--- title: Xv.--what Happened At Okuni When Anyone Was Killed By Acci… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · full text with trees description: Xv.--what Happened At Okuni When Anyone Was Killed By Accident., «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: Many years ago there were two small boys living at Okuni, named Ori Namfup and Ori, --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/12/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/) / Xv.--what Happened At Okuni When Anyon… # Xv.--what Happened At Okuni When Anyone Was Killed By Accident. Xv.--what Happened At Okuni When Anyone Was Killed By Accident. of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell: the whole text, 119 sentences and 3622 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/12/page/2/) Many years ago there were two small boys living at Okuni, named Ori Namfup and Ori, they were great friends and always used to play together.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") One day in the rainy season when the native pear trees were covered with fruit, Ori said to his friend let us climb up to the top of two of these pear trees, and when we are high up we can play at stoning one another.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") They very soon climbed up to the highest branches of the trees, collecting the fruit as they went, and started throwing them at one another, when suddenly Ori lost his hold and fell to the ground, breaking his neck.[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") Ori Namfup was very frightened, and ran into the town and told the people that Ori had fallen from a tree, and was dead.[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") His friends then came and carried the body of Ori to the head chief.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") When the father of Ori heard that his son was dead, he went to the chief and demanded that Ori Namfup’s father should give him two slaves to replace the son he had lost.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") But the chief refused, and said that as Ori had been killed accidentally it was not right that two slaves should be given as compensation.[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") But Ori’s father being obstinate and very headstrong, insisted upon his claim so fiercely that the chief gave in and ordered the slaves to be paid.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") Ori Namfup’s father then bought two slaves and handed them over to Ori’s father, in order to settle the matter and so that there should be no bad feeling between them.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") The chiefs then made a law that, for the future, whenever a man killed another by accident, he should pay two slaves to the father of the dead man, but he should not be killed as he would have been if he had killed the man on purpose.[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") Told by Ennenni of Okuni.--\[E.D., 19.6.10.\][11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") XVI.--HOW OGHABI POISONED HIS FRIEND OKPA AND FAMILY, OR WHY A HOST SHOULD ALWAYS EAT FIRST FROM THE FOOD WHICH HE GIVES TO HIS GUESTS.[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") Oghabi and Okpa both lived at Inkum.[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") They had always been great friends since they were boys, and when they grew up they made farms in the same place and used to feed together.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") As they became richer they bought slaves and canoes and lived in separate houses, each man having one wife.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") At last Oghabi became tired of the farming work and told his friend that he was going to be a hunter.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") He said that by his hunting he hoped to grow richer, as he intended to go from town to town and sell the meat of the animals he killed while Okpa could be looking after the farm.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") For some time all went well with Oghabi, and he made a lot of money by selling his dried meat, but one day he went into the forest with two of his slaves and met with misfortune.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") He had hunted all day, and killed several buck, and when the evening came he skinned the animals, and having cut them in half placed the meat over the fire to dry in the smoke.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") He then went to sleep with the two slaves.[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") During the night a large python came and took one of Oghabi’s legs in his mouth and swallowed it up to the thigh.[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") Okhabi woke up in great fear and yelled for help, he tried to stand up but could not do so, as his leg was down the snake’s throat.[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") He then called for his hunting knife which one of the slaves gave him, the other slave called Odo snatched a burning stick from the fire and ran off to call Okpa to come and help.[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") But before Okpa arrived Oghabi had cut the snake’s mouth and body right down with his hunting knife and released his leg.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") The leg was so swollen and inflamed that he could not walk.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") Okpa arrived shortly afterwards with his wife and together with the help of the slaves they carried Oghabi and the meat he had killed back to his house.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") Okpa then went home with his wife, but the next morning he went to enquire after his friend, and having stayed a short time he went home again.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") Later in the day Okpa’s wife came to see Oghabi and had a conversation with his wife.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") She said she thought there must be something wrong about what had happened the night before as it was not usual for a snake to try and swallow a man, she therefore advised Oghabi’s wife to consult a ju-ju man upon the matter.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") After she had gone home Oghabi’s wife told her husband what Okpa’s wife had said, and Oghabi agreed and sent off for the ju-ju man at once.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") When the man came he consulted his skull and then said: “It was your best friend who sent the snake to kill you but I will not mention his name unless you promise to revenge yourself upon him.”[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") As Oghabi only had one good friend he did not want to promise what the ju-ju man asked, but his wife, who had great faith in the ju-ju man, at last persuaded him to pass his word.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") The ju-ju man then said, “It was your friend Okpa who sent the big snake to swallow you as he is envious of your being a hunter and making more money than him.”[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") Oghabi would not believe this at first, but his wife convinced him after much argument that what the ju-ju man had said was true.[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") From that day Oghabi grew to hate his friend, and when he recovered from the injuries he had received from the snake he began to plot as to how he should revenge himself upon Okpa and his wife.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") At last he decided to poison them as he did not wish to kill them openly with a matchet.[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") Having got some strong poison from the ju-ju man he told his wife to prepare palm oil chop for Okpa and his family.[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") While she was getting the food ready Oghabi went out and made some tombo, and when he returned he divided the tombo into two calabashes, one large and one small.[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") Into the large calabash he placed some of the poison, and the remainder he put in the palm oil chop.[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") He then got ready and went with his wife to Okpa’s house taking the two calabashes of tombo and the palm oil chop with him.[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics") When they arrived Okpa received them gladly and ordered food to be prepared at once.[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") When the food was ready Okpa and his wife sat down and eat it and drank the tombo from the small calabash.[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") Oghabi then told Okpa and his wife that they could eat the food which they had brought for them, and when they had finished they could drink the tombo in the big calabash.[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") Okpa and his wife then called their children together and sat down and eat the poisoned food and drank the tombo, but Okpa’s youngest son would not eat or drink anything.[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") When they had finished Oghabi said he should go home but Okpa begged him to stay.[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics") Oghabi, however, refused and started off home with his wife.[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics") When they had reached half way and were sitting down to rest, Okpa’s youngest son came running up to them and implored them to return with him and help his father as they were all very ill and in great pain.[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") Oghabi said, “run back home at once and tell your father that I will come directly I have been home, and will bring some medicine which will make them vomit and they will then get well.”[48](48/ "tree and pragmatics") But Oghabi never went back to Okpa’s house until the next morning, when he found they were all dead except Okpa’s youngest son who was crying.[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") Oghabi was very glad at what he saw, and the boy noticed that Oghabi did not cry, so he went and reported everything to the chief.[50](50/ "tree and pragmatics") The chief sent for Oghabi and his wife and called the chiefs of the town together to hold palaver.[51](51/ "tree and pragmatics") The boy told them how Oghabi had brought food for his people the previous night and that he was the only one who had not eaten any, and all the others had died soon after Oghabi left the house.[52](52/ "tree and pragmatics") He also told the chief that Oghabi and his wife had not eaten any of the food, and that when he saw his friend and all his family were dead that he had not cried.[53](53/ "tree and pragmatics") The chief then asked Oghabi whether he had tasted the food he brought for Okpa, and Oghabi replied that he had done so and that his wife had cooked and eaten some of the food.[54](54/ "tree and pragmatics") As there was no one besides the boy to give evidence the chief said he could not treat Oghabi as a poisoner.[55](55/ "tree and pragmatics") He therefore took him to his ju-ju and made him swear that he had not killed Okpa, and that if he had the ju-ju should kill him.[56](56/ "tree and pragmatics") Oghabi’s wife swore also.[57](57/ "tree and pragmatics") The chief then sent word all round the towns that as Okpa and his family had been poisoned, for the future whenever anyone gave another person tombo, foo-foo, palm oil chop, or anything else to eat or drink, they must first partake of it themselves, to show that it was not poisoned.[58](58/ "tree and pragmatics") Told by Abassi of Inkum.--\[20.6.10.\][59](59/ "tree and pragmatics") \_Author’s Note.[60](60/ "tree and pragmatics") It is a universal custom throughout the district that when food or drink is brought for strangers the provider of the food should first taste it, to show that it is not poisoned.[61](61/ "tree and pragmatics") In connection with the above it may be of interest to note the formalities which are invariably observed whenever tombo is brought for people to drink, even when there are only a few present.[62](62/ "tree and pragmatics") The “pourer out” (Ka-ammum (Ingor) pour drink) takes the demijon or calabash of tombo in his right hand and places it on his knee, then he takes a glass or small calabash in his left hand and having poured a little tombo into the glass he presents it to the chief or the head man present, who makes a little speech asking God (Ossor wor) to be good to them to prevent their children from dying, and to give them good yam crops, etc. He then throws the tombo on the ground.[63](63/ "tree and pragmatics") Having handed the glass back, it is filled and given to the chief’s small boy, who stands behind him, to drink.[64](64/ "tree and pragmatics") The “pourer out” then pours out a glass and drinks it himself.[65](65/ "tree and pragmatics") After that the next glass is given to the chief who throws it on the ground as a libation to the dead ancestors, then the glass will be filled again, and the chief drinks it.[66](66/ "tree and pragmatics") **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/12/page/2/) - ← previous: [Xiv.--the Fate of Agbor the Hunter, Who Killed His Wife and Children.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/11/) - next →: [page 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/12/page/2/) - ↑ back to [Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/)