When Obim arrived, the chief offered her some of the tombo to drink, but she refused to touch it. Chief Oga tried his best to make her drink, but Obim would not do so, and said she had merely come to hear what he might have to say. Oga then tried again to persuade Obim to leave her husband and go to him, but Obim refused as before.
Finding this plot had failed, the chief went again to the ju-ju man and told him that Obim had refused to drink the tombo. He then asked the ju-ju man to poison ’Nyambi so that he might get hold of his wife, and when he had given him another big present, he went home.
The next day, the ju-ju man joined the society to which ’Nyambi belonged, and went to all the dances, looking for an opportunity to put the poison he had prepared into ’Nyambi’s drink, but he could never succeed in making ’Nyambi drink anything, as, whenever he went to a dance or a play, Obim made him promise not to drink anything at the dancing place and she would have drink ready for him when he returned home. This probably saved his life, as the ju-ju man was unable to poison him, so after a time he went to Chief Oga, and told him that the year of ’Nyambi’s death had not yet arrived, and he could do nothing with the young man.
Chief Oga then for twelve months did not try to do anything more to kill ’Nyambi, but sat down and waited until the proper time should arrive when he would be able to revenge himself upon ’Nyambi and take Obim away.
However, he frequently sent messengers to Obim, asking her to sleep with him, but she always refused. At last Obim became so annoyed at these repeated messages, that she told her husband what was going on between herself and Chief Oga, and advised him to revenge himself in his turn. She advised ’Nyambi to pretend to go down river to sell some camwood and she would then allow the chief to come to her at night when ’Nyambi should come in and surprise them together. Obim also told her husband that she hoped he would cut a certain part off the chief’s body, which would punish him properly and prevent his troubling her for the future.
’Nyambi thought the plan a good one, so he put some camwood into his canoe and told the people that he was going down river to trade, and did not expect to return for some few days. He then started off but did not go very far.
Directly the chief heard that ’Nyambi had gone, he sent a messenger to Obim, asking her to sleep with him that night. But Obim told the messenger to tell his master that she could not come to him, but that he might come to her alone at night, and he was to be careful not to let anyone know what was going on between them.
Chief Oga was so glad when he got Obim’s message that he at once went down to the river and washed himself. He then went home and put on a fine cloth and had food before it was dark. After that he sat down and waited as patiently as he could until all the people in the town had gone to sleep.
When he thought it was quite safe and no one would see him, he went very quietly to Obim’s house and knocked softly on the door. Obim let the chief in, and then fastened the door, telling him to lie down and that she would join him later on. Oga asked Obim to come to him at once, but she told him to wait a little, as all the people had not then gone to bed.
Very soon Chief Oga dropped off to sleep, so Obim went to the door very quietly and undid the fastening.