In the dry season, many years ago, Chief Akum Alobi of Okuni ordered all his people to go out hunting. They were to surround a certain portion of the forest and set fire to the bush, then, as the animals came out, they were killed. At the same time, the women were sent to bale out the pools in the streams and to catch the fish.

The hunting law was that, during the hunting time, the men might eat the meat of the animals they killed, but they were not allowed to eat any fish, and the women might eat fish only, and not eat any meat from animals killed hunting.

While the hunting was going on, a man called Agbor Adam went to his wife, Iza Kakem, and asked her to give him some fish to eat, as he was tired of nothing but meat. The woman refused to do so, saying that the hunting law was so strong that, if they broke it, they would certainly be killed. But Agbor Adam, seeing that there was no one within sight, told his wife that it would be quite safe, as no one would know, and that, if she gave him some of her fish, he would give her one of the animals he had killed. The woman then gave her husband a fish, and he told her to go to the place where he kept the animals he had killed and take whichever she fancied. So Iza Kakem, having looked over all the animals, selected a monkey, and took it to the bush shelter where she was sleeping, and cooked and eat it. Her husband also eat the fish.

Now, all that had passed between these two people had been observed by a bird called Aictor, who was sitting in a tree and could see everything that happened.

Aictor was a native of the Ingor country, and could not speak the Okuni language, and, at that time, the Okuni people could not understand Ingor, as they were not on friendly terms with them, so that, when the bird sang in the Ingor language, no one could understand what he said.

After Agbor Adam had eaten the fish, he returned to the hunting shelter, where the men were all sitting down, not noticing that the bird had been following him all the time.

Aictor then perched himself on the chief’s shoulder, and called out in the Ingor language, “Agbor Adam, Agbor Adam, you have broken the law made by Chief Akum Alobi between hunting-men and fishing-women, and you know that whoever breaks this law will be killed.”

Aictor shouted so loud that the men, who had never heard a bird talking in their hunting camp before, began to ask among themselves what he was saying, but as they did not understand Ingor, they could not tell one another. They could only hear Agbor Adam’s name being called out. They therefore went to the chief and asked him to tell them what the bird was saying, but even the chief himself was unable to explain, and told the men not to trouble about what the bird said, but to continue with their hunting, and that when they returned to the town he would call upon the lot caster for an explanation.

The men then went out hunting again, but all day long Aictor followed them, calling out Agbor Adam’s name, and saying he had broken the law.

When the hunters returned to the camp in the evening, they cut up the animals which had been killed during the day, and placed the meat in the smoke of the fires to dry. The skins were pegged out on the ground, and covered with wood ashes.

Later in the evening, the chief called Agbor Adam to him, and asked him if he could explain what the bird had been saying, but he could not do so, and said he would like the lot caster to be consulted when they returned to Okuni. The chief agreed, and said that they would all go back in three days’ time.

Early the next morning, Aictor perched himself on the topmost branch of the highest tree in the hunting camp, and started to call Agbor Adam’s name as loudly as he could. This so frightened Agbor Adam that, while the other men were hunting, he withdrew himself quietly from the party, and, having found his wife, told her that the whole of the previous day the bird had called his name and had started to call him again that morning. Agbor also said he was so frightened that he had come to ask her to run home with him, and he would then consult the lot caster as to what should be done before the chief arrived, as he felt certain the bird must have seen what they had done and would tell everybody.

His wife then began to pack up her smoked fish, but, before she had finished Aictor came and sat on a tree near to where they were standing, and called out “Agbor Adam! Agbor Adam! Yesterday I caught you breaking the chief’s hunting law by eating fish, and now I find you running away from the hunting party.”

Although Agbor Adam could not understand what the bird said, he suspected something of the truth, so, having fitted an arrow to his bow, he aimed at the bird, thinking that if he could only kill him the trouble would be finished, but Aictor flew away.

When Iza Kakem had packed the fish into a load for carrying, her husband helped her to place the load on her head, and they started off with the woman in front, Agbor Adam following close behind.

They walked on for some distance, until they arrived at a stream called “Keruba Ketor” (“deep hole, near the town,” a place where women wash their bodies) and then Agbor suggested that they should rest for a while and wash. The woman placed her load in the forked branches of a tree near the stream, and, stepping into the pool, commenced to drink out of her hands. She had not finished drinking when they heard the bird calling out, “Agbor Adam! Agbor Adam! You are running away, but you will be found out.” When Agbor heard the now familiar voice of the bird, he looked round everywhere, but, as he could not see Aictor, he was frightened, and told his wife to pick up her load at once. Then they waded across the stream and began to run. They continued to run until they reached the second water, called “Ogboga Kedegha” (“the water with deep places”). Here the woman said she was going to wash, as she was so hot and tired. Aigbor also said he would wash, so they took off their cloths and stepped into the water, but they had only just started to wash themselves when the bird called out again, “Agbor Adam! Agbor Adam! Now you are half-way home, and, if you do not kill me, you will be found out.”

Both Agbor and his wife were now thoroughly frightened, and, jumping out of the water, snatched up their cloths, and ran naked along the path until they reached the shade of a large tree, where they stopped and tied their cloths on.

Then the woman began to abuse her husband, saying, “You have been the cause of all this running and trouble,” but Agbor told her that when he eat the fish and broke the hunting law he never thought he would be found out.

They then started off again, and walked as far as the third water, called “Ofat elikatt,” (“the slippery water”; so called because the stream runs so fast over the stepping-stones that it causes a person’s foot to slip).

Having rested for a little while, they started off again, but had only gone a few steps when the bird once more attracted their attention by calling Agbor’s name. This time Aictor was saying, “Turn round and look at the little stream as it will be for the last time.” As they did not understand what the bird said, they started off to run again, and did not stop until they reached the small stream quite close to the town, which is called “Ezi Ifom” (“the water where the cows drink”).[11]

Here at last they managed to wash without any interruption from the bird, and when they were ready they walked on into the town, which they found almost deserted, as all the men and women were absent hunting and fishing.

When they arrived at their house, however, they found that Aictor had got there before them, for they saw him sitting on the top of a palm-tree, and when they came near they could hear him calling out, “Agbor Adam! Agbor Adam! Here shall I stay in the town until Chief Alobi and the hunters return, when I will tell them that you have broken their hunting law and you will be killed.”

Agbor and his wife then ran into their house and shut the door carefully behind them. Agbor told his wife that when night came he would go and get a supply of food, but that she was not to let anyone in and not to answer anybody who called. He also said that when he got food he would return, and that if there was no one about outside trying to catch him, he would knock at the door and she could then let him in.

During the next two nights, Agbor went out as soon as it was dark and got as much food as he could into the house and then fastened himself securely in.

When the chief returned to the town with his hunters, he sent some men to call Agbor, but although they knocked at his door for a long time and called both Agbor and his wife by name, they received no reply.

When the morning came, the chief sent for the animals to come in, and, as the elephant was the biggest and strongest, he chose him. He then told the elephant that he was to get hold of Agbor Adam, but he did not wish him to be killed, as he only wanted to find out why the bird Aictor had been calling his name and why he had left the hunting party. So the elephant went to Agbor Adam’s house and, having broken the door open, dragged him out with his trunk, and brought him before the chief.

Directly Aictor, who was sitting near the chief on a palm-tree, saw Agbor, he began to call his name, and said he had broken the hunting law.

As no one could understand the bird, the chief sent to Uman compound for a woman named Iman, who was a native of Abijon, and could, therefore, speak Ingor.

When she arrived, she told the chief and the people what the bird was saying, which was “Agbor Adam! Agbor Adam! Chief Alobi passed a law that women should not eat animals killed by the men in hunting, and that the men should not eat the fish caught by the women. But your wife eat a monkey which you had killed and you eat a fish caught by your wife, and then, when I called your name, you ran away with your wife and left the hunting party, but I followed you all the way, and although you tried to kill me, I am here to give evidence against you, as I promised.”

When Chief Alobi heard this he rose up in anger, and stamped his foot on the ground, saying, “Surely Agbor Adam shall die this day. For, first of all, he disobeyed my hunting law, and then he deserted the hunting party. Is there anyone present who does not agree?” But no one answered.

Then Chief Aboli pointed to the palm-tree on which Aictor was perched, and told Agbor Adam that he should be hanged there, but, first of all, he should climb up and down the tree six times, and when he got to the top for the seventh time he should place his head in a noose and hang himself.

When Agbor’s wife heard this, she ran and threw herself at the chief’s feet, and, beating her breasts and tearing her hair, she implored him to spare her husband, but the chief walked away from her.

Agbor then climbed up to the top of the tree and came down again. This he did six times, but when he had got to the top of the tree for the seventh time, and was just going to hang himself, Chief Ossima ’nkom of Yammi appeared, and called upon him to stop, saying, “I am the oldest and biggest chief in the town, and am going to beg for you.”

He then went to chief Alobi and said, “If a man kills another man he should be hanged, but if he breaks the hunter’s law he disobeys a chief’s order; he should be fined and not killed, and I think 260 rods would be a proper fine.”

To this Chief Aboli agreed, and thus Agbor Adam’s life was saved, so he climbed down the tree again and paid the fine.

From that time the people who disobeyed a chief were made to pay a fine in tombo, goats, or sheet, according to the order.

Told by Ennenni, an Okuni woman.—[E.D., 6.1.11.]