Memoirs of an Unsung Legend, Nemeso

Chapter Six. Mhepo escapes with Nemeso

27 Chapter Six Mhepo escapes with Nemeso he chief had heard subdued ululation while in his bedroom. He also realised on the following day that the midwives sounded like they were not excited. Besides, he had not been informed about the birth. All these things puzzled him, and he began to suspect there could have been problems with the delivery of the baby. Chief Pfupajena became very curious and a little worried about what exactly was happening and decided to visit his uncle Mutindi. The other idea was to ask for advice about what course of action to take regarding the secrecy of the birth. Mutindi was the young brother of chief Pfupajena's father. He ruled the area to the north of Pfupajena’s area, known today as Mukanganwi. Pfupajena was the eldest son and therefore the heir-apparent. When his father passed on, Pfupajena was still very young and sought advice from his uncle Matindi about how to rule his people. Pfupajena’s father had enjoyed cordial relations with his young brother Mutindi. Moreover, Mutindi’s home was not very far from Pfupajena as their chiefdoms were just side by side. After consulting Mutindi, Pfupajena bade him farewell. Mutindi promised to come to Pfupajena’s place at midday. After bathing at a pool near Mhandara, Mutindi decided to go to the birthplace of the baby. He greeted the midwives and enquired about the newly born baby. The midwives’ answer suggested that all was not well. The senior midwife disclosed to Mutindi that Mhepo had given birth to a deformed baby with four eyes, two in front and two at the back. T 28 Mutindi rose up and on his way to Pfupajena’s home staggered like a rhino fed on stems of the mukonde plant. He was no longer of sound mind because of the news he had heard about the deformed baby. He entered Pfupajena’s bedroom and took a deep breath. Pfupajena immediately suspected that something bad had happened. Pfupajena greeted his uncle as tradition dictates. Mutindi immediately broke the sad news to the chief. He said something strange had happened. He disclosed that Mhepo had given birth to a son with four eyes, two at the back and two in front. The two discussed what this could mean and the kind of action to be taken, with Pfupajena suggesting that Nemeso was supposed to be killed. A decision was reached that the chief would send some of his warriors to kill the baby, and Mutindi bade him farewell. Mutindi began to think about the baby and Nemeso’s future. He recalled that when he was growing up, it was normal practice for a midwife to kill a deformed baby immediately after it had been borne. By then however it was about three days after the birth of Nemeso. The fact that Nemeso had not been killed soon after his birth puzzled Mutindi. He sat on a rock as he pondered the next course of action, because killing Nemeso could lead to many deaths in the family because of the avenging spirit. At the same time, not killing Nemeso was also opposed to the Duma people’s tradition. This situation put Mutindi in a great dilemma, and he was unsure of how to solve it. He immediately fell asleep and dreamt about a lion with a shiny skin coming towards him. In the dream, Mutindi was very frightened because he had no spear or axe to fight the lion. As the lion drew nearer, it immediately changed into an old man with grey hair holding a walking stick. The old man 29 started talking. The “voice” instructed Mutindi to help Mhepo escape with the baby to the far-east mountains called Mambiru. Mhepo should hide in the biggest cave in those mountains. Mutindi was instructed to help in feeding the mother and the baby. He was assured that no harm would befall him or the baby. Further, Mutindi was instructed not to disclose this information to anyone including his wife and his beloved Pfupajena. He was asked to immediately go and inform Mhepo about this message. Mutindi then woke up from his dream. Mutindi sat for a while digesting his dream and contemplating whether to resist the dream or not. He soon realised that the lion that had appeared in his dream was an ancestral one. He also realised that the ancestral spirits did...