The Brave African Huntress Read online

  The Brave African Huntress

  Amos Tutuola

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  The Brave African Huntress

  But What About the Jungle of the Pigmies?

  Why I Inherited my Father’s Hunting Profession

  The Day that I Inherit my Father’s Hunting Profession

  Accidental Occurrence on the Way to the Jungle of the Pigmies

  How I Fought with “Odara” and Conquered Him in the Semi-jungle

  In the Ibembe Town

  I Became the Private Barber for the King of Ibembe Town

  Please, Lay Your Head on this Rock and Let me cut it off at Once!

  In the Jungle of the Pigmies

  The Animal that Died but his Eyes still Alive

  The Huge Stern Pigmy Captured Me

  My Life in the Town of the Pigmies​—​the Town Under the Rock

  The Hard Life of the Custody

  The Huntress is back to the Town and the Pigmies are in Danger

  The Kind Gorilla Saved Me from the Debris

  From the Jungle to the Bachelors’ Town

  In the Bachelors’ Town

  The Rolling and Talking Guord

  Back to the Jungle of the Pigmies

  Good-bye to the Jungle of the Pigmies

  About the Author

  By the Same Author

  Copyright

  The Brave African Huntress

  I Adebisi, the African huntress, will first relate the adventure of my late father, one of the ancient brave hunters, in brief:

  My father was a brave hunter in his town. He had hunted in several dangerous jungles which the rest hunters had rejected to enter or even to approach because of fear of being killed by the wild animals and harmful creatures of the jungle.

  My father had killed thousands of the wild animals and wonderful animals which were no more seen or which were not known to us nowadays. And he had fought and conquered uncountable curious creatures as—elves, genii, goblins, demons, imps, gnomes, etc., whose homes were in these jungles.

  He had plenty of super-natural powers and his gods were countless. All these gods were occupied a half part of his house. They were always making fearful noises in both day and night in both house and in the compound. In respect of the fearful attitudes of his gods, his friends and neighbours who were not brave enough could not enter his house whenever he went to hunt in the jungle.

  Whenever my father was preparing to go and hunt in the jungle, before he would go he would first make several kinds of sacrifices. He would kill many goats for his gods, he would sacrifice a large number of cocks and plenty of palm oil to the witches—those old and weary mothers who were sleeping always in the dark rooms—the windowless and unventilated rooms which surrounded the compound. These old and weary mothers were so old and weary that they never attempted to come out from the rooms more than ten years ago. They were also protecting my father from the wild animals, etc., etc. And countless dogs would be sacrificed to the god of iron the very day that he would leave for the jungle.

  But What About the Jungle of the Pigmies?

  But there was still one jungle which was called—The Jungle of the Pigmies. This jungle was the most dreadful of all the jungles which were not so far from the town. The Jungle of the Pigmies was at a distance of about one hundred miles from the town. It was in this jungle the pigmies who were supposed to be the owners of it were living. The jungle was the home of all the wild animals and the most harmful creatures which were not found in the rest jungles. There the home of the wonderful birds which had the voices similar to that of the human being. There the home of the head of all snakes—the boa constrictor.

  Thousands of hunters from the different parts of the towns who had gone to hunt in this jungle never returned. Once a person entered this jungle would not be seen again.

  There were so many kinds of fruit-trees which the people preferred to eat always. And under the ground of this jungle, there were metals as brass, copper, etc., with which the people were making trays, bowls, gods, idols. They were also making the cutlasses, knives, hoes, etc., from the iron which were dug out from there. All these things were attracting the people to force themselves to go there as well.

  My father had four sons before I was born, but one day, when they went to this jungle to fetch for one of the metals, they were not seen again. Whether they were killed by the wild animals, etc., or they were detained by the pigmies nobody could say, but this was a great sorrow to my father.

  As a great number of the people were perishing in this jungle every year, then the people of about fifty towns made a meeting between themselves to go there and kill all the wild animals, etc., and all the pigmies. They thought that if they did so perhaps there would be no more fear and the people or hunters might be able to go there as they liked. And they went there as they resolved but the pigmies drove them away and thousands of them were taken as prisoners by the pigmies. So as from that day there was no one of them who attempted to go near this jungle again. Of course all hunters believed that the pigmies were living in there but they did not know the real part of it in which they were living.

  As the only four sons whom my father had, had perished or were detained by the pigmies. Therefore, his ambition was always to go and hunt in this dreadful jungle, after the rest hunters had already shunned there, perhaps he might be able to find out his four sons.

  So one day, he invited all the hunters to his house. He told them that he was going to the Jungle of the Pigmies. But it was a great surprise and fear to those hunters to hear like that from my father. They advised him not to go back to this jungle but he did not follow their advice at all.

  After several days travel with much difficulties he reached this jungle. He killed many wild animals, he fought with many other harmful creatures and he conquered them. But when uncountable pigmies attacked him and they did not allow him to travel as far as he wished in this jungle perhaps he might come across his sons, then he took some of the animals which he killed and he returned to the town. But it was a great surprise to the people of the town to see him returned safely. As from that time he was going to hunt in this jungle regularly. But he was still in great sorrow because as he was going there he did not see any trace of his sons at all. At last when he became old he stopped to go and hunt in this jungle again. Then all the hunters of the town and from the various towns installed him the head of hunters, because he was only the hunter who was brave enough to hunt in the Jungle of the Pigmies.

  Why I Inherited my Father’s Hunting Profession

  I was eight years old when my father retired from his hunting profession. After he had retired, he leaned his “shakabullah” gun on his god of iron. He hung his hunting bag, cutlass, his wearing super-natural powers and all his hunting dresses before his god of iron as well. Then he invited all the hunters and a big ceremony was performed. So since that day he became a farmer. He was planting his food as yam, cassava, corn, pepper, etc. But as he was the head of all the hunters who were always coming to his house for advices about the wild animals, dangerous creatures, etc. So whenever those hunters were coming to his house, they were coming there with many smoked small animals which they killed in the jungle and they would give them to him as presents and thus they were giving him the animals every day.

  He loved me so much that he did not like me to go far from him at any moment because he had no other daughter or son.

  As I was then eight years of age, so I could decide within myself anything that a person might tell me in the indirect way. For the help of this, so one day, as I was playing about in the town and when a woman who sat at the front of her house
saw me, she did not know the time that she said loudly—“Oh, sorry, if Adebisi’s four brothers had not died in the Jungle of the Pigmies, one of them would inherit or take over now their father’s hunting profession which will soon die away from their generation!”

  When I overheard like that from this woman, I stopped to play along with the other children but I ran back home with sorrow. Although before I overheard like that from this woman, I had seen several clothes in my father’s room which were blonged to young men. But whenever I asked from my father that who were the owners of these clothes, he would sighed greatly instead to tell me that the clothes were blonged to my brothers, his four sons, who had gone to the Jungle of the Pigmies and not returned.

  When I overheard from this woman and when I ran back home, I sat closely to my father. Then I was thinking seriously in my mind whether my father had had another sons before I was born. But when my father and mother noticed that I sat down and became serious unexpectedly, they asked from me that what was wrong with me, but I replied that there was nothing wrong with me, I did not tell them the fact.

  One day, when the fresh corn and yam were just out, I followed my father to his farm. When it was about twelve o’clock, when the half-day’s work was ended, he roasted plenty of fresh corn and yams. As we were eating them, I asked from him whether he had had four sons before I was born because a few days ago I overheard from a woman said so.

  When my father heard like that from me he groaned for a few minutes and then he explained to me that he had had four sons before I was born but all of them had gone to the Jungle of the Pigmies and not returned since then. He said further that he could not say definitely whether they were killed by the wild animals of that jungle or they were in the custody of the pigmies.

  After my father had explained to me like that and I confirmed that it was true I had had four senior brothers before. So I told him at the same time that when I grew old enough I would go to that jungle to fight the pigmies until I would see that I conquered them and then I would bring my four brothers back to you if they were still alive.

  But when my father heard like that from me he laughed greatly for a few minutes. After that he said—“Even a brave huntsman could not travel as far as he wished in this jungle before the wild animals or a number of the pigmies would kill him how much more for a young lady like you (myself) who could not even reach the jungle before the wild animals will kill her without any trouble!” When my father explained to me like that with laugh, I told him again that I would first kill all of the wild animals before I would start to find where the pigmies were living in the jungle. I told him as well that before I would attempt to go to the jungle I would see that I had already become a good huntress, and I would inherit his hunting profession. But my father did not believe me when I promised to do so.

  Instead he explained further that there was in this jungle, a kind of a wonderful animal which he had never come across since when he had been hunting. He told me that this wonderful animal had about sixteen horns on forehead. Each of the horns was about six feet long and very thick, and sharp at the end. All these horns were faced its front accurately. He said that this animal had a kind of two fearful eyes which had a kind of powerful light. The ray of the light was round and was moving along with this animal as it was going along. The light of the eyes never quenched at any time but it (light) could not travel far. He told me further that there was a kind of a boa constrictor which was so fearful and powerful that he never attempted once to shoot it till he stopped hunting. And he told me as well about several kinds of creatures which were made this jungle more dangerous.

  As I had heard the full story of my four brothers from my father so I did not fear at all to go to this jungle. So after a few days, I started to practise hunting. I was setting ropes in the bush for small animals. When I was perfect in that, then I started to stone at birds and squirrels which were in a far distance or on high trees. After I became perfect in that again, I bought a very small gun. This gun was so light that I was easily carrying it about with me. In a few years time I became perfect in shooting. After that I started to learn all the characteristics of the wild animals and about other harmful creatures.

  When I became perfect in all these things and when I became fifteen years old. One day, I told my father frankly that I wanted to go and hunt in the Jungle of the Pigmies. But he was first greatly shocked immediately he heard like that from me and at the same moment he said loudly—“Oh, no wonder that you have started to practise hunting since when you were eight years of age!” and he did not tell me whether to go or not. But a few days later, I told him again about this jungle but yet he rejected my request after he had explained to me that as I was a lady therefore I could not go and hunt in either bush or forest or jungle. He said further that the hunting profession blonged to men only.

  But when I became eighteen years of age, and when he noticed that I was not as happy as before I began to tell him to allow me to go to the jungle, then he agreed. But he told me that before I would go, I must first inherit the hunting profession from him. He explained that the day I would inherit the profession there would be a great ceremony. All hunters and the people of the town would be invited to the ceremony. When he agreed to my request I was so happy that I told him at the same time that I would go to the jungle in five days’ time.

  The Day that I Inherit my Father’s Hunting Profession

  The son of thief inherits “thieving”.

  The son of poor man inherits “poverty”.

  The son of lazy man inherits “laziness”.

  The son of rich man inherits “wealth”.

  The son of philosopher inherits “philosophy”.

  The son of hunter inherits “gun, etc.”

  so the “poverty”, “misery”, “wretchedness”, and

  “sorrow” shall never finish in the generation

  that there is no “perseverance”.

  Therefore, I was going to inherit my father’s hunting profession, although I was a lady. Before that day was reached my father had made the necessary arrangement. And it was hardly early in the morning of the day that I was leaving for the Jungle of the Pigmies, when several thousands of hunters with their “shakabullah” guns came to my father’s house in respect of the “inheritance” of his hunting profession and in respect of my leaving for the jungle that day and almost all the people of the town came to my father’s house as well just to witness this ceremony. Everyone was supplied with food and all kinds of drinks as well.

  When it was one o’clock p.m. prompt, and after the whole of those hunters, etc., had eaten and drunken to their entire satisfaction, then my father presented his hunting dress, hunting-bag, cutlass, “shakabullah” gun, jujus, gods, etc., to me and I knelt down and took them from him. After that I wore the hunting dress, I put the gun and the hunting-bag on my left shoulder, I put the big native cap on head, and I put the jujus on my waist and fingers. After I did all these things I knelt down before those hunters. As they were praying for me that—“Though you are a lady and you are still young to go and hunt in the Jungle of the Pigmies, but as you are going there or volunteer your life to go there for the benefit of this town and others, however you come across difficulties in the jungle, you will come back to us as your father had done!” those people who were not hunters, my mother, sisters, friends, etc., were weeping bitterly. All were telling me not to attempt to go and hunt in this jungle, because they thought that I would not be able to return. But I did not listen to them, because I had become wild at the same moment that I had put on the hunting dress and jujus.

  Having prayed before my father’s gods—“to help me to return safely” then I first shot my gun into the sky just to show the crowd that I was ready to leave. After that I stood in attention in the centre of the crowd and I announced loudly with sharp and fearless voice—“Now, old women, old men, young men and children, I am leaving you all this afternoon for the Jungle of the Pigmies! Though I am young and I am
a lady but for the benefit of our town and many others, I shall go there and I shall see that I kill or drive the whole pigmies away from that jungle and I shall see that I kill the whole wild and wonderful animals of that jungle before I will come to you or to die in the jungle if I cannot bring back those hunters, etc., who were in the custody of the pigmies for a long time. So, I thank you all for the warm affection you have on me. I pray to God to let us meet again. Good-bye to you all! good-bye!”

  Immediately I bade them “good-bye” and they too did so with great sorrow, then I started to go to the jungle. As I was going along the whole people were following me and the hunters were shooting their guns repeatedly. The people who were not hunters were telling me loudly—“Come back, don’t go to the Jungle of the Pigmies, it is a bad jungle!” but I did not listen to them, I was just going on as hastily as I could. The whole of the crowd, my father, mother, sisters and friends followed me until I left the town before they went back from me with their hands which were waving to me with sorrow until I was vanished to their view.

  It was like that I left my town and my people and started to go to this jungle.

  It was the “Day of New Creation” which was Thursday, that I left my town for this jungle.

  Accidental Occurrence on the Way to the Jungle of the Pigmies

  After the crowd had gone back from me and as the “snail never leave his shell behind whenever he is going on journey”. Therefore I stopped on the roadside I took out all the jujus which were inside the hunting bag, just to make sure whether they were there. But it was a great pity that the “drunkard had forgotten poverty”. I had forgotten the most important of all my jujus at home. I did not remember to take it back after the sacrifice had given to it. And I forgot that I would need the help of it throughout my journey.