est adherents of the new faith. An d what was more, nearly all the osu in
Mbanta followed their example. It was in fact one of them who in his zeal
brought the church into serious conflict with the clan a year later by killing
the sacred python, the emanation of the god of water.
The royal python was the most revered animal in Mbanta and all the sur
rounding clans. It was addressed as 'Our Father', and was allowed to go
wherever it chose, even into people's beds. It ate rats in the house and some
times swallowed hens' eggs. If a clansman killed a royal python accidentally,
he made sacrifices of atonement and performed an expensive burial ceremony
such as was done for a great man. No punishment was prescribed for a man
who killed the python knowingly. Nobody thought that such a thing could ever
happen.
Perhaps it never did happen. That was the way the clan at first looked at it.
No one had actually seen the man do it. The story had arisen among the
Christians themselves.
But, all the same, the rulers and elders of Mbanta assembled to decide on their action. Man y of them spoke at great length and in fury. Th e spirit of war was upon them. Okonkwo, who had begun to play a part in the affairs of his motherland, said that until the abominable gang was chased out of the village with whips there would be no peace.
But there were many others who saw the situation differently, and it was
their counsel that prevailed in the end.
'It is not our custom to fight for our gods,' said one of them. 'Let us not
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presume to do so now. If a ma n kills the sacred python in the secrecy of his hut, the matter lies between him and the god. We did not see it. If we put ourselves between the god and his victim we may receive blows intended for the offender. Whe n a ma n blasphemes, what do we do? Do we go and stop his mouth? No. We put our fingers into our ears to stop us hearing. That is a wise action.'
'Let us not reason like cowards,' said Okonkwo. 'If a man comes into my hut and defsecates on the floor, what do I do? Do I shut my eyes? No! I take a stick and break his head. That is what a man does. These people are daily pouring filth over us, and Okeke says we should pretend not to see.' Okonkwo made a sound full of disgust. This was a womanly clan, he thought. Such a thing could never happen in his fatherland, Umuofia.
'Okonkwo has spoken the truth,' said another man. 'We should do something. But let us ostracise these men. We would then not be held accountable for their abominations.'
Everybody in the assembly spoke, and in the end it was decided to ostracise the Christians. Okonkwo ground his teeth in disgust.
That night a bell-man went through the length and breadth of Mbanta proclaiming that the adherents of the new faith were thenceforth excluded from the life and privileges of the clan.
The Christians had grown in number and were now a small community of men, women and children, self- assured and confident. Mr Brown, the white missionary, paid regular visits to them. 'When I think that it is only eighteen months since the Seed was first sown among you,' he said, 'I marvel at what the Lord hath wrought.'
It was Wednesday in Holy Week and Mr Kiaga had asked the women to bring red earth and white chalk and water to scrub the church for Easter; and the women had formed themselves into three groups for this purpose. They set out early that morning, some of them with their water-pots to the stream, another group with hoes and baskets to the village red-earth pit, and the others to the chalk quarry.
Mr Kiaga was praying in the church when he heard the women talking excitedly. He rounded off his prayer and went to see what it was all about. The women had come to the church with empty water-pots. They said that some young me n had chased them away from the stream with whips. Soon after, the women who had gone for red earth returned with empty baskets. Some of them had been heavily whipped. The chalk women also returned to tell a similar story.
'What does it all mean?' asked Mr Kiaga, who was greatly perplexed.
'The village has outlawed us,' said one of the women. 'The bell-man
announced it last night. But it is not our custom to debar anyone from the
stream or the quarry.'
Another woman said, 'They want to ruin us. They will not allow us into the
markets. They have said so.'
Mr Kiaga was going to send into the village for his men-converts when he
saw them coming on their own. Of course they had all heard the bell-man,
but they had never in all their lives heard of women being debarred from the
stream.
