CHAPTER TWO
Dikachi, the first daughter of Ubochi, was very
beautiful with a nice shape and was admired by every girl
in the village, not only for beauty but for her bravery. She
had escaped from being raped by some boys in her village
many times owing to her bravery, and had also fought with
most of the girls who had gotten on her way.
These made most of the girls jealous and they kept their
distance from her family. The only friend she had was
Ugoma, who was a native of her mother’s village and they
had been friends from childhood.
Dikachi enjoyed hunting bush meats and birds at her
leisure time. This made her father who had always wished
she was a boy give her a gift of catapult which she used for
hunting each time her sister and her went to fetch firewood
or water from the stream.
One Saturday, Oluomachi and her mother left for the
market to sell the produce gotten from their farm. Ubochi
took some of his farm produce to a neighbouring village to
sell .Dikachi was left to mind the house and also prepare a
lunch for the family.
Entering the kitchen, she realized that there was no
firewood left in the house.
Her father had warned her after the series of rape attempts
made on her not to go fetching firewood alone. She
however, decided to go, all alone.
She went into the hut and brought out a cutlass and a rope
made with palm leaves and headed for the farm.
She soon got there and began to cut the wood. She had
only cut but few when she suddenly heard a sound. Fear
griped her as she stopped to listen in order to know the
direction it came from. As the sound became clearer, she
stood still and gently left the wood she had bent to cut and
slowly turned round to face the source of the sound. She
saw that it was a leopard; this sent a sweat running down
her spine as she froze in front of it, she opened her mouth
to scream but no word came from it. The leopard began to
walk closely to her as it roared. While shivering, she bent
down and picked a log of wood from amongst the ones she
had cut earlier and raised it against the on-coming leopard;
she held her breath and tightened her lips. The leopard
pounced on her, trying to devour her flesh with his teeth
but Dikachi stopped it by putting the wood between its
teeth and struggled with it.
Just then, four young men who were dressed like warriors
were just passing by. They were discussing and laughing
aloud when they were suddenly attracted by the sound of
the leopard and so they followed the sound and finally saw
Dikachi and the leopard struggling. One of the warriors
brought out his arrow trying to shoot at the animal on top of
Dikachi, when suddenly; Dikachi knocked the leopard off
with her knee. As it tried to regain balance, she hit it on the
head with the wood several times. It clung to the wood with
its teeth; Dikachi raised it up with the stick and flung it
away and it landed some distance away from her. Taking a
deep breath, she fell down unconscious. The warrior who
was trying to shoot at the animal went after it. One of them
named Dike ran to Dikachi followed by the other two of his
friends. When he got close to her, he realized she had
fainted and so he collected a jar from one of his friend
named Ahaburu and poured some water on her. The other
warriors surveyed the area. Dike bent over her and raised
her head to his arms. Dikachi coughed and slowly opened
her eyes. Dike watched her open her eyes slowly. He was
carried away by her beauty. Dikachi on her part who was
still feeling dizzy tried to capture his face and soon found
her eyes fixed on him. She too was carried away as she
felt so relaxed in his arms. Dike soon came out of his
trance and spoke up.
“Are you okay now?”
Dikachi suddenly freed herself from his arms as she
recognized there were two other men standing in front of
her.
“What hap---pened ----, who are ---you -----and ----what do
you want from me?” She stuttered.
“Look, don’t be afraid. We found you battling with a
leopard,” explained Dike as Dikachi quickly stood up at the
mention of leopard.
“Oh, the leopard! We need to get out of here. It might
come back,” she said trembling.
“Here it is, already taken care of,“ said the warrior that had
gone after the leopard as he walked in carrying the dead
leopard across his shoulders.
Dikachi became startled as they all watched him put the
meat down.
“I found it struggling to stand as its legs were broken by
your blows, that was when I gave it one final stab and here
it is; meat for everyone”
Dikachi, who was still dizzy, then noticed that Dike’s eyes
were fixed on her. She then staggered to the log she had
cut earlier in an attempt to start knotting them, but Dike
stopped her by pulling her up to face him.
“Look, you are hurt and need to be treated”
Dikachi then realized her right upper arm close to her
shoulder was bleeding; she covered it with her left palm
trying to wipe off the blood coming from it.
“You can’t cut or carry any wood with it,“ Dike pointed out.
“I know, but my father will be waiting at home for me he
doesn’t like me visiting the bush alone,” said Dikachi
unable to look at him as she was trembling from his hand
wrapped round her right wrist.
“Don’t worry my friends and I won’t hurt you. Ebube and
Ahaburu, please help her in cutting more wood while I get
some herbs to nurse her injury,” said Dike as he walked
past them and went to a close by bush to cut some herbs.
Dikachi was surprised at all that was happening. One of
the warriors began to cut more wood the other helped in
gathering the wood. She gently sat down and began to
watch Dike as he moved from leaf to leaf plucking
them. She admired him, his broad shoulders and his
babylike face. She couldn’t understand why these young
men were helping her.
Dike soon came up to her. He squeezed the leaves with
his fingers and let the water drop on the sand. He then
took her arms and gently placed the herb on the cut.
Dikachi moaned as the cut pricked her.
“Sorry, but this is better than letting that animal rip you
apart,” said Dike as he continued nursing the cut. Dikachi
on her part felt every touch of his hands. She just wished
he would continue forever. As he spoke, Dikachi continued
to feel his touch and to admire his lips as he spoke.
“I must say you are a brave girl. Not every girl would have
done the same; I must really say I’m impressed with your
courage,” Dike remarked.
Dike soon finished the nursing role and saw that the others
had rounded off by knotting the wood for her.
“Thanks for helping her but as you can see, she is not
feeling too well Okwudili, please help her in taking the
wood and the leopard home,” Dike ordered.
Okwudili moved forward and lifted the wood onto his
shoulder and was about lifting the game when Dikachi
stopped him.
“No! You don’t have to do this for me; my father will not
find it funny with me.”
“Oh sure, he won’t want to lose his brave daughter so just
lead my friend and he will carry the wood for you because I
can’t watch you carry this bundle of wood like this,”
enthused Dike as Dikachi admired the care in his voice
and wished he was the one to carry the wood for her
“Alright if you insist but I’m going to leave you with the
game as a reward for your kind gesture towards me,” said
Dikachi, picking up her cutlass.
Dike was about to reject the offer when Ahaburu knocked
him by the side and replied in his place,
“Oh thanks. We will love to have it.”
Okwudili and Dikachi made to leave. Dike stood staring at
her. She turned round and their eyes met. She then waved
at him as they both walked out of the farm. As Dike
watched her leave, so many thoughts occupied his mind.
He couldn’t understand why he was so drawn to this girl.
Who could she be. He thought as Ebube knocked him off
the thoughts by saying,
“I think we need to continue on our journey home before
you forget your eyes on that girl’s body because you need
it on this journey,” he said lifting up his arrow as Dike
jerked him at the back laughing.
“I was just trying to be nice,” Dike replied.
Ahaburu, who was carrying the leopard around his
shoulder, replied;
“Of course we know; by looking at her the way you just
did,” he said as they all walked out of the farm laughing
and continuing in their discussion.
Dikachi limped as she walked behind Okwudili who was
carrying the wood on his shoulder.
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