Jagua Nana

‘You ol’ witch woman, Jagua. What you done with Nancy? What you done with my daughter?’ She gripped Jagua by the wrist, but Jagua broke free and raced for her clothes with Ma Nancy in pursuit.

Ma Nancy was yelling like a woman gone mad. ‘Jagua done drown my daughter! … Jagua done kill Nancy Oll. You done kill am!’

She began to run towards the palace. Boys and girls on their way to the wells crowded the path and stared after her. ‘De ol’ witch done kill my daughter! … Lord ’ave mercy! I come for Bagana to lose me daughter. Jagua done kill Nancy! … Give me my Nancy, de only daughter I got! …’

The anger had gone from Jagua; in its place grew fear. If indeed Nancy was killed by the Krinameh people and her body floated down in a canoe, the blame would be hers. But she had not meant to drown Nancy, or to kill her, only to teach her a lesson. Her fingers were unsteady. She managed to fix on her clothes, and then she began running back to the palace. Never had it taken her so long to get there.

14

Jagua saw Mama Nancy waiting in the lounge. Presently Uncle Namme, eyes reddened with sleep and swollen by O.H.M.S., came out. He pointed at Jagua.

‘What have you done? Didn’t I warn you? You went and pushed Nancy into the river? You drove her into the hands of the Krinameh people … Lord!’ He held his head in his hands.

Ma Nancy shouted. ‘De ol’ witch woman mus’ be hang. Bloody harlot!’

‘Uncle Namme, ah never dream of dat. We only quarrellin’ an’ I follow de gal to teach am sense. And den—’

‘Oh, dear me!’ Uncle Namme paced up and down. His sleeping clothes were rumpled and his eyes were shining large. ‘They will torture her. They will kill her. Is too late now. And she’s my guest: such a good dancer! …’ He saw a man passing in front of the palace. ‘I say there! Go at once! Beat the war drums!’

The man looked startled. ‘This morning, Your Highness? Wha’s de matter? We going to fight anybody?’

‘You heard me! … I said go and beat the war drums! And don’t stand there arguing!’

The cry was instantly taken up. ‘Beat the war drums! … Beat the war drums! …’ In the courtyard there was a fever of movement. Men and women were rushing about in all directions, while the goats bleated and dropped faeces as they vanished into safe nooks. The war drummers came, the same three men whom Jagua had seen the evening before. They beat, but this time, the sound of the drum was hollow and carried a grim loneliness.

All over Bagana men were yelling and diving into their houses only to emerge flourishing cutlasses and dane guns. They were answering a call to war. They came to the palace, bare torsoed, in shorts. They came ready to fight. Uncle Namme stood at the door of the palace. He spoke harshly to them, pointing at the tallest of them, who now came forward. He was speaking to the Bagana people and Jagua could not understand what he said, but she gathered that the tall man had been made the leader of the expedition against Chief Ofubara of Krinameh. Their duty was to capture Nancy Oll. The men were receiving orders to fit out the war canoes, to bring them out from hiding, to arm and to sail for Krinameh. Uncle Namme clapped his hands, and the men briskly disappeared. Jagua could see that he had become a different man, no longer the genial host. He was tense, distant and she could not dare to look him in the face.

Ma Nancy was cursing her aloud. ‘You harlot woman. You not goin’ to die well. You goin’ to die in de gutter. Vulture will chop you eye!’

Uncle Namme raised his hand. ‘Be patient. Ma Nancy, I know how you’re feeling. Nancy’s a fine gal. D.V. nothing will happen to her. We all love her. The whole of Bagana.’

When Uncle Namme went into a room, Jagua followed him. He was still pacing about like a man in a dream. In the courtyard the women had assembled and were dancing and yelling, working up the heat. They carried staves which occasionally they flung at the wall facing Krinameh. Jagua knelt before Uncle Namme.

He looked haughtily beyond her. ‘Don’t come near me! You started all this nonsense! I should take you up now and lock you inside. Yes, we have a prison. Better still, I should take you and fling you into the waters of Krinameh. Then you’ll know what it’s like.’

‘Pardon, Your Highness. I want to go there. I want to go for dis Krinameh. Me one.’

Uncle Namme stopped walking. ‘What?’

‘I beg you not to sen’ man-o-war canoe to Krinameh. Or dere goin’ to be plenty people kill. Uncle Namme, is me who cause all dis palaver. So let me go an’ see Chief Ofubara.’

Uncle Namme glared at her where she sat, meek and repentant.

‘What d’you think you can do? Suppose Chief Ofubara captures you also; that will make two. No! I refuse!’

Jagua began to cry aloud. ‘Uncle Namme, ah beg you for allow me. Ah will go dere an’ ask Chief Ofubara to take me, instead of Nancy. I prepare to make de sacrifice. I prepare for take de risk.’

Uncle Namme held his sides and laughed. He laughed with his throat and tongue, and then sat down. ‘You’re joking! You don’ know Chief Ofubara. He’s my own blood. Wicked man! You don’ know him. Ha, ha! …’

But Jagua was adamant. ‘Ah don’ mind, Your Highness! Me begin all dis trouble. So, if you kin let me. Ah goin’ dere an’ ask Chief Ofubara to kill me, if he like, but to lef’ Nancy. I wan’ you to give me good canoeman for take me dere. When ah go an’ I don’ come back quick or you don’ see Nancy, den you kin sen’ your army.’ She looked up into his eyes and saw the faintest flicker of indecision. ‘You goin’ to waste innocent young men. Dis not matter of force or power. If you sen’ your men with power, den Chief Ofubara will fight with power too. But when he see a simple woman like me, what he goin’ to do? He goin’ to laugh …’

Uncle Namme looked at the kneeling Jagua. He lifted his eyes and looked right ahead of him and said with decision. ‘Go and make ready. I shall get my best oarsman to take you. But if you are not back, or if I don’t see Nancy within twenty-four hours, there shall be smoke and blood in Krinameh Creek.’

Jagua prostrated flat before him. He looked down at her and smiled. ‘Rise now. Time is going!’

‘God go bless you, Uncle Namme.’

Jagua rose and walked towards her room, scowling at Mama Nancy who was still waiting in the lounge.