The Chief's Wife by Jones M (best books to read now .txt) 📖

to help in the search."

There was a sudden moment of silence in the hut.

"What?" Mwadime finally replied.

"I want to do it. I want to help," Mwamba repeated.

"What nonsense is this?" 

"Father!"

"If you don't mind, your grace," one of the village elders interrupted, "we would like to leave. This seems like a private conversation."

"It's fine," Mwadime said. The elders nodded before shuffling out of the hut. Once they were gone, father and son resumed their spat.

"I won't allow it," the chief said.

"Why?" Mwamba questioned.

"Because I said so!" Mwadime boomed. "You are not ready yet for this kind of--"

"That's why I want to do it," he said. "I know I am next in line to rule the village after you, and I know there are some things I have to prove about myself."

"And you think that if you do this--"

"If I do this, it might as well tell the village that I am capable of being their future leader, Father."

The chief was gobsmacked. He did not know what to tell his son.

"I have gotten to know Mkanyika in the last two weeks, and she is a good person. I have become fond of her."

"Mwamba--"

"She is my future wife! No one will take me seriously as a chief if I allow other men to do the work that I should be doing."

Mwadime remained silent in his thoughts as he stared at his son.

"Mwamba, you do know you are gambling with your future here. I mean, what happens if you get lost, or worse, get killed? No one in the family can succeed you."

Mwamba sighed: "Let me do this, father. Please."

Mwadime remained quiet for a moment before saying: "Give me time to think about this."

Mwamba went to speak, but his father cut him off again.

"And you should seriously think of what you are proposing."

The chief then turned to exit the hut.

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Two days later, Mwamba found himself walking away from the village. He wore a smile as he waved at the people he passed. News of his departure had reached the village in minutes, and everyone congratulated him and admired his courageous suggestion to help in the search for his kidnapped fiancé.

On the previous day, the village witch had been summoned into the chief's hut. Someone had suggested that Mghanga could help with finding where Mkanyika is, and it turned out to be true. People were shocked, especially since the witch's powers were doubted to be that helpful.

Anyway, through a couple of rituals that involved a couple of herbs, it was revealed that Mkanyika was on the hill neighboring the village; Mghanga could not pinpoint where.

A couple of village men, including Mwamba, had been gathered afterward. They were suggested routes to take to help in the search. Some were told to go up to the hills; others were to go to the left side of the hill. Mwamba had been told to head towards the right side. Since he was the future village chief, he was also requested to go to the other side of the hill; the side where Mkanyika's father's village resided.

Mwamba's path was longer because it was a test of endurance for him. It was also a test to see if he possessed the qualities of a good chief. Nonetheless, he accepted the orders.

It was still noon by then, and it was partly cloudy. Mwamba had eaten before he had started the search, and he had carried a sisal-woven basket that held enough food to sustain him for the next three days. He had also carried a sharpened knife and two mats to sleep on. 

Mwamba hoped for the success of his task and also for the other men involved. He also prayed that Mkanyika was okay wherever she was.

 

Chapter Eight

 

 

Hours filled with walking through rough paths and bushes had passed, and the sun was on its course to set. By then, Mwamba was so far from his village that he couldn't even make out any hut. If he had lacked the sense of direction, he would have been lost.

On other matters, he was getting tired. His feet were already aching from the walking he had done, and so he decided to stop underneath a large, blooming baobab tree.

Mwamba's surroundings were composed of green patches of small, growing grass everywhere; other trees apart from the baobab he was sitting under were present. The thorn bushes that he used to see in his village were also there, and they looked less threatening with the green leaves sprouting on their branches.

Even though it was deserted, the area looked safe. Mwamba felt at ease as he turned his head to look at the sun setting behind the large hill in his view. He had not even reached the point where he would turn to the hill's opposite side, and thinking about all that distance he had to cover made him groan in exhaustion.

Mwamba decided to make himself comfortable. He took out one of the mats that had been packed for him, placing one on the ground and sitting on it. 

He then proceeded to take out some of the food in the basket. He delved into two handfuls of cooked groundnuts, and he later finished with a small ripened mango. He also drank a bit of water from his gourd, intending to fill it back up when he would come across a source of water.

(A.N: A gourd)

Once he was done, he settled himself on the mat and took a sleeping position. Mwamba closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to take over him. However, he found it hard with the wind blowing around him. He was not used to the sound, especially with the loudness of it as it passed through leaves.

Apart from all that, a weird sense of quietness had taken over. It confused and freaked him out at the same time. 

'How do they do it?' Mwamba thought, referring to the men who would leave his village to carry out certain errands. He wondered how they could sleep in forests without any signs of civilization.

'What am I doing?' he suddenly asked himself.  What he was doing seemed to fully dawn on him. He felt doubtful and scared of what his decision could cost him. What if he got lost? What if he truly lost his life like his father had warned? What if an animal came and attacked him? He had heard stories of hyenas and elephants making appearances in other people's villages. The only difference was that Mwamba was outside, in the wild. He was in no village, and he was alone.

Mwamba started crying as his thoughts delved deeper into all the negative aspects of his decision to search for Mkanyika. He was panicking.

It took him a while for Mwamba to think of stuff that would calm him down. He shook his head as if he was shaking the frightening thoughts away from him. Once again, he reminded himself that he was the future chief of the village. Other than to rescue Mkanyika, he had to look for her to test his knowledge, strength, and willpower. If he were to return to the village on the next day, people would make fun of him.

With his mind made up, Mwamba tried again to go to sleep. He tried to, but it did not come. Usually, he slept when it was already nightfall. One could assume that he was not used to sleeping earlier than that. 

Going to slumber became harder when Mwamba watched his environs darken around him. His mind started playing tricks on him, and he thought he was seeing monsters, even though he knew it was just the sight of the flora at night. 

The bushes around him looked like unknown beings watching over him. Mwamba felt scared, thinking that frightening creatures would come to get him, even though he knew it was impossible. His fear soon exhausted his body of its energy, and he found himself sleeping.

************************ ***************************************** **************** *************

The sun was rising once again, its rays illuminating everything in its path. The birds on the trees had woken up, chirping as they flew around in search of food.

Mwamba groaned as he opened his eyes. At first, he was confused as to why he was not in the village. But then, the memories of the previous day reminded him of his whereabouts.

He got up, dusting off a couple of leaves that must have fallen on him when he was asleep. He yawned as he turned to the basket on his side. Mwamba ate more groundnuts for his morning meal, planning to save a mango for later.

Mwamba felt glad he had survived his first night in the outdoors. It gave him a sense of courage that he could make through the next nights that would follow.

"Well, I might as well continue with this search," Mwamba told himself. He took the mat he had been lying on and bunched it up before placing it in his basket.

He soon resumed his task. At one point, he had come across a seasonal river. He drank from it and quickly filled up his gourd.

The periods of the day passed, and it was evening again. By then, Mwamba had reached the right edge of the hill. At that side, it was much narrower than the wide side he was used to seeing in the village. In fact, he could see how the mass of land rose to a high point of the hill, and it was densely populated with trees. 

Mwamba realized it would take a short time for him to turn and to find himself facing the opposite side of the hill.

Without wasting time, he started looking for a spot to sleep, and he later found himself settled under a mango tree. It was already bearing fruit, but it had not ripened yet. Mwamba picked some of them before settling to eat a short meal. Once he was done, he took out his mat and quickly fell asleep.

 

 

Chapter Nine

 

 

Mwamba shifted on the mat when he heard a hissing sound coming from his side. He soon felt something glide on his skin, and it made him shiver slightly. 

It took a couple of seconds for Mwamba to shriek and jump away from the animal. The hissing sound came again, and without thinking twice, he reached for something to use to attack. He found a large stone on his side and quickly threw it at the snake. The stone landed with a thud. The snake continued to hiss, and after a short while, the sounds died down.

Around that time, Mwamba looked around his surroundings. It was still night, and