"No,itisforyou,Ithink,"andtheyarguedlikethisforafewmomentsbefore
Unokaacceptedthehonourofbreakingthekola.Okoye,meanwhile,tookthe
lumpofchalk,drewsomelinesonthefloor,andthenpaintedhisbigtoe.
Ashebrokethekola,Unokaprayedtotheirancestorsforlifeandhealth,andfor
protectionagainsttheirenemies.Whentheyhadeatentheytalkedaboutmany
things:abouttheheavyrainswhichweredrowningtheyams,aboutthenext
ancestralfeastandabouttheimpendingwarwiththevillageofMbaino.Unoka
wasneverhappywhenitcametowars.Hewasinfactacowardandcouldnot
bearthesightofblood.Andsohechangedthesubjectandtalkedaboutmusic,
andhisfacebeamed.Hecouldhearinhismind'seartheblood-stirringand
intricaterhythmsoftheekweandtheuduandtheogene,andhecouldhearhis
ownfluteweavinginandoutofthem,decoratingthemwithacolourfuland
plaintivetune.Thetotaleffectwasgayandbrisk,butifonepickedouttheflute
asitwentupanddownandthenbrokeupintoshortsnatches,onesawthatthere
wassorrowandgriefthere.
Okoyewasalsoamusician.Heplayedontheogene.Buthewasnotafailure
likeUnoka.Hehadalargebarnfullofyamsandhehadthreewives.Andnow
hewasgoingtotaketheIdemilititle,thethirdhighestintheland.Itwasavery
expensiveceremonyandhewasgatheringallhisresourcestogether.Thatwasin
factthereasonwhyhehadcometoseeUnoka.Heclearedhisthroatandbegan:
"Thankyouforthekola.YoumayhaveheardofthetitleIintendtotake
shortly."
Havingspokenplainlysofar,Okoyesaidthenexthalfadozensentencesin
proverbs.AmongtheIbotheartofconversationisregardedveryhighly,and
proverbsarethepalm-oilwithwhichwordsareeaten.Okoyewasagreattalker
andhespokeforalongtime,skirtingroundthesubjectandthenhittingit
finally.Inshort,hewasaskingUnokatoreturnthetwohundredcowrieshehad
borrowedfromhimmorethantwoyearsbefore.AssoonasUnokaunderstood
whathisfriendwasdrivingat,heburstoutlaughing.Helaughedloudandlong
andhisvoicerangoutclearastheogene,andtearsstoodinhiseyes.Hisvisitor
wasamazed,andsatspeechless.Attheend,Unokawasabletogiveananswer
betweenfreshoutburstsofmirth.
"Lookatthatwall,"hesaid,pointingatthefarwallofhishut,whichwasrubbed
withredearthsothatitshone."Lookatthoselinesofchalk,"andOkoyesaw
groupsofshortperpendicularlinesdrawninchalk.Therewerefivegroups,and
thesmallestgrouphadtenlines.Unokahadasenseofthedramaticandsohe
allowedapause,inwhichhetookapinchofsnuffandsneezednoisily,andthen