Free The Village Witch Doctor and Other Stories by Amos Tutuola

house which was near the stream. He gave him food, and after the boy had rested for some minutes. Tortoise, the Jungle Drummer, asked, ‘Why were you so careless as to enter the stream which had a strong torrent like that?’
    ‘It was the night which was near that forced me to enter the stream, though I saw that it rushed strongly. I did not want to sleep in the jungle,’ Rere explained to the Jungle Drummer.
    ‘But what did you come to do in this jungle which is full of wild beasts, a small boy like you?’ the Jungle Drummer asked with wonder.
    ‘I came to hunt in this jungle,’ replied Rere, dejected.
    ‘Have you not been advised by your father not to come and hunt in the jungle?’ the Jungle Drummer asked calmly.
    ‘Of course, my father warned me not to come,’ Rere explained clearly. ‘He even bought many rams and goats for me just to practise hunting at, instead of going to hunt in the jungle or bush. But I did not know at that time that he was saving me from harm. And at last, when he noticedthat I did not pay heed to his advice, he left me to myself.’
    Then, when Tortoise, the Jungle Drummer, asked more questions of Rere, the boy put all his father’s advice into song and he sang it to Tortoise:
    Rere, the son of Oluwo.
    My father bought animals.
    He told me to learn shooting at them, but I refused.
    I said, it is in the bush and jungle of buffalo and elephant that I will go and practise hunting.
    And when the torrent took me, I became Tortoise’s slave.
    When Rere sang like that with a lovely voice, Tortoise, the Jungle Drummer, was so impressed by the song that he stood up suddenly and danced up and down happily for some minutes. ‘Oh, yes, this boy is a very good singer. He has a good and lovely voice. Now I will not allow him to leave me, but I shall be adding his lovely song and voice to my playing whenever people invite me to come and play my drum for them.’ Tortoise, the Jungle Drummer, thought this to himself.
    Fortunately for the Jungle Drummer, at the time he rescued Rere from the stream and took him to his house, it remained only twelve days to the time when the king of Tortoise’s town would give sacrifice to his head. And Tortoise , the Jungle Drummer, was one of the drummers that the king had invited to come and beat their drums at the big ceremony connected with the sacrifice.
    So, before the day was reached, Tortoise carved a big tree into a huge drum with many small holes around its body. The drum was so light that a person could hold it up easily with one hand, and it was so roomy that it easily accommodated such a small boy as Rere.
    When Tortoise, the Jungle Drummer, had completed the drum, just to test it, he put Rere in it and sealed both ends with strong leather of antelope. Then he told Rere to sing his usual song.
    As Rere started to sing his song, and the Jungle Drummer or Tortoise started to beat the drum to the song, both were so lovely and fascinating that those who were near there started to dance here and there until they were exhausted.
    Having tested the drum and Rere’s song, and seeing that both were extremely fascinating, Tortoise believed that the other drummers could not beat him. As soon as Rere came out from the drum, Tortoise ran to the king and boasted before him, ‘Your worship, the king. I, Tortoise, the Jungle Drummer, shall beat my wonderful drum and sing an enchanting song in an impressive way, so that you will stand up from your seat and dance with great joy on the day and in the night that you are sacrificing to your head, though people have not seen you dancing before.’
    ‘You, Tortoise, the Jungle Drummer? But how will your drum and song be so impressive and fascinating that they will make me dance? How many times have you seen me dancing since I have become king? Eh, tell me, Tortoise, the Jungle Drummer?’
    ‘I assure you, king, you will stand up and dance merrily on the day you are sacrificing to your head,’ the Jungle Drummer confirmed