Very soon afterwards, the hawk arrived on the scene to take Agbor away, but his mother would not part with him. Then the hawk became angry, and addressed the people, as follows:—
“Here is a ‘walking woman’ who, several years ago, gave birth to twins in the forest, and, being naturally ashamed of herself, deserted her baby boy, and left him on the ground to be eaten by the driver ants. I saved the boy’s life and have brought him up and fed him. I now demand that he shall be returned to me at once.”
When the people heard, this, they said to the hawk: “If you will let Awu have her son back we will give you a slave in his place,” but the hawk refused this offer indignantly.
Then they offered him cows, sheep, goats, and pigs, all of which the hawk refused with scorn.
The people then suggested giving some cocks and hens to the hawk, to which he replied that, although he would not accept them for Agbor, they were getting nearer to what he possibly might accept.
At last the people offered him a large basket of eggs, whereupon the hawk immediately closed the bargain, handed over Agbor to his mother, and flew away with the basket of eggs in his claws.
The next morning early the hawk started off with his basket of eggs, and left one egg in every house all round the country, until all the eggs in the basket were exhausted. He then returned home in the evening with the empty basket.
After a few months had elapsed, the hawk said to himself: “The time has now come for me to take my revenge upon the people for taking my boy Agbor from me.”
So he flew from town to town, taking chickens from every compound.
This is the reason why hawks always take chickens wherever they find them, and in those days the people never thought of making any trouble with the hawk, as he had a right to the chickens, but nowadays when a hawk swoops down and seizes a chicken, the people shout out and try to kill him, as they have forgotten the story of how the twin child Agbor was redeemed by a basket of eggs.