Chapter Five
It took several days to locate Baba Abejuka. In actual fact, it was he who located the messengers. They just discovered him sitting by the bank of the River Niger one morning as if he was waiting for them and he immediately accepted to follow them.
“Attah gabaidu!” he greeted in his thin voice as soon as he was brought before the king.
“You are highly welcome, Wise One,” the king responded rising to his feet. The relief on his face was glaring. Baba Abejuka had not changed an inch from the way he looked when he appeared before the king eighteen years earlier. He even had on the same costume and goatskin bag.
He swayed from left to right in his usual manner as he moved and finally settled on the bare ground. He proceeded to produce his “okpele” from his bag after which the king handed him the usual consultation fee of one cowry and returned to his throne. The tension among the people gathered, chiefs and elders numbering twenty four, was palpable.