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on her back； had crawled out of the shrine on her belly like a snake。 She had not as much as looked at Okonkwo and Ekwefi or shown any surprise at finding them at the mouth of the cave。 She looked straight ahead of her and walked back to the village。 Okonkwo and his wife followed at a respectful distance。 They thought the priestess might be going to her house； but she went to Okonkwo's pound； passed through his obi and into Ekwefi's hut and walked into her bedroom。 She placed Ezinma carefully on the bed and went away without saying a word to anybody。
Ezinma was still sleeping when everyone else was astir； and Ekwefi asked Nwoye's mother and Ojiugo to explain to Obierika's wife that she would be late。 She had got ready her basket of coco…yams and fish； but she must wait for Ezinma to wake。
〃You need some sleep yourself；〃 said Nwoye's mother。 〃You look very tired。〃
As they spoke Ezinma emerged from the hut； rubbing her eyes and stretching her spare frame。 She saw the other children with their water…pots and remembered that they were going to fetch water for Obierika's wife。 She went back to the hut and brought her pot。
〃Have you slept enough？〃 asked her mother。
〃Yes；〃 she replied。 〃Let us go。〃
〃Not before you have had your breakfast；〃 said Ekwefi。 And she went into her hut to warm the vegetable soup she had cooked last night。
〃We shall be going；〃 said Nwoye's mother。 〃I will tell Obierika's wife that you are ing later。〃 And so they all went to help Obierika's wife—Nwoye's mother with her four children and Ojiugo with her two。
As they trooped through Okonkwo's obi he asked： 〃Who will prepare my afternoon meal？〃
〃I shall return to do it；〃 said Ojiugo。
Okonkwo was also feeling tired； and sleepy； for although nobody else knew it； he had not slept at all last night。 He had felt very anxious but did not show it。 When Ekwefi had followed the priestess； he had allowed what he regarded as a reasonable and manly interval to pass and then gone with his machete to the shrine； where he thought they must be。 It was only when he had got there that it had occurred to him that the priestess might have chosen to go round the villages first。 Okonkwo had returned home and sat waiting。 When he thought he had waited long enough he again returned to the shrine。 But the Hills and the Caves were as silent as death。 It was only on his fourth trip that he had found Ekwefi； and by then he had bee gravely worried。
Obierika's pound was as busy as an anthill。 Temporary cooking tripods were erected on every available space by bringing together three blocks of sun…dried earth and making a fire in their midst。 Cooking pots went up and down the tripods and foo…foo was pounded in a hundred wooden mortars Some of the women cooked the yams and the cassava； and others prepared vegetable soup。 Young men pounded the foo…foo or split firewood。 The children made endless trips to the stream。
Three young men helped Obierika to slaughter the two goats with which the soup was made。 They were very fat goats； but the fattest of all was tethered to a peg near the wall of the pound and was as big as a small cow。 Obierika had sent one of his relatives all the way to Umuike to buy that goat It was the one he would present alive to his in…laws。
〃The market of Umuike is a wonderful place；〃 said the young man Who had been sent by Obierika to buy the giant goat 〃There are so many people on it that if you threw up a grain of sand it would not find a way to fall to earth again。〃
〃It is the result of a great medicine；〃 said Obierika。 〃The people of Umuike wanted their market to grow and swallow up the markets of their neighbors。 So they made a powerful medicine。 Every market day； before the first cock…crow； this medicine stands on the market ground in the shape of an old woman with a fan。 With this magic fan she beckons to the market all the neighboring clans。 She beckons in front of her and behind her； to her right and to her left。〃
〃And so everybody es；〃 said another man； 〃honest men and thieves。 They can steal your cloth from off your waist in that market。〃
〃Yes〃 said Obierika。 〃I warned Nwankwo to keep a sharp eye and a sharp ear。 There was once a man who went to sell a goat。 He led it on a thick rope which he tied round his wrist。 But as he walked through the market he realized that people were pointing at him as they do to a madman。 He could not understand it until he looked back and saw that what he led at the end of the tether was not a goat but a heavy log of wood。〃
〃Do you think a thief can do that kind of thing single…handed？〃 asked Nwankwo。
〃No；〃 said Obierika。 〃They use medicine。〃
When they had cut the goats' throats and collected the blood in a bowl； they held them over an open fire to burn off the hair； and the smell of burning hair blended with the smell of cooking。 Then they washed them and cut them up for the women who prepared the soup。
All this anthill activity was going smoothly when a sudden interruption came。 It was a cry in the distance： oji odu aru ijiji…o…o！ （The one that uses its tail to drive flies away！）。 Every woman immediately abandoned whatever she was doing and rushed out in the direction of the cry。
〃We cannot all rush out like that； leaving what we are cooking to burn in the fire；〃 shouted Chielo； the priestess。 〃Three or four of us should stay behind。〃
〃It is true；〃 said another woman。 〃We will allow three or four women to stay behind。〃
Five women stayed behind to look after the cooking…pots； and all the rest rushed away to see the cow that had been let loose。 When they saw it they drove it back to its owner； who at once paid the heavy fine which the village imposed on anyone whose cow was let loose on his neighbors' crops。 When the women had exacted the penalty they checked among themselves to see if any woman had failed to e out when the cry had been raised。
〃Where is Mgbogo？〃 asked one of them。
〃She is ill in bed；〃 said Mgbogo's next…door neighbor。 〃She has iba。〃
〃The only other person is Udenkwo；〃 said another woman； 〃and her child is not twenty…eight days yet。〃
Those women whom Obierika's wife had not asked to help her with the cooking returned to their homes； and the rest went back； in a body； to Obierika's pound。
〃Whose cow was it？〃 asked the women who had been allowed to stay behind。
〃It was my husband's；〃 said Ezelagbo。 〃One of the young children had opened the gate of the cow…shed。〃
Early in the afternoon the first two pots of palm…wine arrived from Obierika's in…laws。 They were duly presented to the women； who drank a cup or two each； to help them in their cooking。 Some of it also went to the bride and her attendant maidens； who were putting the last delicate touches of razor to her coiffure and cam wood on her smooth skin。
When the heat of the sun began to soften； Obierika's son； Maduka； took a long broom and swept the ground in front of his father's obi。 And as if they had been waiting for that； Obierika's relatives and friends began to arrive； every man with his goatskin bag hung on one shoulder and a rolled goatskin mat under his arm。 Some of them were acpanied by their sons bearing ca