"Aldridge, Mary C - The Adinkra Cloth" - читать интересную книгу автора (Aldridge Mary C)

"Where? Show me!"

He dragged me out to the bush where the death-pit was, but it seemed to me he already knew the way. He looked at the empty, dead pit. He looked at me. "Where is the body?"

I looked away from his furious eyes. "Perhaps a leopard ate it."

He broke a switch off a thorny jitaio tree and began to beat me, saying, "Where is she? Where has she gone? Did she go back to that brother of hers? Tell me where she went!"

After a while we returned to the village. Uncle stood out in the street and complained loudly to the other men. "My foreign wife has run away! This boy claims she died, but there's nobody!" They all began to scold, demanding I tell them where my mother had gone. I kept repeating that she was dead and I had burned her up. "She's run away," one of the old men said finally in disgust. "That's what comes of marrying foreigners. Your brother was ill-advised!"

"She's my wife now! I want her back!"

"But she's only trouble," the other men protested. "What do you want her for? You have her children, four fine boys. You have her pots, cloths, brass and silver bracelets. Take them and give them to your other wives, who are more deserving. And she was a hard worker, at least. Her granaries are full. Give that to your wives as well, and forget her!"

"1 want her," Uncle said. "The young men must go to her land, to her brother Mbanyo, and bring her back."

"Oh, no!" the leader of the young men spoke up at once. "That's a great journey, and who knows what'll happen in a foreign land? Suppose we go all that way and Lord Mbanyo won't release her? Very likely she'll tell him a lot of lies about how badly she was treated here. They are twins; he'll believe anything she says. Who can win against a great lord in his own country? Besides, we have our own farms to think of."

"Yes, the land must be cleared!"

"Forget the woman," the other men urged. Uncle's fists clenched; his face shook with anger. "And who is to feed her children? Why should my other wives work to fill their greedy mouths?"

"Someone has to feed children," the old men said. "Your dead brother's sons are your sons." Now I clenched my fists. Never, never, never! The old men said, "This is enough," and everybody walked away to go about their business. My uncle waited until they were all gone, then he grabbed my shoulder and dug in his fingers like iron talons. "You know where she is," he hissed. "You'll pay!" He started dragging me to our mother's house in the compound. The bite of his fingers on my shoulder brought stinging tears to my eyes, and I had to grit my teeth to keep from crying. When we came to the house, he threw me inside and glared at all four of us.

"Does she think she can escape me? You are my sons now, and 1 shall use you as I please. And she will know. The witch will know, I'm sure. When she sees how I use you, your mother will come back and then she will do as I say!"

"But she-" began Chami.

Ilomi pinched him.

"She'll come," my uncle whispered. His face twisted with anger like a fearsome mask. "I will have the woman and her magic! My brother knew nothing." He sneered at us. I hid my fists behind my back. "He could have made you little princes. Far greater even than your uncle, the Lord Mbanyo, in your mother's country. When I have her magic, I can do that for you! Would you like to be princes and ride on fine steeds and wear gold, copper, and coral?"

"I would," Chami said breathlessly. "When?"

"When your mother comes back."

Chami laughed. "But she is-"

Ilomi slapped him. Chami rocked backwards with astonishment, and tears rushed from his eyes. He wailed, "Oliasso!"

I jumped up. "Shame on you, Ilomi, picking on the little one!"

"Yes, shame!" cried Kiwaso, meaning it. "Mama said to take care of our brother!"

Kiwaso and I continued to yell at Ilomi until our uncle got angry and shouted at us all to be quiet. But Chami wept and wouldn't talk to him anymore.

Uncle said, "Tomorrow you can all go out to the fields. The land must be cleared and broken for planting."

Ilomi looked astonished. "But that's men's work! We aren't strong enough to do that!"