Then Ogula sent her servants to her father, Ra-Nyambia, and bade them
say to him that she had procured a husband and that she was coming to
present him to her father. Ra-Nyambia made ready to receive them
properly. He called his servant, Wind, and told him to clean up the
street; whereupon Wind got busy and swept the street clean. And
Ra-Nyambia put on his best ornaments. Soon Ogula appeared with her new
husband walking by her side, while all the people followed in
astonishment and admiration, saying to one another: “Where did Ogula get
this handsome and stylish husband?”
Ra-Nyambia was greatly pleased; and Ogula and her husband returned to
her house. But everywhere, through all the towns, there went out a
report of Ogula’s handsome and stylish husband.
Now there lived in a town not far away a beautiful woman, named
Ogondaga, the daughter of a king; and Ogondaga had no husband. At length
Ogondaga said: “I am tired of hearing of Ogula’s handsome and stylish
husband. This day I shall go and see him for myself.”
She ordered her father’s servants to take her in a canoe to Ogula’s
town, saying also to her father that she would return that same day.
This, however, she did not intend to do; for she had determined to win
the love of Ogula’s husband. Ogula received Ogondaga very kindly, and
when her husband returned from the forest she said to him: “This is my
friend Ogondaga.”
In the evening Ogondaga’s servants came and said to her: “It is time to
go home.”
But she replied: “You must go without me; for I am going to visit my
friend Ogula.”
Then they asked her when they should return for her, and she said: “You
need not come for me at all. I shall go home when I please.”
Ogula treated Ogondaga very kindly, and gave her plenty to eat and a
good bed. The next day Ogula’s husband said to her: “I love Ogondaga;
you must speak to her for me. Will you do so?”
And Ogula, though her heart was sore, said: “I shall speak to her.”
This she did; and her husband went with Ogondaga and neglected her. The
next day they had work to do together and she called him; but he was
angry. And so it was the next day, and the next.
Now this continued for four days; whereupon Ogula, taking some of the
ashes of the goatskin, which she had so carefully kept, came upon her
husband while he was washing, and suddenly rubbed the ashes upon his
feet. Instantly his feet were changed to hoofs. He stamped upon the
ground and cried out: “What is this? What is this?”
His wife replied: “It is nothing at all. Why don’t you go out on the
street?”
Then he pleaded with Ogula until she relented and by the power of her
ngalo changed his hoofs again into feet. But again he abandoned her.
Then Ogula, taking all the ashes of the goatskin, and watching her
opportunity, while he was washing threw the ashes over her husband’s
body, saying: “Go back where you came from.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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