按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
〃Nna ayi；〃 he said。 〃1 have brought you this little kola。 As our people say； a man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness。 I have e to pay you my respects and also to ask a favor。 But let us drink the wine first。〃
Everybody thanked Okonkwo and the neighbors brought out their drinking horns from the goatskin bags they carried。 Nwakibie brought down his own horn； which was fastened to the rafters。 The younger of his sons； who was also the youngest man in the group； moved to the center； raised the pot on his left knee and began to pour out the wine。 The first cup went to Okonkwo； who must taste his wine before anyone else。 Then the group drank； beginning with the eldest man。 When everyone had drunk two or three horns； Nwakibie sent for his wives。 Some of them were not at home and only four came in。
〃Is Anasi not in？〃 he asked them。 They said she was ing。 Anasi was the first wife and the others could not drink before her； and so they stood waiting。
Anasi was a middle…aged woman； tall and strongly built。 There was authority in her bearing and she looked every inch the ruler of the womenfolk in a large and prosperous family。 She wore the anklet of her husband's titles； which the first wife alone could wear。
She walked up to her husband and accepted the horn from him。 She then went down on one knee； drank a little and handed back the horn。 She rose； called him by his name and went back to her hut。 The other wives drank in the same way； in their proper order； and went away。
The men then continued their drinking and talking。 Ogbuefi Idigo was talking about the palm…wine tapper； Obiako； who suddenly gave up his trade。
〃There must be something behind it；〃 he said； wiping the foam of wine from his mustache with the back of his left hand。 〃There must be a reason for it。 A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing。〃
〃Some people say the Oracle warned him that he would fall off a palm tree and kill himself；〃 said Akukalia。
〃Obiako has always been a strange one；〃 said Nwakibie。 〃I have heard that many years ago； when his father had not been dead very long； he had gone to consult the Oracle。 The Oracle said to him； 'Your dead father wants you to sacrifice a goat to him。' Do you know what he told the Oracle？ He said；
'Ask my dead father if he ever had a fowl when he was alive。' Everybody laughed heartily except Okonkwo； who laughed uneasily because； as the saying goes； an old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb。 Okonkwo remembered his own father。
At last the young man who was pouring out the wine held up half a horn of the thick； white dregs and said； 〃What we are eating is finished。〃
〃We have seen it；〃 the others replied。 〃Who will drink the dregs？〃 he asked。 〃Whoever has a job in hand；〃 said Idigo； looking at Nwakibie's elder son Igwelo with a malicious twinkle in his eye。
Everybody agreed that Igwelo should drink the dregs。 He accepted the half…full horn from his brother and drank it。 As Idigo had said； Igwelo had a job in hand because he had married his first wife a month or two before。 The thick dregs of palm…wine were supposed to be good for men who were going in to their wives。
After the wine had been drunk Okonkwo laid his difficulties before Nwakibie。
〃I have e to you for help；〃 he said。 〃Perhaps you can already guess what it is。 I have cleared a farm but have no yams to sow。 I know what it is to ask a man to trust another with his yams； especially these days when young men are afraid of hard work。 I am not afraid of work。 The lizard that jumped from the high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did。 I began to fend for myself at an age when most people still suck at their mothers' breasts。 If you give me some yam seeds I shall not fail you。〃
Nwakibie cleared his throat。 〃It pleases me to see a young man like you these days when our youth has gone so soft。 Many young men have e to me to ask for yams but I have refused because I knew they would just dump them in the earth and leave them to be choked by weeds。 When i say no to them they think i am hard hearted。 But it is not so。 Eneke the bird says that since men have learned to shoot without missing； he has learned to fly without perching。 I have learned to be stingy with my yams。 But I can trust you。 I know it as I look at you。 As our fathers said； you can tell a ripe corn by its look。 I shall give you twice four hundred yams。 Go ahead and prepare your farm。〃
Okonkwo thanked him again and again and went home feeling happy。 He knew that Nwakibie would not refuse him； but he had not expected he would be so generous。 He had not hoped to get more than four hundred seeds。 He would now have to make a bigger farm。 He hoped to get another four hundred yams from one of his father's friends at Isiuzo。
Share…cropping was a very slow way of building up a barn of one's own。 After all the toil one only got a third of the harvest。 But for a young man whose father had no yams； there was no other way。 And what made it worse in Okonkwo's case was that he had to support his mother and two sisters from his meagre harvest。 And supporting his mother also meant supporting his father。 She could not be expected to cook and eat while her husband starved。 And so at a very early age when he was striving desperately to build a barn through share…cropping Okonkwo was also fending for his father's house。 It was like pouring grains of corn into a bag full of holes。 His mother and sisters worked hard enough； but they grew women's crops； like coco…yams； beans and cassava。 Yam； the king of crops； was a man's crop。
The year that Okonkwo took eight hundred seed…yams from Nwakibie was the worst year in living memory。 Nothing happened at its proper time；… it was either too early or too late。 It seemed as if the world had gone mad。 The first rains were late； and； when they came； lasted only a brief moment。 The blazing sun returned； more fierce than it had ever been known； and scorched all the green that had appeared with the rains。 The earth burned like hot coals and roasted all the yams that had been sown。 Like all good farmers； Okonkwo had begun to sow with the first rains。 He had sown four hundred seeds when the rains dried up and the heat returned。 He watched the sky all day for signs of rain clouds and lay awake all night。 In the morning he went back to his farm and saw the withering tendrils。 He had tried to protect them from the smoldering earth by making rings of thick sisal leaves around them。 But by the end of the day the sisal rings were burned dry and gray。 He changed them every day； and prayed that the rain might fall in the night。 But the drought continued for eight market weeks and the yams were killed。
Some farmers had not planted their yams yet。 They were the lazy easy…going ones who always put off clearing their farms as long as they could。 This year they were the wise ones。 They sympathized with their neighbors with much shaking of the head； but inwardly they were happy for what they took to be their own foresight。
Okonkwo planted what was left of his seed…yams when the rains finally returned。 He had one consolation。 T