhaps I would be saved. But to my fear again I saw “obstacle” with heavy cudgel in hand and he appeared at my front and before I could do anything which could prevent me from him again he had held me and given me several slaps on both ears. Having done that for a few minutes then he mercilessly flung me away. And I dashed to a big tree which was near by and my head hit this tree so heavily that I was unable to stand up for some minutes.

When I believed that he had already caught me and I could not run away from him any more so I prepared to wait and fight with him to the last point. Although I could not conquer him but when I remembered that—“Adebisi is lazy to fight but she has a bold sister who is helping her to fight her enemies” and that was my “shakabullah” gun, then I became brave again. Therefore, at the same time I leaned my gun and the poisonous cudgels on the tree under which I was going to fight him. After that I told him loudly and without fear that he should come along and I was ready to fight with him and he came to me with the intention that he would easily kill me within a few seconds.

We first wrestled for about fifteen minutes. And each time that he was flinging me away with great anger, to his surprise, I was standing up and gripping him before my feet were touching the ground. He raised me very high and he flung me to a rock, with the intention that I would die at the same time, but I hastily held his big goitre when I was about to hit that rock, but both of us were slightly hit the rock instead, of course none of us had any injury. Within a few minutes we had scattered
away all the dried leaves and refuses of that spot with our feet. After a while I became tired but “obstacle” did not. When I had no more power I loosened both my hands away from his body by force and then I ran to where I leaned the gun and I shot him unexpectedly. But to my surprise and fear was that my “shakabullah” gun simply sounded—“shaka—bul—laha” but I saw no where the gun-shots hit him.

When he saw that I shot him, he stood on one place, he was looking and laughing at me and this showed me that he was thinking in mind that I believed my gun was a harmful thing which could harm him, because he looked at the gun as if it was a mere stick. Again, as he was still looking on, I ran to the tree on which I leaned the two poisonous cudgels, I took one and with all my power I beat “obstacle” with it, for I thought the poison of this cudgel would kill him. But to my surprise this cudgel simply broke into several pieces instead to kill or make him powerless, and he was still greatly laughing at me.