About The Man Who Never Died

Chapter Six

The saying was popular that a child would find solace in his mother's land when he was troubled by his kinsmen. One of the things that people never joked with was their daughter. A man could go extra mile to protect the offsprings of his daughter. Also, the cry of a daughter melted the soul, even the heart of a stubborn king, whether it was the heart of Attah of Igala or the clan heads among the riverside peoples. And the cry of a grandchild would be seen as that of the daughter too.

When Ezocha became popular in his hunting expedition and farming, his mother decided that it was time for her to make him understand the special person and uniqueness in him. She took him to her family in Idah land, and there he stayed for several moon periods, learning their charms and magical powers and the mysteries of immortality. Ugwoji contracted her kinsmen known as Eze Igala people, to come and establish for her son a powerful spiritual deity that would make him immortal.

Prior to their coming to Ogrute, Ezocha’s palace, for such spiritual exercise and traditional establishment, it was allegedly said across different towns that they had gone to perform same ritual for other dynasties. When they finally came to Ogrute, Ezocha, in his wisdom, painstakingly waited for them to finish everything pertaining to the rites for him. They got drunk, fed and entertained beyond expectation, and opened up the secrets of such powers. The only question Ezocha asked them was whether the chief priest used the tortoise' food to cook for him.

“What do you mean?” The chief priest asked, shooting him an unusual look.

“The tortoise won't thank you enough for cooking for him the food that he is too familiar with... Just drink, I want to entertain you so that you will never complain of my inhospitable attitude when you go back to the ancient kingdom," he avoided their question.

“Thank you very much. The sons of Ezike Oba are filled with wit and wisdom," they all chorused and continued with their merriment.

If they actually recovered themselves after he had made them drunk, that would be in the land of the spirit for they never stepped out of that land to go back again. They lost their secret bag to Ezocha who became powerful and even more popular among his kinsmen and across neighbouring clans. His cows and horses grew in numbers and he was feared and revered. Even Enwe, his deity, had its fame spread across towns and villages. It was ascribed to his name as Enwe-Ezocha, and killed any living thing every year, either human or animal that first saw the head of a ram used for its yearly sacrifice by its cult members of selected few. Ezocha became a powerful warrior in the land and outside. He travelled to distant villages to wage war against enemies and never lost any battle.

There came a time when there was darkness in the land. The people who believed and thought that the children of Ezike Oba were strong and indestructible would have been astonished to learn of the misfortune that befell the messenger of the Onyishi, the eldest man in Elugwu-Ezike, as he was returning from a long trip where he had been sent to broker peace with the king of a distant land whose land shared boundary with theirs. Upon Nwankwo’s return from the errand, his horse was seized by some men who had followed him from the palace. The set of young men who, obviously, were driven by youthful exuberance, acted against everything their king preached.

When the news came, it was night already. It left the people dumbfounded and was equivalent to throwing insulting words at the ofo, the staff of justice of the land. Ezocha was made restless by this sad news. How could they have committed such an atrocity against his people, just few days to his father’s funeral ceremony? What would he tell his friends that he had invited from the neighbouring lands?

He ran out from his hut and rushed into his sacred forest; after sometime, he came out fully armed with his warring instruments and a locally weaved shield. In ancient time, people or rulers went to war for many reasons: they might have sought to add to their land or wanted a protective barrier from a neighbors' attacks. War was a frequent, or even an ever present, social phenomenon that they engaged in every now and then. As a matter of fact, in those days, whenever his people went to their farms they went in a group with each person armed to the teeth in order to give a good account of himself if attacked, as was often the case, either from a neighboring Igbo community, or from Igala or Idoma nations.

He dressed his horse and fed it with water for strength that was needed, he stood in front of it, facing the track going to the mountain. Ezocha was a sweet humble natured man, but was fierce looking when he was angry, as he was that day. He had a full beard that was blessed with gray. Though a true hero and warrior, he was also a poet and hunter; a formidable combination. His wit endeared him to beautiful maidens from different lands; a feat that feeble-minded men did not achieve. His body cast a shadow on the ground as he stood and was lost in deep thought, he mounted his horse and rode off, the fire he held in his left hand providing light for him. The night was thick and dead with silence, only the ceaseless wind whistled and hissed, only the night could break into the thoughts of what he wanted to do to those people who seized their horse. The horse ran in the darkness amidst silence, but it was only Ezocha's mouth which was quiet, because his mind was speaking plenty, thousands of words... 'I have never lost a battle in my life time and never will,' his mind was saying as he cast a skeptical glance heavenward as though seeking for approval from a super being to forge with his plan. He sighted from afar and saw flames glowing; the battle line had been drawn. He had just seen the cowards who didn’t fear the sons of Ezike-Oba. His face puckered in rage. He beat his chest four times as he mused the four week days: Nkwo, Eke, Orie, Afor.

“The son of Ezike, Ezocha, does not get lost in a foreign land! Never! Ezocha’s dynasty doesn’t lose a battle… stop and fight me!” he roared at the enemy. He heard steps drawing closer to him while another step was going away down the trail. He drew out his ancient sword that his father’s business partner from Nsukka got him from their blacksmiths. He jumped down from the horse in a move that was as swift as it was brave for a warrior. He smiled at the head that was rolling on the rock like an orange. He threw the sword backward and it went deep into another man’s stomach. As he was fighting, a cobra was wiping his footsteps to get his enemies confused about his whereabouts.

He mounted his horse again and rode after three men who ran northwards towards a hill. Racing off the polished surfaces of the strong mountain, he climbed higher and higher. The horse was getting tired and he kicked it with both legs to lever it to run faster. He fired his spear at the huge man among them and his archery was reinforced as the man fell down immediately. He ran towards him, bending from the horse, and with his left hand he drew out the beautifully carved spear from his chest and used the sword in his right hand to slay his throat. He went to the other persons; the older man with white beards, and the other, fair-skinned who looked much younger. He came down and made the horse to stop. Despite the darkness of the night that obscured sight, he could see up through the light provided by the moon.

Edoga, the most elderly and well respected of the enemy camp, on seeing Ezocha, ran his tongue over the remains of his teeth. He was obviously angry that he had lost others in battle. However, he would not bulge for a stubborn fly followed a smelling corpse to the grave. He was gap-toothed but the new gap was unfamiliar where the first upper molar had fallen out, only the left side of his mouth could still chew. He brought out a hidden substance and drank for magical reinforcement.

Ezocha sniffed, “Where did a toothless warrior as you find honour in such? l*****g a substance in a battle front for magical powers to fight? You lack bravery. Come and face me!”

“You are afraid to fight me I can see already," Edoga roared breathlessly.

“You i***t! You bet I will fight you to the finish and take your skull home," Ezocha boasted, beating his chest hard repeatedly, so hard that someone at a far distance could hear the sound. “I am going to drink palm wine with your skull!”

“You will never use that ugly mouth of yours to insult me again, for in no time, its ability to speak will be taken away," Edoga countered angrily, his chest heaving with eagerness.

Ezocha came close to him, dropped his weapons and hit his head against his and with this Edoga fell flat, he must have recovered in another world. Fear gripped the other person who remained, and he surrendered voluntarily. Dizziness was all over him as Ezocha came closer to him.

“You don’t need to fight for cowards, follow me.”

“I..I..I will be glad to be your servant forever," he stuttered pleadingly.

The fight stayed on untill Ezocha killed all of them and then pursued their commander who ran to the king’s palace. Fear gripped the land and the palace on his arrival, as his story of bravery and immortality was revered across many lands and cultures. Five people who tried to fire arrows at him in the palace died instantly by bee sting; their efforts and attempts were futile. This made the king hand over the war commander who had escaped to him. He had the commander mount one of the horses immediately and was about to go when the king turned to him.

'‘For so many years,’' the king said, ‘'I have been training these guards, and my first son is lost in this battle. Why have you taken all I ever loved? My ancestors, what do you want from me? Ezocha, the son of Ugwoji, it would have been better for you to have slept with my wives than kill the heir apparent to my throne…’'

'‘Tufia! Tufia!! Ogili my father, I did not hear that. We don’t sleep with people’s wives. We are honourable men,’' Ezocha objected. The king respected him and knew he was telling the truth even though it was said sarcastically. He blinked in deep thought, listening to him and watching him humble their commander. He had the commander’s head put inside his bag when he left for Elugwu-Ezike and mounted his horse, and then he commanded the same man whose life he had spared, to ride the other horse that he had gotten back. He gave him the name ‘Ugwu’ meaning, mountain, because he met him on top of a mountain. A feast was thrown in honour of Ezocha upon his arrival back home. Ugwu became his servant.

The funeral ceremony of Ogili was the talk of the land as different musical troupes and orchestra groups were present. The ancient musical group of the wealthy class, Okanga, was present to perform for the ceremony while a horse was killed. Okanga was a powerful musical group as much as a spiritual one too. It was originally a war song sung for warriors, but it performed at the funerals of wealthy and powerful men. The dance steps were only performed by lifting of hands. This showed fulfilment as a man, having killed a horse for his deceased father. The horse, it was believed, would be used by the deceased to transit from mortality to the world of immortality.

A cow was later killed specially for the observance of custom. Ezocha knelt down to recount all the brave acts and things he had done as a man. This custom, Mba Obonyi, was a fight of words to make a public show of one’s bravery, victory and affluence, within and outside the land, and the things done for the development of the community.

''I have never lost any battle all my life...'' Ezocha boasted and kept silent for a while. He looked up, stole a glance at Ugwu and continued. ''I have captured the enemies alive in battle fields, not one, not two, but many of them, so many of them...'' His voice was rising with pride.

He recounted many of his escapades, in and out of Ezike Oba, to the admiration of noble men and women present. Those who were seen to be wimps only watched and wished they were the one.

Masquerades also came out to entertain the people. They were seen then as a form of entertainment. Umuada, married women, and then mature spinsters from the clan, sang songs and told folktales where they praised the deceased and his children individually.

Elugwu-Ezike used folktales and songs, both the ones performed during the day, and those performed at night, believed to be anchored by the spirits, to tell stories, communicate love and hatred, correct evils, sing praises, open up hidden secrets and chart a new cause for the betterment of their lands. Ezocha used the burial to register his name again in the sands of time for he was a man of the people and a man of culture as well.

Immediately after his father's funeral ceremony, he became a household name. This didn't come without envy from his close friends and clansmen. At one occasion when his mother was still alive, there was a conspiracy against him by some members of his umunna. Those were his clansmen who felt that he had become more famous and arrogant that he no longer respected the elders. It was only obvious, however, that they were just envious of his success and achievements.

One day, Ezocha had just killed an antelope with his spear, after an inspection at his farm where he planted yams. He sat by the corner on a log of palm tree to take his usual snuff. He brought out his snuff box gotten from a coconut’s hard shell, a mature ripe one was used in which the water was removed and the coconut inner flesh was allowed to dry for a full moon period or so. Afterwards, the dried inner flesh was removed and the coconut skull became snuff box, nkpo utaba. Ezocha brought out the snuff from it and poured on his left palm. He brought out his nzaka, a whip used by the elders to pursue flies and used also in cleaning up hands after meals. He threw it across his shoulder in a manner that seemed as though he had killed a fly. He normally did that when he was with his friends, and those friends of his knew that there were no flies to kill most of the time; however, he enjoyed handling it always. He poured the snuff into his half closed left palm, scooped it with his right hand fist and pushed it into his nose and repeated the same thing severally, sneezing all along. While he was at it, Obidike brought him some yam he had roasted at the farm, mixed with oil and pepper, he ate a small quantity and passed it across to Obidike. He cleaned his hands with his nzaka and mounted his horse afterwards while Obidike mounted the second horse and followed him. Before they got to his house, Ezocha met two young men on the way who informed him of an imminent danger that awaited him. Enemies had just entered the boundaries in search of him.

“Did you recognise the faces you saw?” Ezocha inquired.

“Sorry, our father, we did not," they responded.

“Thank you my children.” He brought out some cowries from his handbag that Obidike handed to him and gave them to the young men. He then hit his horse on the head and it jumped up and started running as he expected.

They followed a narrow path that led to his home. As he was walking, a baboon was roaring to scare enemies and attackers away, while a cobra appeared and cleared his footprints and that of his horse. This, they did anytime there was an imminent danger lurking. No sooner had they got to his hut than he entered his sacred forest and went straight to his olisa bag, the secret medicine bag that held the power of protection and vengeance. He opened the bag and unleashed the forces therein. Everywhere was set on commotion with bees, and before dusk, the news had gone viral that the enemies who came to attack Ezocha had all died as a result of the stings. All of them were stung by bees.