--- title: Xxv.--how Two Bendega Young Men Changed Their Skins., part 2 — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · full text with trees · page 2 description: Xxv.--how Two Bendega Young Men Changed Their Skins., part 2, «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: The hare took a path which led through some farm, and after a time came across some pe --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/19/page/2/) [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/) / Xxv.--how Two Bendega Young Men Change… # Xxv.--how Two Bendega Young Men Changed Their Skins., part 2 · page 2 [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/19/) **2** When he had finished his meal the hare felt that something was wrong with his tail, so he jumped away from the ant hill, and found to his disgust that he had left half his tail behind him where the ants had bitten it through.[47](../../47/ "tree and pragmatics") When he saw what had happened he did not like to return to his wife at once, as she might deny him, so he waited until it was dark and then joined his wife.[48](../../48/ "tree and pragmatics") She was very glad to see her husband again, and asked him about the war party he was running away from.[49](../../49/ "tree and pragmatics") The hare said, “All the trouble is now over, as I have gone through the ceremony of the war ju-ju, and the chief cut me on the tail so that in future I shall never die from war or fighting in any way.”[50](../../50/ "tree and pragmatics") And as it was then dark the hare’s wife lit the lamp,\[10\] but the hare hid his tail in the darkness so that his wife could not see it, as the wound had not healed up.[51](../../51/ "tree and pragmatics") When the evening meal was over, the two hares retired for the night, but when his wife had put the lamp out, the hare told her that if she wanted to get up during the night or light the lamp she must wake him up first, as otherwise his war ju-ju would be spoilt.[52](../../52/ "tree and pragmatics") Now the hare was tired after all his running, and very soon he was fast asleep, so when his wife was certain that he would not wake up easily, she got out of bed very quietly and lit the lamp, as she was extremely curious to know what the ju-ju man had done to her husband’s tail.[53](../../53/ "tree and pragmatics") When she saw that the hare had lost half his tail, she was ashamed of him, and began to cry.[54](../../54/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the hare woke up and began to abuse his wife, saying that she had spoilt his ju-ju and would have to pay a great deal to make it right again.[55](../../55/ "tree and pragmatics") After a violent quarrel they eventually went to sleep; but in the morning at first cock-crow the hare’s wife got up and packed up all her things, saying that she was going away to find another husband, as she could not possibly live with a hare who had lost half his tail, whether it had been cut by the ju-ju man or not.[56](../../56/ "tree and pragmatics") The hare then said, “You have no sense.[57](../../57/ "tree and pragmatics") It will not help you at all to leave me, as all the other hares have had the same thing done to them on account of the war ju-ju.[58](../../58/ "tree and pragmatics") You had much better stay with me.”[59](../../59/ "tree and pragmatics") But his wife was not satisfied, and told her husband that she should go out and see for herself whether what he had said was true; so she started off along the path to the nearest hare’s house.[60](../../60/ "tree and pragmatics") Directly she was out of sight the hare ran through the bush as fast as he could to the house his wife was bound for, and as she was carrying a heavy load he got there some little time before her.[61](../../61/ "tree and pragmatics") He then told his friend that his wife had left him because he had lost part of his tail, and was on her way to see whether he had also lost his.[62](../../62/ "tree and pragmatics") The hare then asked his friend to step into his back room and allow him to speak to his wife from the door when she came.[63](../../63/ "tree and pragmatics") His friend gladly consented to help him, and soon after he had gone inside the hare’s wife appeared and put down her load.[64](../../64/ "tree and pragmatics") The hare then stood up in the doorway, facing his wife, and calling her by name said, “Ekanga, where are you going with that load?[65](../../65/ "tree and pragmatics") Are you leaving your husband?”[66](../../66/ "tree and pragmatics") And his wife said, “Yes.”[67](../../67/ "tree and pragmatics") The hare then said, “What is the matter?” and she replied, “My husband has lost his tail, and told me that it had been cut on account of the war ju-ju, and that all the other men-hares have also had their tails cut, so as I do not like to live with a hare who has no tail, I have come to see if he told the truth.”[68](../../68/ "tree and pragmatics") The hare then said, “We have all passed through the same ju-ju and had our tails cut off; look and see.”[69](../../69/ "tree and pragmatics") He then turned round and showed her.[70](../../70/ "tree and pragmatics") His wife then went on from one hare’s house to another, but each time her husband went on in front of her and deceived her in the same way, until at last she got tired and turned back to go home.[71](../../71/ "tree and pragmatics") The hare then ran quickly home, and jumped into bed, and when his wife appeared he said, “So you have returned.[72](../../72/ "tree and pragmatics") You are a foolish woman, and you can go or stay as you please, I do not care.”[73](../../73/ "tree and pragmatics") But his wife said that she was satisfied that her husband had spoken the truth, as all the hares she had seen had had their tails cut off, so she had resolved to turn back.[74](../../74/ "tree and pragmatics") The next day the hare called all his company together, and told them that he had nearly lost his life the previous day on account of his long tail, as he had sat down on an ant heap with his tail down one of the holes, and some animal inside had caught hold of it and tried to pull him inside to kill him, but to save his life he had cut his tail off with a knife, and he strongly advised them to do the same.[75](../../75/ "tree and pragmatics") To this they all agreed, and cut their long tails off in order to escape from any enemy who might try to catch them by the tail, and ever since the hares have had no tails, as when the men-hares went home they made their wives and children follow their example, telling them that it was done for their good by the war ju-ju to prevent them from dying in battle.[76](../../76/ "tree and pragmatics") On account of the hare’s wife lighting the lamp to look at her husband’s tail and thus spoiling his war ju-ju, it has been a custom ever since that when men are going to fight they will never trust their wives with their war ju-ju, and they will not sleep with them or eat any food which they have cooked with their hands until the fighting is over.[77](../../77/ "tree and pragmatics") Told by Ennenni, an Okuni woman.--\[26.7.10.\][78](../../78/ "tree and pragmatics") XXVII.--HOW A CRUEL INKUM CHIEF WAS POISONED BY HIS SLAVES, AND HOW HIS SON HANGED HIMSELF ON ACCOUNT OF THE EXPENSES OF HIS BROTHER’S FUNERAL.[79](../../79/ "tree and pragmatics") At Inkum in the olden days there dwelt a chief called Erim.[80](../../80/ "tree and pragmatics") He was very wealthy, having many slaves, both male and female, and a large farm.[81](../../81/ "tree and pragmatics") He was known throughout the country as a cruel man and a hard master.[82](../../82/ "tree and pragmatics") Most of Chief Erim’s wealth was made by selling camwood and the large yams grown on his farm.[83](../../83/ "tree and pragmatics") The chief made a rule that each woman slave should bring him at the end of every seven days twelve balls or cakes of camwood.[84](../../84/ "tree and pragmatics") If any of them failed to do so, he tied them up to a tree and they were given fifty lashes on the back with a heavy whip made of twisted skin.[85](../../85/ "tree and pragmatics") They were also made to pay the value of the number of balls of camwood which they had failed to make.[86](../../86/ "tree and pragmatics") This meant that all the women slaves had to work very hard indeed, and they could get no help from their husbands in any way, as at first cock-crow all the men were sent off to the farm to work, and were not allowed to return until the evening.[87](../../87/ "tree and pragmatics") Very frequently the men slaves were severely flogged by order of the chief, if he were not satisfied with the amount of work done on the farm, or if they annoyed him in any way.[88](../../88/ "tree and pragmatics") In consequence of his cruel treatment of them, all his slaves hated Chief Erim, and although they were much in fear of their master they often planned to kill him.[89](../../89/ "tree and pragmatics") [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/19/) **2** - ← previous: [page 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/19/) - next →: [Xxv.--how Two Bendega Young Men Changed Their Skins., part 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/20/) - ↑ back to [Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/)