Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 22, 1911.djvu/430

 394 Reviews.

him two tortoises. "Should God invite you to kneel down, you must not do this in his palace on the ground, but you must put your knees on these tortoises."

He marched on until he reached heaven. When he came to God's house, Esu (the devil) saw him, and asked what his errand was. " I have come to see the face of God. Go and tell him, as well as the god Olokun, and ask them to come to me." The devil went and gave the message. So they came. With them was Ehramisa, who told him to kneel down. So he took the tortoises, put them on the ground, and knelt upon them. God then asked him why he had come. "I came for my crocodile that I have shot, as I heard it had come to this place." "Was it the king's crocodile?" " Yes." " How did you kill it ? " " With a spear of brass and a spear of iron." " If you saw it, would you know it again?" "I would." "If you were shown your spears, would you know them?" "Yes, I would." So they brought him a number of spears, and he recognised his own. Then they brought crocodiles, and invited him to select his own ; but, when he saw them, he said, — " Mine is not among these, for it bears marks of chalk and marks of camwood on its body." Then they brought his, and he recognised it and showed it to God. God then said, — "Go now home. You will find the crocodile on your way. You may take it to the king of Benin." Then he was offered food, but he refused it, and threw it away ; so, thanking them, he returned.

On his way back he met the mother of Ehenbuda, who greeted him. "Are you going to Benin?" she asked. "Yes." "Will you take a poor present from me to my son?" " Yes." So she made up a parcel, and said, — "Tell my son this is all I can send him. I am so poor, I possess nothing." When he reached the river, there was the ferryman, whom he asked to ferry him over. This done, he asked him, — "Where is the crocodile." "There it is on the top of the bank," was the answer, " look at it." So he took it and arrived in his country. People welcomed him there, and he told them how he had been to heaven and had safely returned. When he reached Benin, his mother greeted him. "You are invincible, my son," she said. He told the people to inform the king that he had come ; so the king came to him, and said, — "Hail, friend, now you shall have your reward." But the Ezomo said, — " Don't reward him." The king said to the Ezomo, — "Be silent. I shall reward him, although not at once. There is a bull in Okedo, that prevents the women of Benin from going to Enyai. Go first and bring that bull to me." " So I will," said Emigaheme, and went home. There he told his mother what new task he had to perform, and she said, — "Go, you will come back safely. . . . Get a bag of ovti and yam peelings, and take some salt with you." Off he went, and when he met the bull he gave him the yam peelings and the ovu to eat, and, while he ate, Emigaheme fastened a rope to him, and led him to Benin. When he came to the town, he said to Omada, — " I beg of you to salute the king from me, and tell him that I have brought the bull. I should like to see him," and lo ! there the king came. " Have you got him," he asked, "have you? You are a man! You shall be