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5. Batanga (Cameroon) The Favored Daughter
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26 5 The Favored Daughter 27 Batanga (Mpongwe) (Cameroon)28 Ra-Mborakinda lived in his town with his women and sons and daughters and servants. Among his women were Ngwekonde, his chief wife, and Ngwe-le½ge½, whom he neglected. But Ngwe-le½ge½ had a beautiful daughter named Ilâmbe, much beloved by him. Ra-Mborakinda prized this daughter so much that he left everything to her direction. One day he wished to start on a journey, intending to stay a long time. He had, in his anxiety for her safety, a rule that she should not go out of her house to walk far, lest she get into trouble. When he was arranging to go, he gave her all the keys and directions of everything into her hands. He said to her, “As I shall be away a long time, I leave all cloth and other goods for you to give out as you may see the people need.” Ilâmbe consented to do this work, and Ra-Mborakinda went away. After he had been away for quite a while, and she thought it time to give out cloth and whatever was required for the women, she was very careful not to show partiality to her friends, not even to give more to her mother. So if she gave, for instance, two cloths to her mother, she would give as many as five to Ngwekonde, and to all the others what she thought they needed. Yet Ngwekonde was not satisfied. Even though she had been given more than the others, her heart was planning mischief to Ilâmbe. So Ngwekonde made up her mind, “I will know what I shall do some day,” for she was jealous that the petted daughter had been put into authority over her. One day the people saw Ilâmbe walking on the premises, and they remembered that she was going out of the bounds her father had assigned her. They called, “Ilâmbe, Ilâmbe! Where are you going?” She replied, “I’m going for a walk.” Soon they all seemed to forget to observe where she had gone, for Ngwekonde by her sorcery had caused Ilâmbe’s head to be confused and had made the people forget to watch her. Soon after Ilâmbe had gone out of the town into the forest, Ngwekonde also followed to go after her, without the people seeing her go. Ilâmbe went aimlessly, with Ngwekonde behind her. Then, when they were far from the town, Ngwekonde said,“Yes, I’ve got you now!—you, with your pride because you are the beloved daughter! Do not think that you will again see your father and mother.” So she seized and dragged Ilâmbe to the foot of a big tree, tied her to it, and began to give her a severe beating. Ilâmbe pleaded and said, “Ah, Ngwekonde! Please, what have I done? In what have I wronged you?” But Ngwekonde only replied, “No mercy for you!” and then tied her hands fast to the tree. Then Ngwekonde returned to the town. Soon after Ngwekonde had gone, Ilâmbe longed to get back to the town, for she feared the forest. She began to try to loosen the knots. She tried and tried, but the knots were hard. Darkness came, and she was very much afraid. Finally, after long effort, she got the cords loosened, but she was weak and faint with hunger. She thought, “When I started on the walk, it was at random, and when I came to my senses, when Ngwekonde dragged me to the tree, I did not know in what direction we came, and now I do not know the direction back to the town.” So she began to walk in any direction. As she went on and on, at last she happened down a path. She said to herself, “This path, even if it does not lead to any town, may lead me to where people are.” She went on and on, and after a while, by daylight, she saw that the view ahead opened. By that, she knew that she was getting near to some clearing and perhaps to some village. Following the path, she came straight to a hamlet, but she was afraid to enter it. She thought, “Perhaps the owners of this place are enemies of my father, and they may beat me, just as Ngwekonde did. I must hide.” So she...