--- title: E. Dayrell. — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · full text with trees description: E. Dayrell., «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: I.--HOW AN INKUM WOMAN ABANDONED ONE OF HER TWINS IN THE FOREST, AND HOW IT WAS SAVED BY THE HAWK. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/3/) [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/) / E. Dayrell. # E. Dayrell. E. Dayrell. of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell: the whole text, 53 sentences and 1364 words. 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I.--HOW AN INKUM WOMAN ABANDONED ONE OF HER TWINS IN THE FOREST, AND HOW IT WAS SAVED BY THE HAWK.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") Awu was a native woman of Inkum, a town on the right bank of the Cross River, consisting of five compounds separate one from another by about half a mile of bush.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") Awu was a fine girl, but preferred to enjoy herself as she liked rather than to get married, which would mean too hard work.[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") She used to walk from one town to another, and attend all the dances and plays, as she was a good singer and dancer.[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") She always wore a cloth of the latest pattern, and a silk handkerchief round her head, with plenty of hairs from the elephant’s tail round her neck, and strings of beads round her waist.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") She also wore a piece of black braid tied round each ankle, and some rings on her fingers.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") These are the signs of a girl who is popular with young men.[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") Awu had men friends in every town she visited, but she never stayed long with any of them, being what is called a “walking woman.”[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") At last she conceived, and when she was about eight months gone with child she happened one day to go into the forest to gather firewood to cook her morning food.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") While she was thus engaged a branch fell from a tree and hit her on the belly, this immediately brought on her confinement, and she gave birth to twins in the forest.[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") The first born was a girl, to whom she gave the name of Aro, and the second was a boy, whom she named Agbor.[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") When Awu found that she had given birth to twins she was very much ashamed of herself, and was afraid to take both the babies back to the town as they would be killed by the people, and she would be turned out of the town and left to starve in the bush.[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") She therefore decided to take the first-born child Aro back with her, but Agbor she left on the ground underneath a tree.[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") Very soon after Awu had departed, the driver ants discovered Agbor and quickly covered him, commencing to eat him.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") The bites of the driver ants made the child cry.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") All this time a hawk had been circling around, high up in the air, searching for food, and when he saw Awu had deserted her baby he swooped down and carried the infant off with him to the top of a high tree.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") The hawk, seeing what a fine child Agbor was, thought he would try to save his life, and immediately set about removing the ants from Agbor’s body.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") He lit a fire and boiled some water, with which he washed the child, and the ants very quickly disappeared.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") The hawk looked after Agbor until he grew up.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") One day Awu sent her daughter Aro to get her some fire, and Aro, after wandering about, eventually found herself at the hawk’s house, where she saw Agbor sitting down.[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") Aro was so taken with Agbor’s good looks that she continued to stare at him without speaking, until at last Agbor said, “Why do you look at me like that?” but Aro did not reply, and picked up some fire, continuing to stare at Agbor.[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he repeated his question, and added, “Do I resemble either your father or your mother?[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") If so, let the fire you are holding go out,” and the fire went out at once.[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") Aro then took up some more fire, and Agbor put the same question to her again, and the fire Aro was holding went out a second time.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") This was done three times, each time with the same result.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") Then Aro ran home to her mother and reported what she had seen, and said what a fine boy Agbor was.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") When Awu, the mother, heard about the fire, she knew at once that Agbor must be her son whom she had deserted and left to die in the forest.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") She therefore made up her mind that she would go and see him.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") The following morning, therefore, she rose at first cock crow and went to the hawk’s house, where she found Agbor and took a great fancy to him.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") Awu wanted to get Agbor away from the hawk and keep him for herself, but did not quite see how it could be done.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") At last she thought of the porcupine, who was well known throughout the country as a clever and resourceful person, and went to him and told her story.[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") Now, the porcupine was a lot caster, and when he had cast lots he decided that the best thing that Awu could do was to go to a house and lie down, pretending to be dead.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") The porcupine told her that, if she did this, directly the hawk heard that she was dead he would send Agbor to his dead mother’s side to mourn for her.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") Then Awu would be able to seize him.[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") The mother having paid the porcupine for his advice went away, and did what she had been told to do.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") When the hawk heard that Awu was dead he told Agbor that the next day he should go and cry at his mother’s side, so, when the morning came, the hawk dressed Agbor up and he started off to cry.[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") When he arrived at the house Agbor wanted to sit at the head of his mother, but the people who had assembled would not allow this, and told him to sit at Awu’s feet, which Agbor did.[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") Directly he sat down, his mother jumped up and seized him, and said she would not let him go again.[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") Very soon afterwards, the hawk arrived on the scene to take Agbor away, but his mother would not part with him.[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the hawk became angry, and addressed the people, as follows:--[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics") “Here is a ‘walking woman’ who, several years ago, gave birth to twins in the forest, and, being naturally ashamed of herself, deserted her baby boy, and left him on the ground to be eaten by the driver ants.[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") I saved the boy’s life and have brought him up and fed him.[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") I now demand that he shall be returned to me at once.”[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") When the people heard, this, they said to the hawk: “If you will let Awu have her son back we will give you a slave in his place,” but the hawk refused this offer indignantly.[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") Then they offered him cows, sheep, goats, and pigs, all of which the hawk refused with scorn.[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics") The people then suggested giving some cocks and hens to the hawk, to which he replied that, although he would not accept them for Agbor, they were getting nearer to what he possibly might accept.[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics") At last the people offered him a large basket of eggs, whereupon the hawk immediately closed the bargain, handed over Agbor to his mother, and flew away with the basket of eggs in his claws.[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") The next morning early the hawk started off with his basket of eggs, and left one egg in every house all round the country, until all the eggs in the basket were exhausted.[48](48/ "tree and pragmatics") He then returned home in the evening with the empty basket.[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") After a few months had elapsed, the hawk said to himself: “The time has now come for me to take my revenge upon the people for taking my boy Agbor from me.”[50](50/ "tree and pragmatics") So he flew from town to town, taking chickens from every compound.[51](51/ "tree and pragmatics") This is the reason why hawks always take chickens wherever they find them, and in those days the people never thought of making any trouble with the hawk, as he had a right to the chickens, but nowadays when a hawk swoops down and seizes a chicken, the people shout out and try to kill him, as they have forgotten the story of how the twin child Agbor was redeemed by a basket of eggs.[52](52/ "tree and pragmatics") This story was related by a native of Inkum called Abassi.--\[E.D., 25.5.10.\][53](53/ "tree and pragmatics") - ← previous: [Ikom Folk Stories From Southern Nigeria.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/2/) - next →: [Ii.--the Cunning Hare; Or, Why the Tortoise Has a Patched Shell.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/4/) - ↑ back to [Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/)