At home again—I choose a wife—How I went courting—And was married—My visits to the white men—They talk of “one Jesus”—The other white man, Bokakala—He wants rubber—We are eager to get it—How rubber was collected—The rubber market—“We did not know.”
After I got back home, it was some little time before we all settled down again to the old ways. As I said, there was much rejoicing, accompanied by feasting and dancing, and then when that was over, I had to visit many friends, while others came to visit me.
We all enjoyed the feasting and soon got strong and well again, some of us quite stout; but it was not long before we got tired of answering so many inquiries, and listening to so many comments; so off we went into the forest to cut bamboos and reeds for thatching, [[47]]and trees for building, and set to work to build new houses for ourselves. It was soon settled that the family who had come with us from the cannibal country should remain in our village, so the husband started building a house for them not far from ours.
As time went on I began to think it would be a good thing to get married, and as my father was quite ready to find the riches I should need to pass over to the father of my chosen wife, I did not lose any time in making known my wishes to her.
Her name was Bamatafe, and she was considered very beautiful. Her skin was of a light brown colour, and decorated all over in various patterns of cicatrised cuttings, and when well rubbed with palm oil and camwood powder would shine in the sun. She was usually dressed in a wild-cat skin and fresh plantain leaves frayed out at the edges and suspended from a string of blue beads round the waist. Her hair was dressed in our most beautiful style—called besíngya—that is, all the hair is divided into very small portions, each of which is rolled in oil sprinkled plentifully with red camwood powder and another kind of sweet-smelling powder made from nuts. Her eyes were black, [[48]]and her teeth were chiseled to very sharp points.
Such was the girl I loved; and now that you know what she looked like, can you wonder that I wanted her?
But of course I had to find out if she were willing to come to me, so I determined to pay a few visits to her home.
On the first occasion I simply passed by and looked at her as she was sitting in her father’s house; but I went again, and, drawing near, I said to her, “Bamatafe, o l’eko?” (salutation, “Are you there?”) to which she answered, “I am there; Are you there?” and I said “O yes!”
I felt very encouraged after that interview, and the next time stayed and talked with her for a while; then when a few days had passed I carried her a fine fat hen for a present. When she accepted that I knew it was all right for me, she was agreeable.
I immediately went and told my father about it, and he arranged with hers about the amount of riches which was to be paid as pledge money on the occasion of our marriage. A spear was passed over as earnest of the other things to come, and that evening I brought home my wife.