"Very well," said Mary, "I will send it. But I know there will be much
trouble."
So he took the banana plant to Chief Njiri. When he received it, he and
his warriors went to the village which he thought was working witchcraft
against him. He made all the people of the village come to him. In great
fear they came.
"Every one of you must swear that you did not make that bad medicine
against me. I am going to find out who is working that witchcraft to hurt
me."
All the people of the village swore they had not done it.
"I am going to take one of your finest young men with me. If I find that
you have told me a lie, I will kill him."
Njiri's warriors captured a young man and took him along. If the villagers
had tried to rescue him, he would have been killed, and many of them would
have been killed also. They sent a man to Mary.
"Ma," said the man, "please help us. Please get Njiri to free Kolu."
"I don't like to have anything to do with Njiri. He is very wicked. But I
will go and try to get Kolu free."
Mary went to the village of Chief Njiri. She walked right up to the
chief. The warriors of Chief Njiri looked at her with angry faces. They
shook their spears at her.
"Chief Njiri," said Mary, "why have you taken this young man? He has done
you no harm. You are doing a bad thing."
"Ha, ha," laughed Chief Njiri. "Do you think I am so foolish, Ma? I know
these people put bad medicine in my path. I saw the sticks and shells which
the witch doctor took from my leg. If sickness comes, I will kill this
man."
"The village people have sworn to you that they did not put those things in
your path," said Mary.
"Perhaps they are lying."
"They are not lying, but you have lied. You promised to go home and not
harm these people. You lied to me. You have made trouble. You went to their
village and made them swear. You stole this young man. It is wrong to
lie. God will surely punish those who speak with a lying tongue. Please set
this young man free so that he may return to his village and his people."
"Ma," answered Chief Njiri, "you do not understand these things. You do not
know the badness in the hearts of these people. You do not know the bad
things they want to do against me. You do not know about witchcraft."
"Oh, yes, I do," said Mary. "I know that God will punish those who do
witchcraft. He will punish those who are foolish enough to believe in
it. The people who trust in Jesus do not fear witchcraft. Why do you not
trust in Jesus?"
"I don't need Jesus. I am a strong chief. I have many warriors. No one can
harm me."
"If no one can hurt you, why don't you set this young man free?"
"I will not set him free. If I keep him, his people will be afraid even to
try hurting me."
"But think, Chief, how you would feel if you were captured and taken away
from your people? Think how sad this young man feels. Great chiefs show
mercy and kindness to the weak. Will you show mercy and kindness to the
people of the village and free this young man?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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