OMENUKO by Pita Nwana - Chapter eight

~~~~ CHAPTER EIGHT ~~~~ CONCERNING THE PEOPLE OMENUKO SOLD

    Omenuko knew a certain man in our land whose name was Igwe. He was a market trader, good-looking and well-behaved. So Omenuko sent a message to invite this Igwe to come and see him. When the message reached Igwe, he got up quickly and started out, so he could go and find out why Omenuko was summoning him. When he reached Omenuko's house, he entertained him very well. In the evening, Omenuko said to him, "Igwe, my friend, the reason that I sent for you is really very important to me; it disturbs my sleep constantly.  Since you are not a stranger to our land, of course you know what I did which was bad--a terrible thing in our land. Please, I want to find out, through you, if there is some way I can trace all those people I sold."

    Then Omenuko and Igwe met together privately. The two of them made a covenant and took an oath. Omenuko then quoted a proverb to Igwe, saying, "The bow that shoots the small bird should be rewarded with twenty arrows." Its meaning was that if anyone should find a way to locate those people, whatever that person wanted to be given to him he, Omenuko, would give it. Igwe then said to Omenuko, "Do not fear, God is alive, according to educated people."

    They then killed the goat they had used in making their covenant, divided it, ate some of it, and took the remainder to their homes. Igwe told Omenuko that he would look for some information, and if he found something he would let Omenuko know. Omenuko told him that was good, and he went home. But Igwe already knew where two of the people who had been sold were living. One who was their half-brother lived in the house of Mr. Oji in Aru Ulo. The other also lived in Aru Ulo but the name of the person who bought him was not known. Igwe tried to find out where the others lived, but was unsuccessful at that time. He soon returned  after that journey, went to his friend Omenuko, and related to him that he had found two of the people in the group. Omenuko then asked him, "Please, what are the names of those people?" Igwe said, "Obioha, your brother, is one; he lives in Mr. Oji's house. Another is Elebeke Okoro, but I do not know which house he lives in."

    Omenuko then said, "My friend Igwe, it is not only a matter of your begging those people to agree that I should buy back those people as I said before, but rather what I promised you was based on your persevering and discovering where every one of them was." Omenuko also said to Igwe, "I will tell you now that the promise I made was a real one." Omenuko then entered his house, took money from a kerchief, came out, and counted out to his friend Igwe ten pounds, telling him that it was five pounds for each person. He said, "When you find out where the others are, come and tell me and get five pounds from me until they are all found, if you possibly can."

    Omenuko then asked Igwe the times when Bianko, Agbagwu, and Oge Nta markets would be held. He told him the times of each. Omenuko then said to Igwe, "You can go home, but keep a watchful eye out." Igwe then thanked him and left. When Igwe had gone, Omenuko called his brothers, told them what had happened, and they rejoiced.

    Omenuko then asked his brothers, "Who will go and ask Mr. Oji how much I must pay him in order to buy back my kinsman Obioha? Also, Mr. Oji can direct that person to the house where Elebeke Okoro lives, in order to ask the master of that house how much I must pay for Elebeke." Nwabueze said that he would go. So Omenuko selected other men in addition to Nwabueze and told them to prepare for the day when he would tell them to start out.  Omenuko then started to count out the days for the journey according to what Igwe had told him.  He told Nwabueze which day they would start out so that they should not meet travelers on the road.

    But there was one thing that Igwe forgot to tell Omenuko, which was that the market was no longer being held at Bende and had been transferred to Ozuakoli. Another thing was that earlier it had been Bianko that had the big market rather than Agbagwu, but now Agbagwu had the big market rather than Bianko. Omenuko did not know about these events, so he counted the day when the traveling toward Bianko market should start, and also counted that of Agbagwu and that of Oge Nta. Therefore he miscalculated the day he expected Bianko market to open, as it was not at Bianko but at Agbagwu. Because of what Igwe had told him, he sent out Nwabueze and the others at the time he thought the road would be quiet, but it was not as he thought, because Nwabueze met travelers on the road, asked them which market they had gone to, and they told him, "Bianko."  Nwabueze then asked those travelers, "Is it not Agbagwu? that will be held sixteen days from now?" They replied, "No, on the contrary, it is Oge Nta." This surprised Nwabueze.

    They then looked for a house where they could rest and think. While they were thinking of what to do, Nwabueze learned from the local residents that the market times had been changed around and that Agbagwu held the big market rather than Bianko now. But when they had left home, they thought they had started their journey between Agbagwu and Oge Nta markets; they did not know that it was between Bianko and Oge Nta that they had started. They therefore stayed in that town, which was Ugwu Aku, waiting for the travelers to finish going through. They stayed three days in Ugwu Aku until the travelers had gone through, and then  resumed their journey. When they reached Bende, Nwabueze thought that he would not recognize the road, so he looked for two people in Bende to carry their loads for them. But you know that it was not really for carrying heavy loads that Nwabueze wanted those Bende people--rather he wanted people who could lead them to Aru Ulo.

    These two people then led Nwabueze and his people to Aru Ulo. Anyone who is an Aro but goes to live in another village is sure to have an obi [man's house] to call his own in Aru Ulo. Because of this, Nwabueze wanted to go to their compound, but he remembered that bad thing his brother, Omenuko, had done against their kith and kin. He was then afraid to go into their compound. He then went to Mr. Oji and stayed in his house. But Obioha was not at home--they had gone to the Itu Agbanyim market. Nwabueze then told Mr. Oji that he was Omenuko's brother. He shouted loudly, "Whoa! Are you really his brother?" He then told him the story about his brother, Omenuko. He asked, in turn, "My friend Omenuko, is he alive?"

    Mr. Oji treated him very hospitably. When night came, Nwabueze said, "Mr. Oji, your friend Omenuko sent me to ask you about something of great importance to him, and that is whether you will allow him to buy back my kinsman Obioha. If you agree, name the price that he should pay you to get him back."  Mr. Oji then shouted  and said that it was Obioha whom he had made his chief servant because he was a person of humility, and  he was the one whom Mr. Oji trusted in everything. Nwabueze then said to him, "I am sure that is true, but you must realize that it is not only Obioha whom he wants to buy back. He also wants your help in finding out where the others he had sold are now living now." Mr. Oji then said, "Well! That will not be too difficult to do; the one called Elebeke lives in Ezuma's house; when the others are sought they will be found." Nwabueze said to Mr. Oji, "That will be your task, to accompany me to Ezuma's house and to tell him the same thing that I have told you." Mr. Oji agreed.

    Afterwards, Nwabueze asked him when they would go to Ezuma's house. Mr. Oji said it would be the next day. Nwabueze agreed, saying, "Let  it be tomorrow." But Mr. Oji went first to see Ezuma and asked his opinion on whether something like this should be done. Ezuma then said to Mr. Oji, "We must agree because these children are also our children. We ourselves who live at home and Aru people who live in other places are all united, and because of this must agree with our friend Omenuko, if he treats us well." He continued, "In addition, these are the times of the white man--if these children themselves want to go away, they can go, even if we do not agree that they should be bought back now. Perhaps it will cause trouble, and when they go home they will not pay any money at all."  Mr. Oji saw that Ezuma was right. He then asked him, "What do you think we should tell them to pay us?"  Ezuma replied, "It is only when a speaker starts to speak that you  know what you will reply to him." They left the matter there until the next day.

    Mr. Oji and Nwabueze got ready and went to Ezuma's house. After they had entered and exchanged morning greetings and eaten yam and performed the chalk ritual, Nwabueze began to speak, saying that it was Omenuko who had sent him to meet them and ask them to tell him what he needed to pay to buy back Obioha and Elebeke. The two men, Oji and Ezuma, said that they would confer privately and then make a reply. They went out and conferred quickly, returned and said that they should wait until tomorrow, and at that time perhaps Obioha, who had gone on a trip, would return; then they all would come to a unanimous decision and give their answer. Nwabueze replied that it was all right to let it wait until the next day.

    Obioha returned home in the evening and saw that his kinsman Nwabueze had come. He acted as though his kinsmen had not done anything bad to him at all. Obioha took his kinsman Nwabueze to his house, and while the two of them were conversing, Nwabueze related to Obioha the reason for his coming. Obiha was very happy to hear this kind of talk out of the mouth of his kinsman--whether or not the proposition would bear fruit, he was still happy.

    Obioha then told Nwabueze that Oti, another person who had been sold, had died during the past year from stomach disease, and that if he were to see Arisa he would not recognize him, because his leg was killing him. Nwabueze asked Obioha where Arisa lived, and he said, "He is living in Obinkita in this land."

    At that point, Mr. Oji summoned Obioha and he went to see him.  Mr. Oji related to him what his kinsman had said. Obioha said, "That's up to you--if it's all right with you, it will be all right with me."  Mr. Oji then said that when they saw Ezuma and Elebeke, they all would arrive at a unanimous decision. Obioha agreed. At daybreak they all met together in Mr. Oji's house and brought up the matter again. After they had spoken briefly, Mr. Oji and Ezuma and Obioha and Elebeke went out to confer. When they reached their meeting-place, Ezuma spoke a proverb, saying, "One to whom secret information has been revealed is joyful; but one who is accused, has he agreed?"  He also said, "You two people, Obioha and Elebeke, speak your thoughts." They then said that it was they who were their masters and owners, and they should say whether they agreed or not. Mr. Oji then said, "If your kinsman wants to buy you back, that is not a bad thing. Aru Elugwu and Aru Ulo are one and the same, and because of this we will agree." 

    They then returned to the meeting and told Nwabuze that they agreed and that he should tell Omenuko this. In addition, they would help him to obtain Arisa. Nwabueze then thanked them and returned to Obioha's house. The next day, Nwabueze went to Mr. Oji and Ezuma and said to them, "Please, tell me what Omenuko should pay you." They then consulted in private, came out, and told Nwabueze to tell Omenuko that those young men belonged to them and to him, and he himself knew how much they had paid him per person when he had sold those two people. Nwabueze returned to Obioha's house rejoicing because their discussions looked hopeful. The next day, Nwabueze returned home so he could go and tell Omenuko how far he had gotten in the matter of the people he had sold. When he reached home he related to Omenuko how he had fared on his journey. Joy filled Omenuko's heart. He thanked Nwabueze very much.

    Their journey had gone very well, but one thing had happened on the night they reached home--a snake had bitten Nwabueze. When he reached home, the snakebite was paining him badly. Because of this, Omenuko said to Okorafo, "Please, I don't want to wait. I beg you to take those people who first accompanied Nwabueze and return to Aru Ulo." Okorafo then agreed. Omenuko also told him, "When you arrive, go to Mr. Oji and pay him forty pounds and pay Ezuma forty pounds as well. You must also find the person whose house Arisa lives in and pay him forty pounds. You are not a child--try to find a way to obtain the others." Okorafo then got ready and started out, with the others who had accompanied Nwabueze the first time. Omenuko then brought in a certain herbalist, who gave Nwabueze medicine for his snake-bite.

    But when Okorafo and his people reached Ozuitem, the people of that town arrested them. These things happened at night, because Okorafo and his people were traveling at night more than in the afternoon. The Ozuitem people then said that Okorafo and his people had spoiled their Ekpe masquerade. Okorafo told them that he himself was a member of Ekpe. They said to him, "Come and show us the isi udo dance." Okorafo went with them and showed them what every Ekpe member can demonstrate. They then let him alone and said, "These people accompanying you--are they Ekpe members?" Okorafo said that those people had not entered Ekpe. They then said, "What can be done about them, because we are performing Ekpe?"  Okorafo told them that it was their decision. They then fined Okorafo five shillings for each of the four people accompanying him on that journey. The Ozuitem people then freed them, they passed through and traveled until they arrived at Aru Ulo.  When they reached  the Oji house, Mr. Oji recognized Okorafo and called him by name. Later on, Obioha led Okorafo to his house.

    At daybreak, Okorafo told Mr. Oji that he had come again for the same reason that his brother Omenuko had sent Nwabueze a few days ago.  Mr. Oji said that was all right and they would send for Ezuma, because they could not talk about anything without his presence. Okorafo then agreed, and they sent a message to summon Ezuma. When Ezuma came, he and Mr. Oji went out, conferred privately and returned, telling Okorafo, "Now let us hear again what you all have said." Okorafo then said, "Please, my brothers, it is Omenuko who has sent me to meet you in regard to the things Nwabueze told you the other day, concerning Obioha and Elebeke and Arisa."  They replied that they had spoken their minds on that day when their brother Nwabueze had come. They also said, "These youths are yours as well as ours and because of this, if the youths agree to go with you that is all right, if you return to us what we paid to get them."

    Okorafo then thanked them very much, took out his money-holder and counted out forty pounds, saying, "Mr. Oji, this is for you." He then counted out another forty pounds and said, "Mr. Ezuma, this is for you." They then thanked him very much. Obioha and Elebeke then got up, bowed to Mr. Oji and Mr. Ezuma, and thanked Okorafo very much as the representative of Omenuko. After that was all over, Okorafo asked them about Arisa.  Mr. Oj said, "That will not be difficult to do." Mr. Ezuma said, "I will send someone out now to tell him that Okorafo is here, wanting to see him." He then sent out Elebeke to go and call him. When Elebeke returned, he said that Arisa would come after he finished tapping the palm wine he was preparing to tap.

    Later on, Arisa came and saw Okorafo and started to cry. Okorafo begged him not to cry. He then began to ask Okorafo about all the people in the house of their master, Omenuko. Okorafo told him that everyone was still living except for their sisters, Nwanu and Udeola, who had died. Arisa was very sorry about the deaths of Nwanu and Udeola.  Okorafo told him that the reason he had come was to take them home, that that was why he had sent someone to tell him to come there. Okorafo then asked him, "I  want to ask if you too would be happy to return to our land?" Arisa said, ""What did Obioha and Elebeke say--did they agree or did they refuse?"  Okorafo then replied that Obioha and Elebeke would answer this question. These two then said, "Arisa, agree, because we have agreed;  Okorafo will settle with your master, Okpara, because Okorafo has settled with our masters." Arisa then told Okorafo that he would agree when he and his master had discussed the matter, and if it happened that day he would agree, or if it happened the next day he would agree. Okorafo said to Arisa, "Go back to your house.  Tomorrow we will come to meet with all of you, and I will be sure to send someone to tell your master that Mr. Ezuma will come to his house tomorrow."

    Arisa then went home to prepare the things he would give Okorafo when they came. When the messenger came to Okpara's house, he then told him that Mr. Ezuma said he should not go out the next day because there was someone who would be coming with Mr. Ezuma to his house. He then replied, "That's all right, if one stays at home waiting for a person, his waist will not pain him [he has nothing to lose]."  Okpara then called Arisa and told him that he should give him the palm wine that he would be collecting on the following day. Arisa said  all right, but there was something else he was planning to do with the next day's wine; he said he would give Okpara one pot of wine and would take one pot of wine for his own purposes, since he collected only two pots of wine each morning.

    At daybreak, Mr. Oji, Mr. Ezuma, Obioha and Elebeke and Okoraf and some of their people went to Okpara's house. After he had given them kola nut and sauce and they had eaten, Okorafo said to Mr. Oji, "Proceed with our business."  Mr. Oji said, "It is all well and good, Okorafo, but there is a proverb that says, "The one who owns the corpse carries it at the head"; in view of this, it is up to you to speak." Okorafo then agreed, and said to Okpara, "Please, sir, I came to your house for this reason, entreating you in the name of my brother, Omenuko, because he is the one who sent me to come and meet you and Mr. Oji and Mr. Ezuma, that you three people might allow him to buy back our brothers, these three people, Obioha and Elebeke and Arisa. These two chiefs and I have reached agreement concerning Obioha and Elebeke--that part of the matter is finished." Okpara then told him that he wanted to confer privately with Mr. Oji and Mr. Ezuma. Okorafo said that would be all right. 

    They then went aside privately and the two men told Okpara that they had already accepted their own money. Okpara said to them, "How much shall I tell him to pay me?" They then said to him, "Tell him that you have agreed to what he has told you, and then we shall see." They then returned from their private consultation and told Okorafo, "We have consulted and returned. Okpara has agreed. He also says that since you and we have settled up, what it boils down to is that "if a child is treated the way his companions are treated, he is satisfied."  Okorafo then told them he had no quarrel with that. They decided that they would leave off the discussion until the next day, because when the palm tree bears fruit and  ripens all on the same day, it is not a good thing. While they were preparing to leave, Okpara went into the house and brought out a pot of wine and presented it to them, saying, "This wine is for you." While they were busy enjoying Okpara's wine, Arisa then went and brought his own wine, saying, "My master Okpara, take this wine and give it to those who have come to our house."   Okpara did so, and the guests thanked them very much. 

    While they were drinking wine, Arisa asked his master, "Why didn't you ask me how I felt about this matter?" His master then said to him, "It's true, but the reason I didn't ask you how you felt was that Mr. Oji and Mr. Ezuma and their people had already agreed. Therefore, I agreed as the others did; also, it was because of discussing it with you that we postponed the matter until tomorrow." Arisa then said, "Fine! I am satisfied now." They finished drinking as much wine as they could, and then went home. While they were on the road, Okorafo said, "Mr. Oji, do you think that what Arisa said was not true? It does not seem right that Okpara failed to call Arisa so the two of them could discuss it before he said he agreed." Mr. Oji replied, "He will do that; you yourself know that it was not his own money that he used to buy him, but only a benefit he got from his father's house." 

    Okorafo said, "It is true, sir, something like this happens with married women, when your parents have married a wife for you and afterward your personality and that of the woman do not blend well. Because of this, you will say, 'If I had looked for a wife on my own, I would not have married a foolish person like this.' But if the man marries a wife on his own, even if the wife eats raw eggs, her husband will not say a harsh word, because he is the one who chose her for himself." Okorafo then said that he thought that anything he gave Okpara in exchange for Arisa he would not fail to accept, and that it would please him more than it pleased the others. Mr. Oji said, "It is true, my son." 

    When they reached the house, Okorafo called Obioha and Elebeke and asked them when they thought they should get started. Elebeke said, "We are yours now; as I see it, we should do what you say, because whatever our situation is now, it is up to you, since you paid back our owners the price for us, we belong to you." Okorafo then told them that it was the journey they would make the next day that would determine when they would travel. They were agreeable. Okorafo told them that definitely tomorrow they should start to pack their things, and they agreed.

    On the following day, Okorafo asked Mr. Oji if he would accompany them to Okpara's house and he agreed. Mr. Oji and Okorafo then got ready and left. When they arrived, Okpara gave them kola nut. Arisa brought wine and gave it to them. When they had finished eating kola and were drinking wine, Okorafo entreated them, "Anything that will be said today, let it be said in timely fashion." Okpara then said to him that all the speaking was up to him, because he had asked the one living in his house and they were in agreement. Okorafo then said to Okpara, "What comes next?" Okpara said to Okorafo, "I think I told you that if a child is treated the way his companions are treated, he will be pleased." Okorafo then took out thirty pounds, saying, "Okpara, take this--in addition, you know that Arisa belongs to me and to all of you." At that time Mr. Oji said that that was the very thing he had said at first concerning the member of his household, Obioha, that Obioha was both his and theirs. 

    Okpara then thanked Mr. Oji and Okorafo, took the money, and asked them when they planned to start back. Okorafo told him, "Tomorrow." Okpara then said, "Oh!  Master Arisa, did you hear what they said?" Arisa said, "Yes." Okorafo then told Arisa that early the next morning  he should be ready to go, leaving everything, so that there should be no trouble between him and his master, as Omenuko was prepared to do for him everything a person could do for another to make him happy, because he was always thinking about them, he was unable to eat or sleep, and the only thing he could touch was his pipe. Arisa agreed and said that he would come out early the next morning. Okorafo then thanked Okpara, said that everything should be as they had agreed, and that he would leave. Okpara said that there was nothing else, and tomorrow the young man from his house would come out.

    They then returned to Mr. Oji's house. After they had rested from their journey, Obioha told Okorafo that he [Obioha] would call all of their family members, tell them that they would travel home the next day and that there was no trouble--on the contrary, it was a peaceful thing, because the one who had caused them to stay in that place wanted them to come back, that he had settled with their masters, and that his master Oji had agreed out of his own good will. Mr. Ezuma on his part had agreed concerning Elebeke; Okpara Udensi had also agreed concerning Arisa. Some of the Aru Ulo people wept because of their leaving, but some said that it was good that they did a thing like this peacefully and without causing a quarrel, because if it were to cause a quarrel it would be a war between a mother and child, since Aru Ulo and Aru Elugwu were one people. Okorafo told him that he had done well in calling them and telling them a thing like this. Okorafo then told him that they would not fail to start out the next evening, and Obioha said, "It's up to you--whenever we are told to start out we shall agree."

    The following day, Okorafo told one of his people to go with Obioha to Mr. Ezuma and tell him that Elebeke should come out that morning. They started out to fetch Elebeke. When they arrived, Mr. Ezuma greeted them. They told him what Okorafo had said and he replied, "All right, my children." Then he called Elebeke in. Mr. Ezuma entered the house and brought out one pound and ten shillings and gave them to Elebeke, telling him, "Son, take this and buy tobacco and soap to give to your people when you reach home." Elebeke then knelt down and thanked him very much. They then returned to Mr. Oji's house. Mr. Oji called his household member, Obioha, and gave him two pounds and ten heads of tobacco and told him to take that tobacco and use it as gifts for his people. Obioha knelt down and said, "My master, I kneel and bow down to you," and thanked him very much.

    Okorafo then said, "Mr. Oji, it is not things like this that we wanted from you--rather, what we wanted from you you have already done for us. Arisa arrived just now and showed me one pound which Okpara had given him; Elebeke also arrived and showed me one pound and ten shillings that Mr. Ezuma had given him; you yourself have taken two pounds and given them to the one from your house. Oh, thank you, sir."

    Okorafo and his people then busied themselves with preparations until evening. Okorafo, Obioha, Elebeke and Arisa then went to Mr. Oji's house to say their final farewells. Obioha said, "Elebeke, go with me to thank my mistress." They then entered the house of his mistress, who began to cry. Obioha then cried with her. Elebeke then begged them to stop crying because it was not as though they were going to die, and they would be coming at times to visit them. The woman then said, "Oh! my son Obioha, is this really happening?" She then sighed, saying let it be, because it was not death. Then she called Obioha and told him to come, and he drew near. She embraced Obioha saying, "One who has been given a name resembles his name.  [Obioha: well-loved by the people]. Obioha my son, go in peace."

    They started out that evening and completed their journey safely. There were no troubles on the road during the journey  home. When Omenuko saw Obioha, Elebeke and Arisa, he joyfully went and met them in the compound. After greeting them well, he said, "My children, you must rest." Omenuko then called  his three wives and gave them one goat each, saying, "Take them and cook food for these three people." He also gave them five shillings each to buy fish to make the soup very tasty. He then called Obioha and said to him, "I have found out that your mother is alive." He also told Elebeke that his mother and father were alive and said to Arisa, "Your family are alive. But I want all of you to stay here with me for one month." Omenuko then said to Obioha, "This woman will give you food whenever you like. Elebeke, this woman will give you food whenever you like. Arisa, this woman will give you food whenever you like." He then told them that everyone should eat whatever he wanted up until the end of that one month.

    They then thanked him for  remembering them again, and said that they knew there had never been a quarrel between them and him, and because of that they knew his conscience would trouble him. They said, "You lost control of your good conscience and you did something you would never have dreamed of doing. We ourselves did not invoke death for you, but rather we invoked life."  Obioha then said, "If we had invoked death, clearly if Elebeke's and Arisa's invocations had not been effective,  my own would have been effective, because you know that if I had invoked something bad in the names of your brothers and your companions, it would have touched you personally." Omenuko said, "My brothers, now I am happy about everything. I see that you have found out for yourselves that my good conscience was not in me when I did these things. Also, since I have you back now I am very happy. Rest well, my children." Omenuko then told them that they should forget the bad things of the past, and that he was going to treat them very well.

    The next day, Okorafo went to tell Omenuko how he had traveled to Aru Ulo, told him how Mr. Oji had helped him in every way, and also told him what he had paid Mr. Oji and Mr. Ezuma and what he had paid Okpara on behalf of Arisa. He also told Omenuko what Mr. Oji gave Obioha and what Mr. Ezuma gave Elebeke and what Okpara gave Arisa. He told him how they had met the Ekpe masqueraders in a town called Ozuitem and what they took from him on account of his people. After he had finished relating these things, Omenuko thanked Okorafo very much and called him "One who does as I do." He told him that he did what he himself would have done if it had been he who traveled.

    Omenuko then sent a message to invite the families of two of the people. When the message reached them, they came and saw Elebeke, Arisa and Obioha and shouted, asking, "Who are these people?" Omenuko told them that he had invited them to come and join them in finding out. The families of the two people then were thinking about what that was going to mean afterward. When Omenuko finished giving food to the families of Elebeke and Arisa, he said to them, "Tomorrow you all will go home but Arisa and Elebeke will not accompany you--they will stay in my house for one month." Omenuko then called the family of Elebeke and said to them, "Go now and find Elebeke two attractive young women, and when all the talk has been taken care of, come and tell me how much money is needed and I will provide the money to be paid to the parents of those young women so that they can be Elebeke's wives. And to the family of Arisa I am telling you the same thing." The families of these two people thanked him very much. They went to sleep, and the next day they went home.

    When Omenuko invited the families of Arisa and Elebeke, they were not afraid to go and answer the call, because Omenuko's friend, Igwe, the first one he called to help him find out where the people that he sold were living, had told the families of Arisa and Elebeke what Omenuko was wanting to do for them. Therefore, when he invited them, they were hopeful, saying, "Perhaps this invitation of Omenuko's will be a call for a peace talk." So they had  traveled in answer to it without apprehension. When the two families arrived home, it was not a difficult task to find wives for their relatives as he had told them to do. They went back and told Omenuko the amount they had decided on for the four young women, two for Elebeke and two for Arisa. He then gave them money according to what they told him, and they went and made the payments.

    When the month had come to an end and it was time for the two men to go home, Omenuko gave them seven pounds each and various gifts. He sent messages to their families telling them to come, and they came. Omenuko then cooked as much food as he thought would be sufficient, and they all ate together. Omenuko said to them, "Please swear an oath for me so that bad things of the past will no longer be in the hearts of any of you." They then swore, saying, "Let things be good for you, let things be good for us. Let the bowl of salt and oil not harm you, neither let it harm us." Omenuko then said, "My children, you will go home with the people of your households, but I would like to see you any time you can come, so that we can keep in touch with each other." They said, "Thank you, sir."  Their families thanked him in the same way, and they went home.

    When they had gone a short distance, Omenuko sent out a man and told him to call them back. When they came in, Omenuko said, "Please, my brothers, I beg you not to rejoice too loudly about these things, because it is not all of them that I got back. I think that it would cause the families of those two men whom I was unable to find to be sad if you rejoiced too much." They then told Omenuko that they would do as he wanted. He then thanked them and they thanked him again. Then they left.

    One day Omenuko's younger brothers, Ogbonna and Obioha, traveled to visit Ogbonna's in-laws. When they were returning, Obioha asked Ogbonna, "Why did our master allow Elebeke and Arisa to return home but did not give me any additional consolation?" Ogbonna told him that Omenuko would do something for him, because he did not need reminding to do something good. Obioha said that was good. One day Ogbonna told Okorafo this, and Okorafo told Omenuko. He then called Obioha and said to him, "My son, I am remembering you, but one thing happened which you do not know about, and that is that at first, we escaped to the home of the chief of the Mgborogwu people. After the chief died, I became chief in his place.  Afterward, the people of that town were jealous of me and I left there and came to live in this forest, and because of that I was not one of the Mgborogwu, nor did I belong to the people of our land. Now, what I have in mind is to find a way that I and the men and the spirits whom I offended in our land can be reconciled. At that time, if there is anyone who wants to marry, let him go to our town and marry. It was different for Arisa and Elebeke because they were returning to our town. You know it is not a good thing for a person to take a wife he has married in a foreign place and make her his senior wife. After our people and I have come to agreement, I will marry you to a wife." Obioha then said that was good.