--- title: Xix.--why the Mist Rises From the Water. — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · full text with trees description: Xix.--why the Mist Rises From the Water., «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: Ogbaja of Ikom was the son of Chief ’Njum, and his mother was called Nara. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/14/) [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/) / Xix.--why the Mist Rises From the Water. # Xix.--why the Mist Rises From the Water. Xix.--why the Mist Rises From the Water. of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell: the whole text, 139 sentences and 3773 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/pg70959/14/page/2/) Ogbaja of Ikom was the son of Chief ’Njum, and his mother was called Nara.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") Chief ’Njum was a poor man, but he had a farm and a few slaves to work for him.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") When Ogbaja grew up, he became a hunter, and being a good shot with his bow and arrows he nearly always succeeded in bringing back some meat, which he took to his father.[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") One year the season was so dry and the sun so hot that Chief ’Njum could not plant his yams in time, and when he did plant them it was too late, and there was a very bad crop in consequence.[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") When the food began to get scarce, Chief ’Njum told his son to go hunting every day to supply meat for everybody.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") Ogbaja went out every morning with his bow and arrows, and generally returned in the evening just before it was dark, carrying the animals he had killed.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") He also used to bring some bush mangoes with him as well, as they were useful for making soup.[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") His father always sent Ogbaja to the chiefs every day with a small piece of meat and one mango for each, and after a time they got to know him quite well.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") Just at that time there were eight wicked people who had been driven out of the town.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") Some of them were witches and others were poisoners, but one of them was a cripple, and could only scramble along on his hands and knees.[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") These people were not allowed to make farms, so they were forced to live on the fruits and seeds which they found in the forest.[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") Ogbaja knew all about these men, and was afraid to meet them, so he always gathered mangoes at a time when he knew they would not be near the tree.[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") One day Ogbaja’s mother Nara said she wished to go with him to gather some fruit, but he told her that she could not go, as the witches were dangerous men and might kill her.[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") Nara, however, made up her mind to go, so she put ashes in Ogbaja’s bag which he always carried, and made holes in the bottom, so that she could follow him.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") Ogbaja got up early in the morning, and took his bow and arrows with him to hunt; then as he went along he left a trail of ashes behind him, which Nara followed, and at last came to the mango tree, where she found Ogbaja picking up the fruit.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") Her son said “Why do you come here?[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") If you had waited at home, I would have brought you some fruit.”[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") But his mother told him that she wanted to get the fruit herself, and commenced gathering the mangoes and eating some of the ripe ones.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") Ogbaja said, “I cannot take you home, as I must go out hunting to get food.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") I will therefore leave you at the top of the tree, where you will be safe from the wicked men, but you must be careful to keep very quiet and not move when they come.”[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") He then helped his mother up the tree, and left her sitting on a branch, telling her that he would return the same way after he had finished hunting, late in the afternoon, and take her home.[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") He then went away.[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") At midday when the sun was high up, the witches came and started to pick up the mangoes, but they left the cripple underneath the tree.[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") When they had finished, they told him they were going to the stream to get water and would return to him later.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") Nara was very frightened when she saw the witches, and kept quite quiet, but when she saw them go down to the stream she thought they had all gone, so she moved about in the branches and looked all round.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") This movement soon attracted the attention of the cripple, who was lying on his back, and he looked up and saw Nara sitting on the branch.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") Shortly afterwards the seven bad men returned with the water, and after he had taken a drink he told the others what he had seen in the tree.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") They looked up and saw Nara, so one of the witches climbed up the tree and threw her down.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") She was killed at once, and they cut the body up and divided it and took it home to eat.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") The cripple claimed the head for his share.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") As he was unable to walk, he crawled along the path on his hands and knees, rolling the head in front of him.[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") When Ogbaja returned to the mango tree after his hunting to take his mother home, he could not find her, but on looking about on the ground he saw the bloodstains where his mother’s body had been cut up, and at once knew that she must have been killed by the witches.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") He never gathered any fruit, but returned home empty-handed.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") Ogbaja was far too frightened to go to the place where the bad men lived to look for his mother, so he went home, feeling very sad.[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") When he returned, Chief ’Njum asked him what had become of his mother, but Ogbaja’s heart was so full of grief that he could not answer.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") Then his friends Bojor and Osobia came and asked him why he grieved so much.[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") So he told them what had happened, sobbing all the time.[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") His father, in the meantime, had sent to call another chief called Agborleku, who was a very wise man, to consult with him as to what was the best thing to be done.[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") When Agborleku arrived, Chief ’Njum told him what had happened to his wife.[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") Then Chief Agborleku sat for a long time without speaking, considering what was the best way to get rid of these wicked men.[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics") At last he told Chief ’Njum not to do anything for two months, as, by that time, the witches would think they were quite safe.[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") He was then to prepare a big feast and make plenty of strong tombo, half of which was to be made from the tombo drawn from the top of the tree and the other half from a tree which had been cut down.[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") He was then to mix the two lots of tombo together.[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") Cows would then be killed and goats, and all the people of the country, including the witches, would be invited to attend the feast which would be given in honour of the chief’s dead wife.[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") A certain house would be set aside for the witches to sleep in, and they were to be given plenty of tombo to drink, so that they would sleep well.[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics") When they were fast asleep, they would be covered up with dry palm leaves and then burnt to death.[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics") Chief ’Njum agreed that this was a good plan, and commenced making preparations for the feast.[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") When they were completed, a man was sent to the eight witches with a message from Chief ’Njum, that he would like the people who had been turned out of the town to take part in the big feast he was giving in honour of his dead wife.[48](48/ "tree and pragmatics") When the man had gone, the cripple tried to persuade the other witches not to go to the feast, as he said that the people of the town would be certain to revenge themselves upon them for the death of Nara, but the witches did not agree with him, and said that it was impossible for Chief Njum to know that they had killed his wife, as no one had seen them do it, and they did not think he would ask them to a feast if he wished to harm them.[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") They also said that they had not had a good feed for a long time, so, in spite of the entreaties of the cripple, they decided to go.[50](50/ "tree and pragmatics") When the day of the feast arrived, the seven evil men carried the cripple to the town, and at once began to eat as much as they could, and drank large quantities of the strong tombo.[51](51/ "tree and pragmatics") But the cripple eat very little, and did not drink any of the tombo, as he was suspicious of the people.[52](52/ "tree and pragmatics") Very soon, the seven witches were quite drunk, and lay down in the house which had been set apart for them, and went fast asleep.[53](53/ "tree and pragmatics") The cripple also lay down and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep, but in reality he was wide-awake and very watchful.[54](54/ "tree and pragmatics") When Ogbaja saw that all the witches had gone to sleep, he covered them all over, very softly, with dry palm leaves, and, having set fire to them, went out and fastened the door.[55](55/ "tree and pragmatics") The seven men were burnt to death, as they were too drunk to escape, but the cripple managed to crawl into a large water-pot which was kept in the room for drinking-water, and the fire did not hurt him, as he only kept his mouth just out of the water.[56](56/ "tree and pragmatics") When the house was burnt down, Ogbaja went inside to see that all the witches were dead, and counted the bodies, but could only find seven.[57](57/ "tree and pragmatics") He thought he must have made a mistake, so he counted them again out loud, one, two, three, up to seven, and the cripple called from his pot after him the numbers up to seven.[58](58/ "tree and pragmatics") Ogbaja could not understand this, so he counted the bodies again aloud, and again the cripple copied him.[59](59/ "tree and pragmatics") Ogbaja then called the people in with hoes, and they dug up the ground, but could not find the eighth body.[60](60/ "tree and pragmatics") Ogbaja then counted the bodies again, and the people listened carefully; the cripple answered as before, and they guessed from the direction the voice came from that the last of the witch-men must be in the water-pot, so they looked in and found the cripple.[61](61/ "tree and pragmatics") They dragged him out of the pot at once, and said, “As you do not seem to like to be killed with fire, we will kill you with the water-pot you took refuge in.”[62](62/ "tree and pragmatics") They then dragged the cripple down to the waterside, where they made a large fire, and put the water-pot into it.[63](63/ "tree and pragmatics") The cripple begged them not to put him in the fire, but no one answered him.[64](64/ "tree and pragmatics") When the pot was red-hot, it was taken out of the fire and placed over the cripple’s shoulders.[65](65/ "tree and pragmatics") He was then pushed into the river.[66](66/ "tree and pragmatics") The red-hot pot caused steam and mist to rise from the water, and it is still to be seen when the mornings are cold that mist rises from the river, and people say that this is caused by the red-hot pot which was placed over the shoulders of the wicked cripple when he was thrown into the water and the steam still continues to rise.[67](67/ "tree and pragmatics") Told by Ewonkom, an Ikom woman.--\[E.D., 23.6.10.\][68](68/ "tree and pragmatics") XX.--HOW IBANANG OKPONG AND HER MOTHER WERE SWALLOWED BY A MAN-EATING DRUM, AND HOW THEY ESCAPED FROM ITS INSIDE.[69](69/ "tree and pragmatics") Years and years ago the Ikom people had never seen the large wooden drum called ’Ndofu.[70](70/ "tree and pragmatics") This drum was made out of the trunk of a hard-wood tree and hollowed out with a long slit at the top.[71](71/ "tree and pragmatics") When this drum was beaten with two soft pieces of wood, the sound carried for a great distance.[72](72/ "tree and pragmatics") This drum was used for dances and for calling the people in from the farms when there was any big palaver on, or if the town were going to be attacked.[73](73/ "tree and pragmatics") Messages could also be sent to anyone who understood the beat of the drum.[74](74/ "tree and pragmatics") **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/14/page/2/) - ← previous: [Xviii.--how the River Came Into Existence; Or, Why a Crab Has No Head.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/13/) - next →: [page 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/14/page/2/) - ↑ back to [Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/)