Tyza got up to his feet and shouted, “Eat it? No way! It’s going to be my friend forever, and I will find it a mate, then it will not die of loneliness!”
The boy realised the trauma in Tyza’s eyes and said to him, “Don’t take any notice of my mother, she speaks before she thinks sometimes.”
“Hey, Zuka, I heard that!” retorted his mother and she continued, “You will get a smack if I hear you talk about me like that again, you little weasel!”
It was early evening when the king’s subjects in the compound heard voices and the dogs started barking. Their houses were located at the nearside of the main entrance to the compound, so they could be the first ones to see anyone coming before they reached the king’s home. This was their way of protecting their king from intruders. The children ran towards where the voices were coming from, only to realise it was their father’s, Makada and Tamura arriving from their journey and they screamed with delight.
No one was more pleased to be back home than the four men in Tamura’s company. Tamura was happy to be back so he could see Leona once again before heading home tomorrow but wasn’t too sure about how the king would react to his news.
However, Chief Bongo had promised to put in a good word for him and Tamura thought he seemed a nice person to have journeyed with for the last two days and felt reassured that the king would listen to him. And that reassured him a little.
After having freshened up, Chief Bongo went to the king’s house to greet him and to give him news of the journey and the small matter of Tamura’s plea. He found the king just about to retire to the lounge after his dinner.
The two men embraced and exchanged pleasantries before sitting down to chat. The king asked him, “How was Nengara, met any friendly people there or was it a journey you would rather forget?”
The chief replied, “It was all right, although it was a bit of a disappointment for the young lad.”
“You mean Tamura, wasn’t he welcomed there, did he see his uncle or not?” said the king with a frown of anticipation on his brow.
“He saw him all right,” said the chief, “but it was a waste of time for the poor lad because the Uncle doesn’t believe in raising his family the modern way, he drinks too much and doesn’t educate his children.”
He continued, “He just doesn’t believe in it, he says a roof over the twenty children and five wives’ heads and food on their table are all they need.”
The king looked shocked and said, “What! Twenty children and five wives? The man has been busy, what’s he playing at?”
“He may be trying to create a new world of his own single-handedly by the looks of things, I suppose!” the king said with a chuckle.
“Maybe,” Chief Bongo chimed and added, "that’s why I came to see you on the lad’s behalf, he can’t live with his uncle. The man will work him to the ground and give him and his family no fair chance in life.
“I was wondering without wasting too much of your time, dear King, whether or not the lad and his brother and sister can come and live here with us? I promise he is no trouble from what I gather and he has no other relations to help with the little ones and I could use a spare pair of hands at the stables, from what I can see he is not lazy, he can pull his weight.”
“So I see, there seem to be a lot of good you have seen in this boy, within a short space of time and I have always trusted your judgement, and besides I think he is a good lad too,” said the king and he added, “I am sure there is always work to do in a king’s compound, don’t you agree, Bongo?”
“Thank you, kind King, you will not regret this. May the king live long for his generosity. I will go and tell him then, shall I?” said the chief with excitement and he added, “I am sure he will be well pleased, he was rather quiet and concerned all the way back.”
“No, leave it with me,” said the king and he added, “I want to see the look on his face when I tell him. Get Mondo’s son to help you with the horses, I think Tamura is an intelligent young man and I need him to be my armour-bearer.”
The king continued without paying much attention to Chief Bongo’s wide-open mouth with amazement at what the king had just said. The king continued, “I have been thinking about it when you went away, that if I had someone to run around for me, you would then be able to tend to your other more important duties, without going to and fro to attend to me, don’t you think?”
“Well, King, if you think that would be necessary, it’s very well, not that I mind being at your beck and call,” added Chief Bongo with shoulders raised as a sign of pride in serving the king.
“I know,” said the king, “but let someone younger do all the running, hah? Don’t forget you and I are not getting any younger and I need someone who can do better that I can. You have done more than enough for me, I will always be indebted to you, Bongo.”
Chief Bongo nodded as he was choking back tears and got up to leave, but before he reached the door, the king called to him and said, “I need you to organise the summer festival with my wife before you relinquish your duties and to teach Tamura the ropes first, if you don’t mind?”
Chief Bongo shouted,
