For the first time in many years Okonkwo had a feeling that was akin1 to happiness. The times which had altered so unaccountably during his exile seemed to be coming round again. The clan2 which had turned false on him appeared to be making amends3.
He had spoken violently to his clansmen when they had met in the marketplace to decide on their action. And they had listened to him with respect. It was like the good old days again, when a warrior5 was a warrior. Although they had not agreed to kill the missionary6 or drive away the Christians7, they had agreed to do something substantial. And they had done it. Okonkwo was almost happy again.
For two days after the destruction of the church, nothing happened. Every man in Umuofia went about armed with a gun or a machete. They would not be caught unawares, like the men of Abame.
Then the District Commissioner8 returned from his tour. Mr. Smith went immediately to him and they had a long discussion. The men of Umuofia did not take any notice of this, and if they did, they thought it was not important. The missionary often went to see his brother white man. There was nothing strange in that.
Three days later the District Commissioner sent his sweet-tongued messenger to the leaders of Umuofia asking them to meet him in his headquarters. That also was not strange. He often asked them to hold such palavers9, as he called them. Okonkwo was among the six leaders he invited.
Okonkwo warned the others to be fully10 armed. "An Umuofia man does not refuse a call," he said. "He may refuse to do what he is asked, he does not refuse to be asked. But the times have changed, and we must be fully prepared."
And so the six men went to see the District Commissioner, armed with their machetes. They did not carry guns, for that would be unseemly. They were led into the courthouse where the District Commissioner sat. He received them politely. They unslung their goatskin bags and their sheathed11 machetes, put them on the floor, and sat down.
"I have asked you to come," began the Commissioner, "because of what happened during my absence. I have been told a few things but I cannot believe them until I have heard your own side. Let us talk about it like friends and find a way of ensuring that it does not happen again."
Ogbuefi Ekwueme rose to his feet and began to tell the story.
"Wait a minute," said the Commissioner. "I want to bring in my men so that they too can hear your grievances12 and take warning. Many of them come from distant places and although they speak your tongue they are ignorant of your customs. James! Go and bring in the men." His interpreter left the courtroom and soon returned with twelve men. They sat together with the men of Umuofia, and Ogbuefi Ekwueme began to tell the story of how Enoch murdered an egwugwu.
It happened so quickly that the six men did not see it coming. There was only a brief scuffle, too brief even to allow the drawing of a sheathed machete. The six men were handcuffed and led into the guardroom.
"We shall not do you any harm," said the District Commissioner to them later, "if only you agree to cooperate with us. We have brought a peaceful administration to you and your people so that you may be happy. If any man ill-treats you we shall come to your rescue. But we will not allow you to ill-treat others. We have a court of law where we judge cases and administer justice just as it is done in my own country under a great queen. I have brought you here because you joined together to molest13 others, to burn people's houses and their place of worship. That must not happen in the dominion14 of our queen, the most powerful ruler in the world. I have decided15 that you will pay a fine of two hundred bags of cowries. You will be released as soon as you agree to this and undertake to collect that fine from your people. What do you say to that?"
The six men remained sullen16 and silent and the Commissioner left them for a while. He told the court messengers, when he left the guardroom, to treat the men with respect because they were the leaders of Umuofia. They said, "Yes sir," and saluted17.
As soon as the District Commissioner left, the head messenger, who was also the prisoners' barber, took down his razor and shaved off all the hair on the men's heads. They were still handcuffed, and they just sat and moped.
"Who is the chief among you?" the court messengers asked in jest. "We see that every pauper18 wears the anklet of title in Umuofia. Does it cost as much as ten cowries?"
The six men ate nothing throughout that day and the next. They were not even given any water to drink, and they could not go out to urinate or go into the bush when they were pressed. At night the messengers came in to taunt19 them and to knock their shaven heads together.
Even when the men were left alone they found no words to speak to one another. It was only on the third day, when they could no longer bear the hunger and the insults, that they began to talk about giving in.
"We should have killed the white man if you had listened to me," Okonkwo snarled20.
"We could have been in Umuru now waiting to be hanged," someone said to him.
"Who wants to kill the white man?" asked a messenger who had just rushed in. Nobody spoke4.
"You are not satisfied with your crime, but you must kill the white man on top of it." He carried a strong stick, and he hit each man a few blows on the head and back. Okonkwo was choked with hate.
As soon as the six men were locked up, court messengers went into Umuofia to tell the people that their leaders would
not be released unless they paid a fine of two hundred and fifty bags of cowries.
"Unless you pay the fine immediately," said their headman, "we will take your leaders to Umuru before the big white man, and hang them."
This story spread quickly through the villages, and was added to as it went. Some said that the men had already been taken to Umuru and would be hanged on the following day. Some said that their families would also be hanged. Others said that soldiers were already on their way to shoot the people of Umuofia as they had done in Abame.
It was the time of the full moon. But that night the voice of children was not heard. The village ilo where they always gathered for a moon-play was empty. The women of Iguedo did not meet in their secret enclosure to learn a new dance to be displayed later to the village. Young men who were always abroad in the moonlight kept their huts that night. Their manly21 voices were not heard on the village paths as they went to visit their friends and lovers. Umuofia was like a startled animal with ears erect22, sniffing23 the silent, ominous24 air and not knowing which way to run.
The silence was broken by the village crier beating his sonorous25 ogene. He called every man in Umuofia, from the Akakanma age group upwards26, to a meeting in the marketplace after the morning meal. He went from one end of the village to the other and walked all its breadth. He did not leave out any of the main footpaths27.
Okonkwo's compound was like a deserted28 homestead. It was as if cold water had been poured on it. His family was all there, but everyone spoke in whispers. His daughter Ezinma had broken her twenty-eight day visit to the family of her future husband, and returned home when she heard that her father had been imprisoned29, and was going to be hanged. As soon as she got home she went to Obierika to ask what the men of Umuofia were going to do about it. But Obierika had not been home since morning. His wives thought he had gone to a secret meeting. Ezinma was satisfied that something was being done.
On the morning after the village crier's appeal the men of Umuofia met in the marketplace and decided to collect without delay two hundred and fifty bags of cowries to appease30 the white man. They did not know that fifty bags would go to the court messengers, who had increased the fine for that purpose.
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akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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amends
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| n. 赔偿 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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commissioner
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| n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员 | |
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palavers
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| n.废话，空话( palaver的名词复数 )v.废话，空话( palaver的第三人称单数 ) | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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sheathed
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| adj.雕塑像下半身包在鞘中的；覆盖的；铠装的；装鞘了的v.将（刀、剑等）插入鞘( sheathe的过去式和过去分词 )；包，覆盖 | |
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grievances
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| n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚 | |
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molest
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| vt.骚扰，干扰，调戏 | |
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dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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pauper
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| n.贫民，被救济者，穷人 | |
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taunt
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| n.辱骂，嘲弄；v.嘲弄 | |
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snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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sniffing
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| n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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sonorous
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| adj.响亮的，回响的；adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；n.感人，堂皇 | |
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upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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footpaths
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| 人行小径，人行道( footpath的名词复数 ) | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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appease
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| v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足 | |
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