Free The Witch-Herbalist of the Remote Town by Amos Tutuola Page B

going to use it for a purpose when I returned from my journeys.
    But when I explained to her like that, and especially when she heard from me that I was a townsman, she shifted her wild and fearful eyes from me and directed them wildly onto the old man of the mountain, who sat next to her. Then she pointed her left hand to me as she started to say thus: “You see, the Old Father,” the Old Father was the chairman of the court, “I wonder, there is none of the men of the towns who is agreed that he has made a mistake! You see this one now, the Old Father, he has not agreed that he had stolen the strange round thick shadow! All of the townspeople take themselves to be the wisest of all, either wild people of the wild jungles or other wild beings! You see now, in his statements , he said that he was going to the Witch-Herbalist’s town, the Remote Town which is as far as heaven from his town! Nobody knows why he is going to the Witch-Herbalist, though in his statements he said that his wife is barren! So this proves that the townspeople are never satisfied with what their creator has given to them, but they are wandering about both day and night seeking for the treasures which their creator has not given to them! They are stealing the wild people’s property! You see, the Old Father, the chairman of the court, this one has denied totally now that he had not stolen the thick shadow, which is our transport!”
    Thus the judge or the Long-Breasted Mother of the Mountain , reminded the Old Father, who was chairman of the court, with great annoyance as she pointed her left hand to me. But I feared and was greatly surprised as soon as the wild mother with long breasts began to tell some of the behaviour of the townspeople to the Old Father. This Old Father began to become active or alive gradually. At first, he began to breathe in and out, then he began to wink faintly, again, he lifted hishead up from his old and huge armed chair on which he had been seated since he was brought onto the block of stone by the thick shadow.
    Later, as the allegations which the wild mother or judge was telling him about me and about the townspeople as a whole were going more deeply, it was so every part of the Old Father’s body became more alive and active. And towards the end of the allegations this Old Father, who was the chairman of the court, became alive and active completely, as if he had slept deeply and then woken up suddenly.
    Then as soon as he had become alive and active completely, he stood up from the block of stone, he first shook away from his body all the dust which was on every part of it for a number of months. After that, he made a number of whiffs out of the long smoking pipe which was in his mouth for a number of months. After that, he stretched every member of his body thoroughly. Having done that, he walked firmly up and down in the large hall which was the court. After that, he shook hands with some members of the court with greetings and laughter, as if he had just returned from somewhere. Then he came back to his seat.
    As soon as he sat down on his usual old and huge armed chair which was on top of the block of stone, he chatted with the Long-Breasted Mother and also with the president of the court who sat at the left. Then he returned his eyes to me and told me with a sharp voice, as he pointed one of his fingers to me: “Yes, all days are for thief to steal but one day is for the owner of the property to catch him!”
    Then the Old Father continued to support the Mother or judge: “Yes, I believe all you have said about the townspeople. They are not satisfied with all the benefits which their creator had given them, but they are still wandering about both day and night in search of more treasures. Many of them who have attained contentments from their creator have left the contentments behind, but are seeking for uncontentments from one place to another throughout all their days! All thosewho are rich among them are