PART 15

The boat was a sizeable arched longboat of certain seaworthiness; painted yellow in parts and white in others. It's stained and rusty looks reminded the observer it was due for another coat of paint. It's motor engines was a Yamaha motorboard that guzzled water as it propelled them across the thick opalescence that was the river Ossiomo.

PART 14

It seemed when the travellers arrive at the river bank they jostle for their trip to be in the boats of the experienced hands. Kasimu and his companion had reckoned that Dagogo was the most pleasant and experienced at the riverbank at that moment.

Generally most persons wanted their journey in Dagogo's boat. But Dagogo chose whom he wanted because, as he explained countless times, certain persons on his boat would make it hard to control.

That was how she arrived as a traveller, along with nine others in Dagogo's boat, which included Efehi Kasimu and his companion, soldier Gani and the five other soldiers.

PART 13

The riverbank as often as it was, was teeming with more persons than boats to ferry them to the other side. At one time these boats that acted as ferry vehicles, were fishing men's vessels going to and fro laden with fishing nets and the day's catch of fishes and shrimps. But now, those same nets had been hung in favour of ferrying men and women across the river.

Efehi sauntered nimbly,her petite frame moving in an undulating manner between haggling men and women and wares heaped on the ground. Ibinabo stood and stretched as tall as she could to see as much of the place as she possibly could. But still she missed Efehi. She felt responsible for the maiden; she was probably too young to travel alone. It was best they traveled together, if they were heading in the same direction, which she surmised they probably were.

''You too want to use Daigo's boat?,'' this was one of the two tradesmen who had greeted Ibinabo earlier on.

PART 12


''What's your name?''

''Efehi''

Ibinabo looked her over carefully, ''your father is a titled man?''

''No,'' the look on the face of the maiden was one of humility or meekness

''What are you doing on the pathway to the riverbank?''

Her expression gave way to an expression of trepidation. she began to breathe heavily but said nothing. Ibinabo turned to address the two tradesmen that walked past them. She answered them in salute. On this cue the maiden began to edge away.

PART 11

She thought about it. These men cannot be trusted. But here was a uniformed man giving her money, she mused. Evil; the money was evil. But the money was a lot, enough to make such journeys six times to the other villages. She opened her left palm to look at the money and visually count it. she concluded the money was up to half a thousand; about four hundred and seventy.

''Take this, and pay for your boat ride,'' she gave the maiden a small part of the money.

The maiden who was not like her thanked her more profusely than she would have dreamed of thanking the soldiers.

PART 10

‘’Wait !’’ She said breathlessly, that was soldier Gani.

Ibinabo slowed down, when it was obvious they were no longer within the soldiers reach, She knew this soldier Gani. He was new, but he had been posted to the same village a few months earlier.

 

PART 09

‘’Where are you going?,’’ he asked as he looked through her bag. she hoped that he would not see the money she had tied together in the bag. Whether he saw the money or not she could not be sure, but then the senior officer did something rash. He reached into his pocket and took out some money and squeezed them into her hand.

She wanted to refuse. Instinctively she thought it was evil accepting money from such a man. But she said nothing, gripped the tightly the money and pushed passed the military man. Then she started running, softly at first, then very hard. But the men let her run. Before long the maiden was running alongside her.

PART 08

When some of the soldiers turned to see who spoke, the maiden who walked alongside Ibinabo cowered. she did not cower physically but a look of great fright showed on her face that it was obvious she cowered. Perhaps she thought the soldiers would hit them. Then one of the soldiers halted them and said, ‘’submit yourself for searching.’’

But the senior officer said, ‘’stand back officer.’’

He turned to Ibinabo who an indignant expression on her face he asked her, which was her village. and then he reached into her cloth bag, she cringed backwards as if she was about to be physically violated.

‘’What’s in the bag?’’

Ibinabo looked squarely at the senior officer,’’just clothes.’’

PART 07

It was understood. It would not come as a shock if the sage had a home in these other villages. Hence the reason the villagers consider it an issue of good omen for the sage to be around  and available in the village. Even the elders and the titled men of the village made it a priority to meet him during prolonged periods of his residence.

Ibinabo’s village is one of numerous villages proximate to the Ossiomo rivers. But for this fact, the village is near bordered on all sides by rain forests. Those who travel it’s routes must pass at some point along side the river or through one of it’s many rain forests. Going to the next village was often an event of elaborate preparation.

When she came very close, close enough to hear the swishing of their boots against the tall grasses, she spoke again. This time she said in English, ‘’Soldier go, soldier leave.’’

PART 06

But glorified the sage was, though he was glorified only in himself. Nobody knew how and whence the sage came but they knew the sage had often been seen as far as five villages away. The sage knew the life of a nomad, but he had a home in Ibinabo’s village.

PART 05

From hearsay and tales told by the sage; tales from tradesmen and travellers to other villages she had heard how the military men had extorted money from the tradesmen of those villages. she had even heard the same about these men close to her village but she had never actually witnessed one.

But why should she trust them? she reckoned.

‘’They were men of authority but completely untrustworthy,’’ she reckoned

She understood that. The sage was also a man of authority but he was trusted. The village trusted him even though he too had fallen short of God’s glory.

PART 04

Afar off she could see six of them walking, with feet kicking aside knee deep grassy undergrowth; some on the well worn sandy footpath, some off it, as if searching for something missed.

When she came close to them, close enough to hit them with a thrown stone, she again raised her voice. But suffice it to say that nothing happened; the military men kept walking.

If they could understand the language she spoke they would understand that she had just called them animals. she hissed. she held tightly the cloth bag, she had under her arm. It was like her whole life was in that bag. But it was just some day clothes and a little money. And it was all the money she had.

PART 03

Other persons were on the footpath. She was not the only one on the way to the next village. There were tradesman and travellers on the pathway. Not to speak of the soldiers; fourteen of them were, all the way to the riverbank, on the footpath as well. if she was conversant with rank in the army she would understand this was a small company of men. She would understand that amongst these military men was a senior officer of a slightly higher rank.

PART 02

She seldom said anything nice about them, even though she secretly wished she had a husband who was a soldier. She reckoned it was a more lucrative profession than that of a village tradesman.

Raising one's voice in the morning on the footpath would be a brave act for any one but her. Either way, it would be an act of bravery whether they alone or others were on the way as well.

  
PART 01

Quite often Ibinabo would raise her voice whenever she sees afar off, the retreating figures of the soldiers who were only too well known in her village and had been known for the past year by everyone in the village. She is a dare devil sort of girl. She liked to make foolhardy speech at the sentry as she walked past them on the way to the next village or to the nearby river.