ASWEDA THE UNLUCKY MAN

Asweda woke up early with a decision. He had made up his mind to go for a raiding operation despite the hindrance from his ancestors. He quickly picked up his machete and an arrow and quickly went out. He assured his wives that he would be safe and return alive. "My wives am I going into a war, a very serious war and no one knows about tomorrow, but worry less because I will return safely", Asweda murmured in a low tone. "I will return with a huge, sizable number of livestock and richness will be part of us again," he added. He ironically made a prayer request to the ancestors and left. Raiding

"Young boys, where are you? Asweda called them loudly. "Hurry up young boys," he added. In the blink of an eye, the young men arrived, and they left. They carried boiled potatoes and milk for their meal. They were to walk several miles to a distant village to perform the cattle raid. Their journey had several challenges. The first rain after a long drought had arrived. They had to suffer in the storm. Heavy rainfall was pouring down when they were in a forest. Indeed, the group really suffered a lot. One night, the heavy rain came as usual. It was unbearable this time round. They decided to go and hide in a nearby toilet. But they were chased away by a group of dogs, forcing them to run for their safety. They went under a huge tree for shelter. The following day, Asweda was shivering. He was feeling icy. Now they could not move any further. They were first to assist Asweda recover from the illness before they could move further. Nekesa, one of the ten boys who accompanied Asweda, quickly went to fetch herbal medicinal leaves. Immediately he returned, Asweda was given the dose, which he took before he slept to rest.

Now their mission had to be delayed for some time. They were to stay in that particular place for some time. The place was very bushy, hence they feared attack from wild animals. They were very alert with their arms to safeguard themselves. They stayed at that particular place for three days. Asweda was responding very well to medicine. On the fourth day, Asweda had fully recovered, and they had to go. But now their food was already exhausted. They had to plan how to get food to sustain them before the situation worsened.

Now their situation has worsened again. Their effort to get food was fruitless. They came across a cassava field. They now decided to wait until darkness to go and uproot some of their food. Evening came and as planned; they all went to the cassava field. At the cassava field, Asweda stood some distance from the field and sent the young men to each uproot at least ten plants. It was another tragedy for Asweda again. He could not believe what had happened. He remained in a dilemma, not knowing what to do next. All the ten young men were stuck in that field. Among the ten, no one could move even a step.

It was common for the people to safeguard their crops, especially those which were still in the field. It was believed that some people would manipulate the dark spirits and use them to safely guard their fields. The only person who could help them out was the owner of the field as he had the power to set them free. Asweda was really afraid and went to hide in the nearby bush. Early in the morning, the field owner arrived at the scene. On seeing the stuck men, he quietly moved away and disappeared into the thin air. The field owner was very careful as a slight mistake would set them free. The way to set the stuck men free was just talk or even a touch. Any communication by the field owner to the stuck men would loosen things. The field owner returned again and walked around carefully. And before the field owner could take a single step away, Asweda quickly approached him with a machete and threatened him. The field owner had to decide between freeing the young men and death. The field owner immediately freed them by just word of mouth. Asweda with his group quickly ran to hide in the nearby bush.

"Thieves! thieves! come and rescue me", the field owner cried out. A large crowd arrived from all directions ready to kill. The crowd was armed with machetes, arrows and stones. Asweda and the group were in danger. The angry group searched in all the bushes around, but in vain. Their effort to find the alleged thieves was fruitless. The angry mob disappeared slowly. Asweda with the group got a sense of relief when the situation calmed down. They remained in the hideout for around three hours.

Asweda, in a company of his ten young men, came out of the place they were hiding. Unfortunately, one person saw them and suspected them. It seemed they looked suspicious. The person raised the alarm and people arrived armed. This time round, there were not as many as the previous crowd. They were given a thorough beating that left all of them injured. They were left unconscious. Things were becoming tough for Asweda and the company. The situation was becoming unbearable. There were all signs that their expected rain would not be successful. Considering the risks associated, one would suggest they quit their plan. But they were determined with a lot of expectations to succeed. They were still on their way. In their minds, they were determined to reach the Oromo village. The village was believed to be blessed with a countless number of livestock. They believed that once they arrived on that land, their lives would positively change drastically. They continued with their journey but at this time they were feeling hungry. They went to search for wild fruits in the bush. Luckily, they found guavas, which they all ate to fill their stomachs.