My Life in the Bush of Ghosts by Amos Tutuola Page A

beating drums, clapping hands, ringing bells and dancing round me for a few minutes before they killed all the domestic animals which they brought before me and poured the blood of these animals on to my head which ran to the long neck and then into the pitcher in which the rest of my body was. After that the flesh of these animals was cooked and put all near to touch mymouth and I was easily eating it. So all these ghosts were coming every third day and worshipping me there as their god. But the worst part of it was the bells which they were beating with big rods whenever they came, and when sounding it would cause a head-ache, and again the blood of all the animals pouring on to my head was also smelling very bad when rotten. They were spending about four hours with me whenever they were coming to worship me, so I did not feel hunger again as I was eating all the sacrifices they were bringing to me.
    Ah! nobody would enter into the “Bush of Ghosts” without much trouble and severe punishment, because as I was repeatedly beaten by rain and scourged by the sun on the centre of these roads as I was unable to move myself anywhere, so at night the bush animals, and other kinds of reptiles would come and stand before me and then looking at me with great surprise for my fearful appearance. And if all of them looked at me for so many hours, then the boa would come to me and start to swallow my head which appeared from the pitcher, but when it swallowed it to the larger part of the pitcher it would disturb him from swallowing the whole of me or the pitcher, and when disturbed then he would vomit me out again and I would not be allowed to sleep or rest for a minute throughout the nights because of the troubles given me by these animals. And if the day breaks again, all the sheep, goats, fowls, pigs and dogs would come again from that town. All would stand and look at me with much astonishment as I was curious and very dreadful to them, even to any person who might see me at this time. If these domestic animals look at me for some hoursattentively, motionless or crying once, then all the dogs who were among them would be barking at me and coming to me slowly until they would reach me and then they would start to eat the remaining sacrifice which I could not finish, and before they would finish that the goats and sheep would come to me and start to kick me on the head but I had no hands to drive them away. Again all these dogs would be licking all the blood poured on to my head with their tongues, and as they were doing like this all the ghosts would come again and then all these domestic animals would run back to the town, so by that I had no chance to sleep or rest both day and night.
    Within a few months that I was at the centre of these roads in the pitcher news had reached every other town of ghosts of that area and all of them were trying their best to steal me for their towns as they thought that I am really a god.

River-Ghosts
Gala-day under the River
    O ne night at about two o’clock, I saw many ghosts who came to me and put me inside a big bag which they brought. After that one of them put me on his head and then from there to their town which was under a big river, because they are “River-Ghosts”. Which means they stole me from this centre of the roads to their town. Having reached their town they took me to their chief ancestor who sat down on an idle chair before a fearful god which they supposed to be the most powerful among their gods which they were worshipping in this town. Then they put me down before him as he was the one who ordered them to go and steal me from the centre of the roads when they heard information about me. Immediately I was presented to him he sent for a ram, then he killed it before me and poured its blood on to my big head which was as big as an elephant’s head and also fearful to look at. After, they cooked the flesh of this ram and put the best fleshy parts of it before me to eat.