The entertainment of the fifth night
(My fourth Journey)
In the fourth night, when the people gathered in the front of my house and the drinks were served as they were dancing and singing with great joy. Then I stopped them and I addressed them first as follows: “I am very happy indeed to see all of you again in front of me and I thank every one of you for the true affection you have on me, although I am the head of the village. And I wonder greatly too to see that you are increased again this night more than ninety per cent. But (all sat quietly and paid great attention to me) when I first saw the whole of you, I was afraid, but after I thought it over again my fear was expelled. Because I first thought within myself that where to get sufficient planks to make coffins for every one of you when you die because you are too many. But when I thought it over again, I remembered that not the whole of you would need coffins to bury you when you die. Because many of you would be killed and eaten up by the wild animals. Many would die in the rivers, many would be burnt into ashes by the fire, many would be kidnapped and so many of you would be fallen into the wells. So therefore, coffins would not be required for those who died such death, and so many would not die in their homes but where their people would not see their bodies to bury with coffins.” But the people were greatly annoyed when they heard like that from me. All were snapping their ringers on heads and saying that they would not die in the rivers or in the fire or in the wells or eaten up by the wild animals, but they would die in their homes, villages, etc., and they would be buried with coffins. But after a while, when their noises went down, I explained to them that they must not misunderstand me, because there was nobody on earth who could know the real place and real time he or she is going to die, or if anyone knew, let him or her tell me. And if anyone knew it, it meant I was guilty of what I had said. Having said so, I hesitated to hear the reply but there was none of the people who could reply but they admitted at last.
After they danced and drank some of their palm-wine, I started to tell them the story as follows:
One fine morning, after six months that I had returned from my third journey, I took my usual gun, hunting-bag and matchet. I bade good-bye to my father, mother, sister and brother and all my friends and my neighbours. Some of the people cautioned me very seriously not to go for any treasure again. They said that all I had brought were enough. But I told them that I must try more for we knew of today but we did not know of tomorrow.
Then I left my village that bright day and I was going to the north this time. Having travelled for several days, I came to a town. This town was very big and famous. It was near a very wide and deep river. Immediately I entered the town, I was greatly shocked first with fear when I saw the terrible appearances of the people or the inhabitants. Every one of them was so leaned that he had no more muscle on his body. Every one of them was as thin as a dried stick. The legs and arms were just like sticks. The eyes were seeing faintly in the skull except the head which was so big that the thin neck could not even carry it. Both upper and lower jaws had already dried up like a roasted meat. The stomach was no more seen except the breast and exposed ribs.
When I first saw them in that appearances, I thought within myself and cried out unnoticed: “Ah, how people were created so terribly like this?” Because in the first instance I did not know that they were in famine and that they were starved until when they had leaned to that state. And they were so starved that the breasts of the women had dried up. The king too was so bitterly starved that he was unable to put on his crown whenever he went out. And it was a great pity that the hunger had forced the people of the town not to respect the king or chiefs again except one who brought food to them.
But according to the custom of that town, I was first taken to the king and when he approved of my staying there, then I lodged in the house of the paramount chief which was almost next to the palace of the king. When it was night I tried to sleep but I was unable to fall asleep because of hunger. So hardly in the morning when I went to the king and told him: “Please king, I am badly hungry, will you give me something to eat now?” But he said at the same time: “Is that so? Sorry, we are in great famine since past few years, therefore, I have no food to give you except cold water which is our main food in this town at present!”
Then I went back to my room, I sat and I was expecting that the paramount chief would soon send food to me as the king had failed to give it to me. Having waited for many hours and yet he did not send anything to me. Then I sold my shame and I went to him. Without shame, I told him that I wanted to eat. But he said that their main food was cold water. He said furthermore that the famine was so serious that they had money but it was useless. They had plenty of costly clothes but the hunger did not let them wear them and even the clothes were oversized them because they had leaned too much. And again, this paramount chief advised me that I should be drinking the cold water.
Having heard like that as well from him, then without hesitation, I started to drink the cold water. But when it was not yet daybreak when I was woken by hunger in the following morning. I hardly got up when I went to the king’s attendants, I complained to them again that since I had come to the town I had nothing to eat except cold water which I was drinking. I complained to them perhaps they might help me. But I was very surprised that they did not allow me to tell them all of my complaints when they interrupted immediately they heard the word “hunger” from me. They naked themselves and told me to look how every one of them was leaned. They told me further that I too would soon become bones if I kept longer in that town.
Having failed again to get food from the attendants, I shook my head with surprise before I left them. When I returned to my room, I sat down quietly and I began to think how to get food by all means. I first thought to go back to my village to be bringing the food stuffs to this town for sale. But I remembered that my village was too far away from there and again, there was no real road on which to be travelled always.
As I was still suggesting within myself of what to do, it came to my mind to go to the big river which was near this town, perhaps I might get fishes from there. And without hesitation, I went to that river. Luckily, I found many canoes tied up to the trees on the bank and I loosened one. I put my matchet in it and then I pushed it on the river. I started to find fishes about to kill. But there was none to be found. But of course, as I was still paddling along, I came to the swampy bush at about twelve o’clock p.m. In that swampy bush, there were many palm-trees. When I stopped the canoe, I climbed one palm-tree but unfortunately, there was no fruits on it. But when I climbed the third one, I found two ripen bunches of palm-fruits on top of it. So I drove all the birds which were eating them away first and then I cut both down.
After I had put them in the canoe, I first ate of them to my satisfaction and then I took the rest to the town. But I was nearly torn into pieces by the hungry people as I was carrying them along in the town to the king. However, I carried them to the king at last. With great wonder and admiration, he took them from me and thanked me greatly. Having eaten as many fruits as he could then he distributed the rest to his people.
After the people had gone back to their houses, the king invited me to one of his property rooms. He showed me all his money and many other property as gold, silver, costly beads and diamonds. He promised me that if I could be getting such palm-fruits for him and his people till when the famine was finished, he would give me a lot of money, gold, silver, diamond and beads as rewards. Having promised me like that, I replied with a smile that I would try my best to be supplying him the fruits till when the famine was finished and then I went back to my room, in the paramount chief’s house.
In the following morning, I went to the river again. I tried all my efforts in climbing so many palm-trees. Luckily after a while, I got one bunch of palm-fruits and I brought it to the king. After he had eaten of the fruits to his satisfaction he distributed the rest to his people. It was so I brought the fruits to the king and his people for the period of five months. But unfortunately, as the famine was not stopped in time and the season of the palm-fruits came to an end, therefore, I could not get anything for the king any more. I tried all my best to get the fruits but it was in vain.
When it was the third day that I had not eaten except to drink the cold water from morning till night, I was so weak that I thought that I would die soon. I thought of going back to my village that time but I could not trek the distance of about one mile when I would fall down, This my fourth journey was so bad and hopeless that I said within myself that if I returned to my village this time I would never attempt to go for any treasure again.
Having failed in all my efforts to get food, then I went back to the palm-trees perhaps I might get some fruits which probably had fallen to the bottoms of the palm-trees during the season. So I started to search the bottom of every palm-tree and I found only one over ripen fruit when it was about three o’clock in the afternoon. I hastily picked it up. But as I held it, I said to myself sorrowfully that what a single palm-fruit could do for me. It could not satisfy my hunger.
Anyhow, I went in the canoe. But as I was paddling it along on the river and when I came to the deepest part of it, this palm-fruit was mistakenly fallen into the water. And this was affected me so badly that I threw the paddle in the canoe and then jumped in the water without hesitation. But as I was swimming here and there just to pick up the fruit, someone held my both feet and was pulling me down into the bottom of the river. Having tried all my best to take my feet from him and failed then I left myself to him. After a while he pulled me into the water and it was then I saw who was pulling me. He held one coffin, with left hand. The lid of that coffin was glass and he hardly pushed that lid to one side when he pushed me in it and he entered it as well and then covered it with that glass lid at the same time. As I was inside the coffin with him, I was breathing in and out quite easily and I saw plainly that this man covered his body from the knee to the waist with the leather of big fish. He had no hair on head but small scales instead, his arms were very short and were as strong as iron but there were fingers on each arm and they were resembled that of human being. Although he had two eyes like myself but each was as round as full moon.
But to my fear, he had fins on shoulders, elbows, knees and ankles and there were a number of moustache on his upper jaw, which was that of a big fish. His mouth was flat but the nose was round. As the coffin was taking us deeply into the river, this man began to threat me badly. Sometime, he would scratch my face with his sharp nails, sometime he would slap me on the ear and sometime he would be frightening by pointing a sharp iron on my eyes. It was like that he was ill-treating me until the coffin took us to the bottom of the river. Then he pushed the lid of the coffin to one side, he came down and then pulled me out. When I came down, I noticed that we were on the land and not in the water as before. The river was seen no more. Then he pushed me in front of him and told me to be going along on one road which led to a very beautiful house. As I was going along it was so he was following me as fast as he could.
On both sides of that road, there were beautiful trees and flowers. Having travelled on that road for a while, I was seeing several men similar to this one, they lined up on both sides of the road as if they were policemen or soldiers. Having travelled further, we came to the front of that beautiful house. And it was then I saw it clearly that it was a mighty palace. As he was escorting me along in it and as we were going from one place to another, I was seeing the costly decorations which were hung on every corner. Again, I noticed the sun was so dull that there was only little difference from the full moon of the dry season. The air was a little thicker than my village’s air and the sands on the ground were as white as white cloth. The sky was almost cloudy throughout the day.
After a while, that man escorted me to the beautiful sitting-room in which one beautiful lady sat in royal state. Without hesitation, I stood before her and bowed down as the man who had escorted me in stood at back. But when I stood for a few minutes, I simply walked to one of the seats and then sat on it. Hardly crossed my legs when I started to glance at every decorations which were on the walls and on the floor. Now it was revealed to me that the inhabitants of this town were the water people and that beautiful lady was the nymph of that river, so they were belonged to the fish race. The nymph and her attendants and guardsmen were very surprised as I was not afraid of them at all, but they did not know that I had surrendered myself to all what might happened to me that time.
The decorations on the walls were stuffed gold fishes, polished large sea shells, skulls of the sea animals, etc. and every part of that walls was twinkling like stars. The seats were also stuffed fishes and were as fresh as if they were still alive. The ruler or the nymph herself was dressed in the skins of beautiful fishes. The skins were so highly refined that they were as smooth as very costly clothes. Some were shining like gold, some were twinkling like the bright stars and the top ones were shining steadily like diamonds. She sat on an arm-chair which had many carved sea creatures on top. She stretched feet on a well-polished skull of a big whale. Many big sea tortoises were walking about on the floor and the crown on her head was full of small beautiful sea shells.
As far as I saw her, she was about thirty years old. Her eyes were very clear and the face was very fresh as the face of a fifteen-year-old girl. There were no scars or pimples on her cheeks or face and the hair of her head was not so much dark but of course, probably the climate of that town had turned the hair to be like that. Her teeth were very white and very closely to each other. Her nose was quite pointed like that of an image, the slippers on her feet were made from the soft leather of crocodile. She had clear and lovely voice and her face always seemed as if she was kind and merciful.
As I was still noticing all these things, a number of another set of guardsmen walked in and those whom I met in there walked out and those who were just come in took over the duty. Again, I noticed these new set of the guardsmen that everyone of them was a man of strong body, stout and fearful to see. The skull of shark was on everyone’s head, and wore the apron which was the skin of fish but the scaly skins of fishes were their purtises and gloves. Many of them held the tails of big fishes. Each of that tails was about four feet long and the width was about six inches and very thick indeed and sharp thorns were lined up on both edges. Some of those who held the long spears were shielded their breasts with the very big sea tortoise back shells. All of these were their uniforms. Every one of them was a giant-like and cynical.
As I sat on the chair facing the nymph or the queen of the river and I was still looking at the decorations and thinking also in mind that no doubt I would leave this town with much wealths, the man who had brought me in there started to complain to the nymph that he brought me before her for punishment because I struck his head when I jumped on the river when the only palm-fruit which I could find had fallen into the river. That man hardly complained to the nymph when all her guardsmen gathered at my back and ready to hold me. But the nymph hastily rang the bell on her side, to them to leave me. Then with a very cool voice, she asked from me: “Why did you strike him on the head?” So before I started to reply, I first crossed my feet and seated very easy as if I was in my house and then I said: “In fact, I jumped on the river when the only palm-fruit that I could get, had fallen in the water. But I did not know whether I had struck him on the head but if it was so then it was by a mistake.” She asked again: “Why did you jump into the river in respect of one palm-fruit?” And as those guardsmen were in attention and got ready to hold me if the nymph gave them the order to do so. So I replied: “My work was to find the palm-fruits to the people of the town of famine because they had nothing to eat since the famine had started in their town and they had already leaned to the bones.” But when she heard like that from me, she was so wondered that she sat up and then asked again: “The famine was so serious that only the palm-fruits the people eat?” I said: “Yes. Even the palm-fruits were not easily to get.” Then she and her guardsmen breathed out with wonder and as she hesitated and was looking at me the guardsmen looked at each other’s eyes with great wonder and then stood easy and that showed me that they were in sympathy with me. So the nymph said suddenly: “Oh, no wonder, your appearance even shows that you are in a great famine because you are too lean.” But I hastily interrupted: “That town is not mine but I went there to find the treasure.”
But as she was about to ask me another question, one beautiful lady walked in that moment. She put one big basin in front of her and then she bowed down for her and walked out. When she removed the lid of that basin, it was roasted fish and then she started to eat it as a refreshment. But as I was very hungry even before I was brought before her, so I stood up, I walked to her and without excuse, I took some slices and then I walked back to my seat and there I started to eat the fish bit by bit with greediness. But as the nymph was kind and merciful, she rang the bell on her side and after a few seconds, one attendant walked in. Then she told her to take me to the dining-room and give me food. So I walked out with that attendant. She (attendant) gave me the nice food which I ate to my entire satisfaction. After that I went back to the nymph. Having discussed with me about the famine for a while, she stood up and walked into one room opposite that sitting-room. After a while she came back with one round box. It was very big but one man could carry it from one place to another. It was sealed round. She gave it to me and then explained to me that, “This sealed box (she pointed finger to it) will supply food and drinks of all kinds to you and the people of the town of famine throughout the period of the famine. But you and the people must be very careful not to break the delicate box. If you break it it will not be able to supply anything to you any more and all of you will be punished for it. Furthermore, if it is stolen away from you, all of you will be punished as well. And again, you must put in your mind always that you must not come back to me for anything as from today!”
Having warned me like that she rang the bell and the man (the water-man) who had brought me to her, walked in. As he stood before her, she told him to take me back to where he had caught me. Then I put the box on head, I thanked her greatly before I followed the water-man and some of the guardsmen led us to a short distance before they went back. After a while we came to where that coffin was. Having put that box in it and I went inside it, the water-man pushed it on to the river and then he entered it. But to my surprise, he hardly covered it with its lid when the coffin started to run furiously on the water and within a few seconds it floated on the very part of that river from which he had caught me before.
As my canoe was still driven here and there by the tides. Then as soon as the coffin stopped closely to it, I put that box in it and then I started to paddle it along to the town of famine. But that water-man did not talk to me until when he had brought me back to that river and returned to the nymph.
When I paddled the canoe for about two hours I reached the bank of that river. Having tied up the canoe, I carried the box direct to the king. In the presence of the paramount chief, the king removed the lid of it. To their surprise, they met several basins of variety of food and one small spoon in it. But they did not believe me when I told them that the food would be sufficient to feed the whole people till whenever the famine was finished.
Anyhow, the king put the box in his strong-room and he choose me to be serving the food to the people and to himself. Then I first served him and the paramount chief and they had first satisfied their hunger, then the whole people in the town were invited to the palace. The king told them that everyone of them should go back to his or her house and bring the plate and spoon. Then the people ran back to their houses and they returned with all these things after a few minutes. Then I began to serve each of them. But the people ate and drank to their satisfaction and yet the food and the drinks remained in that box as if I had not served from them.
It was so the people and the king were eating and drinking to their satisfaction for three times daily for three months and yet the food and the drinks remained as if nothing had touched them. And within a few weeks more, the people had forgotten the famine. They had enough muscles on bodies, they became as powerful as before the famine had started. They were able to walk about easily in the town, singing, dancing and laughing with great joy. They were so satisfied that they determined not to work again for their living.
But as the news of that wonderful box had spread to many towns and villages and many people from those towns and villages had come to witness that box. So one midnight, a gang of night marauders came from one of those towns to the palace. When they came in and as they were trying to break and enter into the strong-room to steal the box away to their town. The king’s bugle-blowers who were keeping watch of the gate of the palace, started to blow the bugles just to wake the king and the rest people in the palace. When the people and the king woke, they took clubs, cudgels, matchets, axes, bows and arrows, etc. They rushed to the marauders and I followed them with my matchet in hand. Then all of us started to beat them but they beat us so mercilessly in return that everyone got wounds all over the body. They beat me until I fell down unconsciously. Every part of my body was bleeding continuously. But at last, when the arrows were shot to them continuously for a few minutes then they ran away for their lives.
After the marauders had escaped, the king and some of the rest people took me from the floor to one room. The king started to treat my wounds with medicine and all were healed within a few days. And the marauders did not attempt to come to the palace for some weeks, but one of them whom we did not recognize at all, came to the bugle-blowers. He tried all his possible best and made friends with them. He was so kind to them that they did not suspect him as one of the marauders. He was sitting with them from morning till the evening. He was just spying the easiest way to get into the strong-room in which the wonderful box was kept always.
Having satisfied himself, then he went back to his members and told them to be ready for another attempt to steal the box. In the very night that they were coming, he had come to the bugle-blowers before his members. He was playing with them as he was usually doing. But he hid one bottle of thick honey under his dress. When he noticed that the bugle-blowers went to the palace to take their supper, he hastily filled their bugles with that thick honey and then hung them back on their usual rack before they came back.
When they returned, he ate and drank with them, after that he told them that he was going to visit another man in the next house. But not knowing that immediately he had left them, he went direct to the rest marauders. He told them that it was time to go and bugle the strong-room. Then all of them came to the town and entered the palace through the other gate. As they were splitting the door of the strong-room with axes, the bugle-blowers woke and hastily took their bugles from the rack. But when put them in the mouths just to be blowing them as a warning to the king and the people in the palace that the night marauders came again. The thick honey started to run from their bugles into their mouths. Therefore, they were unable to blow the bugles but they were licking the honey and enjoying it as it was running into their mouths and it was so the marauders were breaking the strong-room as hastily as they could.
It was like that the room was broken into and the wonderful box together with the king’s property were taken and then they left the town as quickly as possible. And they had gone far away before the bugle-blowers were able to blow their bugles after they had licked the honey in their bugles. Anyhow, the king and the rest people took up the fighting weapons. Then we chased the marauders to catch and then to take the box back from them. But they had gone too far away, we did not see any trace of them.
Then we came back to the palace. The king cast down on his throne and was thinking sorrowfully of what to eat in the morning. In the morning, when the people gathered in the front of the palace and were waiting for their breakfast, the king and his paramount chief told me to go back to the nymph for another wonderful box. But when I explained to the king that the nymph had warned me already not to come back to her for anything and she had warned me as well that if the box was split or stolen away, we would be punished for it. The hungry people shouted at a time: “Don’t tell us a lie! But you must go back to her and if you explain to her how the box was stolen from the strong-room, she would not refuse to give you another one!” Again, I insisted to go back, but that time the king and the paramount chief said that if I refused to go back to the nymph it meant I disobeyed their order and therefore, they would punish me and the punishment was to behead me.
Anyhow, I went back to that river and as I was paddling the canoe along, I came to the same spot from where the water-man had taken me to the nymph the other day. Then I wilfully threw the paddle in the water with the hope that it would sink like that palm-fruit. But when the paddle did not sink, I jumped into the water and I hardly dived when the same water-man held my both feet and pulled me deeply into the water before he put me inside the same coffin and within a few minutes it took us to the town of the nymph. Then the water-man took me before her like the first time. He complained to her that he caught me again when I struck his head with my feet.
But the nymph grew annoyed when she saw me there again. Instead to say anything to the complaint of the water-man, she asked me: “Had I not told you last time not to come here again?” I replied with trembling voice: “In fact you had told me not to come to you again. But I come back to take another wonderful box in which everlasting food and drinks are kept!” Having heard like that from me, she became more anger and asked: “By the way, what has happened to the one which I had given to you the other day?” I replied that the night marauders had stolen it away from the king’s strong-room a few days ago. Then she remarked with fearful voice: “Is that how you people are careless? I had warned you that you should keep the box so savely that it might not be stolen. All right, I shall send another thing to the king which will teach all of you sense!”
Then she stood up and entered the same room opposite the sitting-room and I was very happy when she told me that she would send another thing to us which would teach us sense. After a while she returned with one huge sealed pot. When gave it to me, she told me that I should open it when the whole people and the king gathered into one place. Then I thanked her greatly for I believed that this pot was going to supply the food and drinks like that box. So when I was ready to leave, she rang the bell to the same water-man and he walked in at the same time. As he bowed down for her, she told him to take me back with the same coffin. Having taken me back to where he had caught me, then I put the pot in my canoe and I paddled it to the bank and from there I carried the pot to the town.
The hungry people and the king who had already gathered in the front of the palace and were waiting for my return, shouted greatly with joy when they saw the pot on my head. But when I gave it to the king and he put it in the middle of the people, then I told him how he would open it. So he first told the people to bring their plates nearer and then he forced it open. But uncountable of bees, wasps and all kinds of the stinging insects rushed out from it instead of food and drinks. Without hesitation, these insects started to sting all of us. Within a few minutes many people were stung to death, that place was disordered at the same time. Everyone was running skelter helter for his or her life. And at last, as the king was running away for his life, the crown fell off from his head but he was unable to wait and take it back. So almost all the people of the town of famine had run away for their lives and when the town was empty, then I took my gun, hunting-bag and matchet and I started to go back to my village at the same time. I could not wait to tell the king to fulfil his promise but of course, he too was nowhere to be found.
After a few days’ travel, I reached my village and I entered my father’s house very quietly but not as joyfully as my last three journeys which had profited me greatly. Then the people rushed to my house to honour my return, but they were greatly shocked when they noticed that I did not bring anything this time. Having told them all what had happened to me in the town of famine, some cautioned me not to go any journey again and some advised me not to give up my adventures because time was not always as straight as a straight line and that one who was finding goodness about must endanger his life and must be able to endure all hardships as well. Then I thanked them greatly. After that I sent for drinks and all of us drank together till the midnight.
“That was the end of my fourth journey. It was so many journeys were not profitable in those days. One journey might prove to be a better one from beginning but might be the worst towards the end. But I was not discouraged at all as my fourth journey was vanity at last. I thank you for your listening. Good night to you all!” Then after the people of my village had danced, sung and drunken for a few minutes they went back to their houses.