5. Why Ijapa’s Nose is Very Small (Ijapa, Asin and Okere)

1. Why Tortoise (Ijapa)’s Nose Is Very Small

(Ijapa, Asin and Ọkẹrẹ)

A long, long time ago, when the world was very different from the way it is today, there lived a tortoise, Ijapa, a rat, Asin, and a squirrel, Ọkẹrẹ, in Ọffala, a town in a faraway land. At that time human beings and animals lived side by side, intermingling and interacting freely with one another. Animals had a great deal in common with human beings, especially animals such as the tortoise, Ijapa, with remarkable physical and mental capabilities. They spoke and behaved like humans, made friends and formed groups like humans, and were seen and referred to as humans.

Ijapa and Ọkẹrẹ were very good friends, much to the surprise of those around them, because they could not have been more different in character. Ijapa was, amongst other things, lazy and miserly, whilst Ọkẹrẹ was hardworking and giving. They had been friends ever since they both came to live in their neighbourhood – the first two to arrive there. Ijapa had been living in another town called Teregun, with his wife, Yannibo, and their three children, but then Yannibo had left him to go and live with her parents in Ẹyin-Igbẹti, a nearby town.

Life had been a struggle, with Ijapa refusing to do any work, but that was not all. Ijapa had brought disgrace upon himself and his family by letting his greed get the better of him when he covered his head with his cap inside which he had hidden some steaming hot ẹbẹ, stolen at his in-law’s house one day – an act that led to his becoming bald for life. Had it been the first time Ijapa had behaved in this manner, Yannibo might have overlooked it, but Ijapa had brought disgrace upon himself again and again in the past, and Yannibo had had enough.

Yannibo had made sure that Ijapa’s burn wounds healed through her ministration, before leaving with the children. Ijapa decided to leave Teregun as well – to start afresh elsewhere where no one might have heard about his previous misadventures. However, his reputation always had a way of preceding him. Others were already gossiping about Ọkẹrẹ and him. They believed that Ijapa was taking advantage of his friendship with Ọkẹrẹ and could not understand how Ọkẹrẹ could allow for it.

“How Ọkẹrẹ could be friends with that lousy, up-to-no-good creature beats my imagination? How could she tolerate him?” a neighbour said to another.

“How could she not see through him? He’s using her. She should just let him fend for himself,” the other neighbour replied.

“You’re right. Even if Ọkẹrẹ likes him and wants to be friends with him, she should let him find food for himself…”

Ijapa and Ọkẹrẹ were often at each other’s homes; they did things together, ate together. However, Ọkẹrẹ knew that the reason why Ijapa spent so much time around her – why he remained good friends with her – was not unconnected with her generous nature. She was giving, and Ijapa could get free food off her. Ijapa visited Ọkẹrẹ regularly because he was sure to eat to his heart’s desire there.

Ọkẹrẹ knew that others were talking about Ijapa and her, but it did not bother her. However, she too was not happy that Ijapa did nothing, and had been trying to get him to change his ways generally. Ijapa was not known to do an honest work (in his life) unless he could not help it. He relied on the goodwill of others (e.g. friends and neighbours), or on tricking them to feed himself and his family. He was a devious creature, full of mischief and pranks, often boasting that he could find solutions to any problems. He was a trickster who obtained things that even humans could not through ruse. The fact that he frequently received punishment or injury to his person for misbehaviour, or that he was sentenced to death or driven away from where he lived by the Ọba (ruler in the human kingdom) did not deter Ijapa from misbehaving. Sometimes he would leave, disgraced and ashamed, to go and live elsewhere, as was the case here.

Despite his faults Ijapa was popular in some quarters. He was resourceful and resilient which humans and animals alike found admirable. He was also witty and entertaining, especially when he tried to be too clever for his own good and fell flat on his face.

______________________________________________________

Ọkẹrẹ was a seller. She sold awo amọ (terra cotta dishes, plates etc) at a market in Ọffala, and she was always encouraging Ijapa to do the same. Many others sold dishes, etc at this market, known for its huge arrays of awo (dishes, plates, etc) stalls. The market, the best in town, was in a lovely area, overlooking a hill – close to the palace of the Ọba of their town.

“Why don’t you come and sell awo at my market, Ijapa? I and many others do get by doing so, you know” she would ask. “The market’s always bustling with buyers and sellers, especially on Market Days.

But Ijapa was reluctant. He always looked for one excuse or the other for not taking his friend’s advice.

“How can you rely on selling awo that can easily break? How can you make profit from something like that?”

“Of course, you can. Easily” Ọkẹrẹ replied.

“I’m not convinced. Anyway, you know that I walk slowly, and carrying things slows me down even more. It’s not a good idea for me to sell awo. How will I get them to the market?”

“All you have to do is to leave the house very early in the morning to carry your awo to the market, or you could make a couple of trips there the day before you sell.”

“Bah…Not for me!”

“Why not?”

“That’ll be too hard. There’ll be no time for anything else.

This conversation with Ọkẹrẹ made Ijapa recall another market in a town called Idaha, close to where he had been living at the time, before he was driven away from both Idaha and Magunwa, his town, by the Ọba of Idaha. Idaha Market had been close to a palace as well – the palace of the Ọba of Idaha. It was at the time of great famine in Magunwa when Ijapa had overheard some inhabitants talking about combating the famine by going to Idaha Market to live or to buy on a daily basis, and even to sell. Ijapa remembered well his reaction to this idea, and his reaction when he himself had stumbled upon something that could sell. “Bah…Not for me!” he had said, just like he was saying to Ọkẹrẹ now.

Ijapa really did not like the idea of working at all, no matter whether it was hard or not. Carrying awo to the market to sell seemed like hard work, just like searching for palm-kernels, scattered on the ground in a forest full of palm-trees, putting them in sacks, and selling them in Idaha Market would have been, had he heeded to his idea at the time.

Ọkẹrẹ knew her friend very well – his aversion for work – but she did not relent.

“Listen! The stall next to me at the market is vacant” she said to Ijapa one day. “If we were to sell side by side, we’ll make even more profit. We can work together, help each other, share things, including customers. We’ll succeed even more!”

Ọkẹrẹ’s stall and the one next to it were two of the best placed in the awo section of the market – in full view of customers. No awo seller could go wrong with stalls like those. Anyone would have jumped at the prospect of occupying the vacant stall next to Ọkẹrẹ.

Ọkẹrẹ’s advice to Ijapa fell on deaf ears, and after a while a rat, Asin, took over the stall. This development gave rise to more talks about Ọkẹrẹ and Ijapa because others got to know about it. One day Ijapa overheard a conversation near where he lived that was to make him change his mind and decide to become an awo seller after all.

“Imagine! Those two could be selling side by side, and making a lot of profit, if not for the fact that Ijapa is such a lazy, good-for-nothing creature.”

“Instead of taking his friend’s advice he continues to laze around.”

“Perhaps he doesn’t have what it takes to be a seller, and he knows this, and that’s why…”

“He’s obviously not as clever as he makes himself out to be – not as clever as Ọkẹrẹ and Asin. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let the opportunity pass him by.”

“Look at Asin who has just got started. She’s already doing quite well. There’s no way Ijapa can do as well as her, not to talk of better!”

Ijapa was affronted. He believed that there was nothing he could not do well if he set mind to it, and he hated anyone thinking otherwise, just because he chose not to do anything.

“These people don’t know me very well. If I were to become an awo seller, I’ll do just as well as Ọkẹrẹ and Asin – if not better. Imagine saying I can’t! When did Asin start selling for goodness sake? After all, didn’t I run a farm successfully in Teregun…?”

Ijapa had indeed run a farm in Teregun for some time – that was after a terrible experience taught him that being lazy had its downsides. The experience was at the time of the famine in Magunwa, where Ijapa was living, when the inhabitants went to Idaha to buy and sell. Ijapa resorted to using tricks in order to steal from a roasted groundnut seller (Iya- Ẹlẹpa) and others at the market. He was eventually caught and sustained a lot of injuries on his person, but, by a turn of fate, his misadventure culminated in a windfall. The Ọba of Idaha had become so preoccupied with Ijapa’s music – with how it could have been used to trick the market people – to entice them to dance away from their stalls, that he found himself promising a reward to anyone who could do the same to him and his courtiers. Ijapa rose to the challenge and received the reward. That was when he bought the hard shell at his back (which miraculously stuck), to protect him from further injuries, and how he made up his mind to work. He had felt insulted (when Iya-Ẹlẹpa refused to serve him, and instead threw his laziness in his face in front of her customers) and sworn to lay his hands on her groundnuts one way or the other. If he had been working at the time instead of wallowing in his laziness, he would have had some money to buy the groundnuts in the first place, and what happened would not have happened.

Ijapa decided to show the people he had overheard talking about him, and others in Ọffala, that being lazy was quite different from not having the ability to do something. He decided to rise to the challenge and become an awo seller like Ọkẹrẹ and Asin.

“I may be lazy, but I’ve always believed that I can do better than anyone else if I set my mind to it.”

He also thought of Yannibo.

“Surely, I can redeem myself in her eyes this way, and perhaps she’ll think better of me, and come back to me!”

When Ijapa told his friend what he planned to do Ọkẹrẹ, she was delighted.

“I’ll do my best to find a good stall for you. You won’t regret this decision, Ijapa!”

Unfortunately, the stall available to Ijapa at this point was not as well-placed as Ọkẹrẹ’s stall and Asin’s stall. It was not in full view of customers as they approached the awo stalls, but at a corner. All the same, as the market was unprecedented for its awo stalls, that should not deter customers from buying from Ijapa.

“I wish I had listened to Ọkẹrẹ, and Asin’s stall was mine, after all!” Ijapa said to himself. He regretted not taking the stall now occupied by Asin and was secretly jealous and resentful of Asin – of the progress she was already making since she started selling at the market. He believed that he would never be able to make as much sales as he would have if he had been next door to Ọkẹrẹ.

Ijapa could not hide the way he felt about the situation, and Asin was perfectly aware of it. He went out of his way to be unpleasant to her whenever he came to see Ọkẹrẹ, which was quite often. He was unfriendly and rude to her, deliberately excluding her from their conversations, finding faults, complaining about her to Ọkẹrẹ, and picking quarrels with her. Ijapa liked to hang around Ọkẹrẹ’s stall, and to show off to people that Ọkẹrẹ was his friend and not Asin, even if Ọkẹrẹ and Asin were selling side by side, and from all indications already getting on well with each other. Ọkẹrẹ was friendly by nature, so it was not surprising.

“Ọkẹrẹ is my friend, and everyone knows it” he kept on reassuring himself.

Ijapa was jealous. He was also afraid that Ọkẹrẹ and Asin might end up having the kind of working relationship Ọkẹrẹ had suggested to him when she was trying to persuade him to take over the stall now being occupied by Asin.

“I mustn’t let that happen. After all I’m selling here now…” Ijapa thought and decided to be on the lookout.

That was one of the reasons he hung around Ọkẹrẹ’s stall whenever he could instead of staying put at his own stall. For example, if a customer wanted some goods that were not available from Ọkẹrẹ’s stall, one would have expected Asin’s stall, being adjacent, to be the next port of call for the goods. Instead Ijapa would muzzle in quickly and persuade the customer that his best bet was to go along with him to his stall.

Ijapa tried to get between Ọkẹrẹ and Asin – to knock their heads together. He wanted to cause problems between them, hoping that the two would quarrel, and that one of them – preferably Asin of course – would want to leave her stall and find some other stall to sell from, and he, Ijapa, could then take over the stall.

Asin started to feel uncomfortable around Ọkẹrẹ and Ijapa. However, she went about her work silently despite the unease she felt.

“It’s not my fault that Ijapa didn’t listen to his friend about occupying this stall, and if Ọkẹrẹ is not happy that I’m next to her, too bad! I’ll just go around minding my own business – keeping out of the way of the two of them” Asin said to herself. “But if they decide to cross me…” Asin, though not quarrelsome or vindictive by nature, was not one to turn the other cheek.

Asin kept to her plan, and there were no quarrels, until one day a terrible row erupted between Ọkẹrẹ and Asin, and the two of them behaved uncharacteristically. This quarrel was to have a far-reaching effect not only on Ọkẹrẹ and Asin, but also on Ijapa as well. In fact, the effect on Ijapa would be disastrous!

It all started with Ijapa asking Ọkẹrẹ to help him carry some of his goods to the market. He had not really taken his friend’s advice yet, that he should leave the house very early in the morning or make a couple of trips to the market the day before with his awo. He seemed to be struggling to get his awo to the market on time.

“It’s only for the time being. I’m in the process of devising a plan. Your advice has merits, and I’m considering them…” Ijapa had said to Ọkẹrẹ.

Ọkẹrẹ, being kind-hearted felt obliged to help Ijapa, believing that he would sort himself out eventually. Unfortunately, being slow and lazy, Ijapa held his friend back in getting to the market, and Ọkẹrẹ started to arrive there later than she did before. Not surprisingly, she started to lose some of her customers to Asin. This had never happened to Ọkẹrẹ before and would not have happened if Ọkẹrẹ and Ijapa were working side by side.

Ọkẹrẹ’s business had been flourishing, not just because of the location of her stall at the awo section of the market, but also because she was very hard-working, known to be the first to set up her stall in the morning; she was there when some other stallholders were not – everyday, including Market Days (every four days). What was more, the kind of awo Ọkẹrẹ sold were considered some of the best on the market. They were very strong, of good quality, and specially made for her. Ọkẹrẹ’s rapport with customers and other sellers alike was excellent; she was popular for her good nature, kindness and fairness. There was always a long queue in front of her stall.

On one of such days that Ọkẹrẹ helped Ijapa to carry his goods and arrived late at the market – a Market Day – Asin’s stall was bustling with buyers. Asin continued to have customers all day long, whilst Ọkẹrẹ had none – not a single one. No one bothered with her.

“It’s Ijapa’s fault, and he doesn’t even seem to care!” Ọkẹrẹ was thinking. She was disappointed and angry at herself for allowing Ijapa to get in the way of her work and decided there and then to leave him to his own devices.

“Enough is enough! If he wants to be a successful seller at the market, and he can’t get up very early to get here, or do a couple of trips the day before, then too bad! I’m not buying his excuses anymore”.

Ọkẹrẹ was mumbling to herself, grumbling, sighing because it suddenly dawned on her to what extent Ijapa had been taking advantage of her. She set up her stall, arranging her stock of dishes and stacking plates upon plates noisily, overwhelmed by her thoughts.

“Everyone is right. Ijapa is using me…”

Asin, who had been feeling uncomfortable around Ọkẹrẹ and Ijapa, felt even more so. She thought that Ọkẹrẹ’s actions were directed at her and jumped to the conclusion that Ọkẹrẹ envied her for the customers she had that day. She did not realize that Ọkẹrẹ was just angry at herself. However, Asin kept her calm. She kept very quiet, and she said nothing. She ignored Ọkẹrẹ’s mumblings.

That day Asin happened to bring her child who had started to crawl to the market. This was not the first time she had done so. She put the child down so that she could attend faster to her customers who were far more than she expected that day.

Allowing a child to crawl around at the awo section of the market was a delicate issue. It had been discussed widely among awo sellers, and there was now a silent agreement among them that if someone else were brought along by the mother to keep an eye on the child, it would not be seen as a major disaster. However, some of the awo sellers, including Ọkẹrẹ, were not too comfortable about the whole thing.

“Awo stalls are really not the place for a child to crawl around!” they thought. “What if the child gets hurt”

The mother also had the option of keeping the child at her back whilst serving customers, of course, which was not always convenient or desirable, or of leaving the child at home if she could find someone reliable to leave the child with.

Ọkẹrẹ did not object when Asin brought her crawling child to the market. On the one or two occasions she did so there was someone else who kept an eye on the child. It was rather Ijapa, the busybody, who tried to interfere – who saw this situation as yet another way of coming between Ọkẹrẹ and Asin, of causing problems between them. He kept on complaining about it to Ọkẹrẹ, trying to talk her into telling Asin not to do it anymore, but Ọkẹrẹ had her own mind…

As Asin attended to the customers that day, the child started to crawl all over the place, and play around. He crawled to Ọkẹrẹ’s stall and picked up a plate, and Ọkẹrẹ snatched the plate from him in alarm, afraid that he might hurt himself. The child was startled by Ọkẹrẹ’s reaction and started to cry. Unfortunately, Asin misunderstood Ọkẹrẹ’s concern; she immediately jumped to the conclusion yet again that Ọkẹrẹ was jealous because she was not selling anything that day so far.

“This is not really the place for a child to crawl and you know it, Asin, especially when there’s no one to keep an eye on him for you” Ọkẹrẹ told Asin sternly. “You know it’s dangerous. These are awo stalls where dishes can get broken… You need to take better care of your child.

“I was keeping an eye on him. It’s just this very minute that he crawled away from here…”

“You shouldn’t have put him down in the first place.”

“But I put him down to attend to a customer quickly…”

“But that’s just it! Don’t you get it, or you just don’t want to understand?”

“There’s nothing to understand”

“Now you’re being stubborn. You don’t want to listen to advice”.

“You’ve no right to speak to me like that.”

“You shouldn’t have put the child down. If you know you can’t serve customers with him at your back, then you should have brought someone along with you or left him at home…”

“How was I to know that there would be a lot of customers today?”

“That’s not good enough. You must be prepared…”

“You’ve no right to speak to me like that. You’re rude and pompous.”

“I’m not rude and pompous. You’re just being unreasonable. Everyone knows that the best thing for a crawling child is not to be brought here at all. If the mother doesn’t even have someone to keep an eye on the child, and doesn’t want to keep him at her back, then she might as well leave him with at home. If there’s no one to leave him with she might as well stay at home with him herself!”

Ọkẹrẹ was talking out of concern for a child getting hurt at the awo stalls, but Asin lost her calm, convinced that Ọkẹrẹ was so jealous of her that she would be only too happy if Asin were to stay at home, and not come to the market to sell.

“Stay at home with him! Stay at home with him! I knew it. Why don’t you just say what’s on your mind? You don’t want me to serve my customers, do you – or to even sell here at all? You’re just jealous, aren’t you?”

“Jealous? What’re you talking about?” Ọkẹrẹ asked, taken aback completely.

“Perhaps you should learn to get here early enough…and your customers will not come to me. Don’t take it out on my child”

“I’m not jealous of you. Why should I be? I’m just concerned for your child.”

“I don’t believe you. I’ve noticed the way you’ve been behaving since morning – in a nasty way…just because you’re angry you don’t have any customers…”

Ọkẹrẹ could not believe her ears, and looked at Asin, shocked.

“I’m angry with myself. I shouldn’t have been helping Ijapa to carry his awo here. It’s because of him I’m late. It has nothing to do with you.”

“You’re jealous all the same”.

“You’re being ridiculous and unreasonable. Believe that if it makes you happy. But ask yourself why I should be jealous of you just because you’re selling more than me today, when all I have to do is to start getting here very early like I did before…”

Asin knew that what Ọkẹrẹ had just said was true, and she felt suddenly threatened. She knew that Ọkẹrẹ had been doing extremely well at her work and could easily win back her customers. All the same, instead of backing down she continued to argue with Ọkẹrẹ out of resentment and frustration, not even bothering to attend to her customers anymore.

“Oh yes! Don’t let us forget for one minute that you’re the most successful awo seller here, you pompous fool”.

“You’re behaving like an idiot…You just can’t reason”.

The row escalated as the two continued to throw uncomplimentary words at each other. Customers and other sellers – humans and animals alike – were shocked by the behaviour of Ọkẹrẹ and Asin – more so that they had never experienced anything like this before. They tried to pacify the two of them, but Ọkẹrẹ and Asin were too embroiled in their row to pay any attention to them.

“That’s enough, you two. You’re not the only sellers of awo here. If you continue like this we’ll go to other stalls, and not come here again!” one of the customers threatened.

As they continued to argue and throw abusive words at each other, Asin’s child, forgotten in all this, had crawled under Ọkẹrẹ’s stall, and broken one of Ọkẹrẹ’s plates.

“You see what I mean…?” Ọkẹrẹ shouted.

“To hell! He’s only a child, and it’s only a plate he’s broken. I can easily replace it. You’re very touchy” Asin interrupted, refusing obtusely to see reason.

“You’re rude and stupid. You can’t reason. I don’t want another plate. I…”

“If I were to break a few more, what would you do then? You’d want them replaced, surely?” Asin interrupted again.

“You’re not only stupid, but also unreasonable pig-headed”

“I’m unreasonable and pig-headed, am I? I’ll show you just how unreasonable and pig-headed I am”.

By now Asin had left her stall and was standing face to face with Ọkẹrẹ, angry, spoiling for a fight. Ọkẹrẹ was angry as well.

“Pick up your child and go back to your stall” Ọkẹrẹ said to Asin, raising her voice.

“No, I won’t!”

“Yes, you will!” Ọkẹrẹ answered pushing her slightly back.

Ọkẹrẹ knew that she was stronger than Asin and believed that she had the upper hand when it came to fighting. However, Asin pushed her back, anger not making her give way to Ọkẹrẹ’s menacing tone, and that was how they started fighting, throwing blows by the dozen, fighting as if they were at battleground. They fell on each other’s plates and dishes, stirring up the dust underneath their feet, well into the air. They were making so much noise, and very soon there was an uproar in the whole of the awo stalls. Sellers and buyers had stopped what they were doing to rush to the fight scene to watch – some of them trying to settle the fight, some adding to it. Those who were on Ọkẹrẹ’s side, accused Asin of neglecting the child who was wailing now, petrified by what was going on around him.

“It’s unlike Asin and Ọkẹrẹ to fight. I’m sure the whole thing is just a misunderstanding” an elderly man observed.

“Asin shouldn’t have put the child down to crawl around a place like this without someone keeping an eye on him and look at her now. Instead of picking the child up and seeing to his welfare, she continues to fight! How irresponsible!”

“We’d better put the child between them…Maybe that’ll stop the fighting. Asin’s attention would be drawn to her child” someone suggested.

“Good idea!” someone else replied, picking up the child, and thrusting him between the fighters.

To everyone’s surprise Asin and Ọkẹrẹ were too far gone in their fighting to notice. Another person who tried to do the same thing, drew back quickly, afraid that the child might get hurt. Some other people who tried to separate Ọkẹrẹ and Asin received a few blows and drew back quickly.

“I don’t believe this is happening here” a woman said.

“It’s Ijapa that’s behind it, no doubt. Perhaps he’s been delaying Ọkẹrẹ on purpose hoping that sooner or later he would cause problems between her and Asin.”

By and large the onlookers were all shocked by this development and were concerned and worried for Asin and Ọkẹrẹ. Public fighting, especially in markets, was prohibited by the Ọba of their town. If he were to know about this Asin and Ọkẹrẹ would be in serious trouble.

At that time the Ọba was always the first port of call. He was involved in the day-to-day lives of his people, settling disputes, squabbles, quarrels no matter how small or inconsequential. Public fighting was frowned upon, especially in market places; it was a serious offence. The onlookers liked Asin and Ọkẹrẹ and did not want them to get into trouble with the Ọba, especially as they had never seen them fight before.

Ijapa had heard a commotion from the other side of the awo section and got to know that Asin and Ọkẹrẹ were fighting. He was excited. Was this not the kind of thing he had been hoping would happen? He just grabbed a heavy stick and rushed to the scene. When he got there, he did not take the trouble to find out what had gone wrong between Asin and Ọkẹrẹ.

“I’ll teach the two of you a lesson! You’re behaving badly fighting in a market, falling all over the place, breaking each other’s dishes and plates.

“No, no, Ijapa. You can’t just think you can come here and beat them up! You may make matters worse – add more to their problems” someone warned him.

“We’re trying to keep all this away from the palace, as it is” another person said.

Ijapa did not listen to any of them.

“No, let me handle it. It won’t get to the palace. The best way to settle a fight is to beat up those involved in it” he said.

“But you can’t just get in between the two and beat them up? You don’t know who’s in the right and who’s in the wrong”.

“I know the two of them, so I’m sure they won’t mind my settling the fight for them this way.”

“Go back to your stall, Ijapa.”

Ijapa refused to do so. Instead he tried to get in between Asin and Ọkẹrẹ – to push them back from each other with the heavy stick. He forced back Asin with the stick as if to chase him away, but not sufficiently, so Ọkẹrẹ was able to continue with her blows. Asin tried to break free, naturally.

“See what she’s doing to me” Asin protested

“Now, now Ọkẹrẹ. Can’t you see that Asin is smaller than you? Do you want to kill her?” Ijapa ventured.

Ọkẹrẹ did not listen, and Asin broke free and made to attack Ọkẹrẹ, and that was when Ijapa started to use the stick to beat the two of them.

“You leave me no choice…” he said.

To make matters worse the beating Ijapa gave Asin was far too much compared with Ọkẹrẹ. He would deal Ọkẹrẹ one blow, and Asin a series of blows. Ijapa used the stick to strike Ọkẹrẹ, deliberately missing her a few times, whilst he made sure that Asin received the blows he gave squarely.

Asin got more enraged as she realized what Ijapa was up to – that he was not settling the fight for them, but was siding his friend, and that he blows he dealt him were harsher than Ọkẹrẹ’s. She decided to fight back, using the only weapon at his disposal – biting.

“You’re taking sides. How dare you, just because Ọkẹrẹ is your friend, and she’s stronger than me? You think you can take advantage of me. I’ll show you…”

But instead of biting Ọkẹrẹ, it was Ijapa’s nose Asin made for – sinking her teeth into the top of the nose. Blood started gushing out. She was angrier with Ijapa than with Ọkẹrẹ. She left Ọkẹrẹ that she had been fighting with earlier on, and in a temper attacked Ijapa.

“Ijapa is the enemy, not Ọkẹrẹ, and he’s always been. Why am I wasting my time fighting with her then? His blows are even harsher than those of Ọkẹrẹ, the one I’m fighting with” she was thinking to herself.

Everyone screamed:

“Ijapa is in trouble!”

That was when Ijapa realized his mistake. He threw the stick away, and screamed, and tears rushed down his face. He tried to push Asin away, but could not, begging her, denying any wrong doings. He called out for the market people to come and rescue him from her.

“Please…please save me! Help me! She’s going to kill me!”

In great pain, he started to sing. In those days singing was frequently used to express one’s feelings more vividly in certain situations one found oneself – to express positive and negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, distress, joy, hope. Some people also believed that singing might bring a reversal of circumstances. Ijapa was hoping to draw the attention of more people to the scene, especially people further away who were not aware of what had happened initially – to gain their sympathy. He wanted them to see him as the victim in all this – he, who was so concerned, that he left his awo stall in the market to come and settle a fight between two individuals – Asin and Ọkẹrẹ. He begged the people to save him from Asin, who had dug her teeth in his nose, so that he could go back to his stall. Ijapa sang as follows:

Asín t’oùn t’Ọ̀kẹ́rẹ́ Asin and Ọkẹrẹ

Joomijó

Àwọn l’ó jọ ńjà They were the ones fighting

Joomijó

Ìjà ré mo wà là I’ve just come to stop them from fighting

Joomijó

L’Asín ba bu mi n’imú jẹ Asin then dug her teeth in my nose

Joomijó

Ẹ̀ gbà mi l’ọ́wọ́ rẹ̀ Please save me from her!

Joomijó

Àwò mi mbẹ l’ọ́jà My awo are in my market stall

Joomijó

Ẹ̀ gbà mi l’ọ́wọ́ rẹ̀ Please save me from her!

Joomijó

Àwò mi mbẹ l’ọ́jà My awo are in my market stall

Joomijó

Asín àti Ọ̀kẹ́rẹ́ l’ó mà ńjà

Joomijó

K’asín to bu mi n’imú jẹ

Joomijó

Ìjà ré mo wà là I’ve just come to stop them from fighting

Joomijó

Ìjà ré mo wà là I’ve just come to stop them from

Joomijó

Àwò mi mbẹ l’ọ́jà

Joomijó

Ẹ̀ gbà mi l’ọ́wọ́ rẹ̀

Joomijó

As Ijapa sang this song, many more market people including people in the area came to the scene – to push Asin away from him, but Asin’s teeth, dug deeply into Ijapa’s nose, seemed to have got stuck. Ijapa continued to beg Asin, denying any wrong doings, but the people who had been around earlier and had seen what happened from the beginning blamed Ijapa severely.

“We saw what you did. It wasn’t a fair deal; it was one-sided, geared towards favouring your friend. You don’t settle a fight in that way, especially if you don’t know who is in the wrong”

All the same everybody joined in to beg Asin.

“Please, Asin…Ijapa is in serious pain. Leave him…Let him go back to his stall and his dishes…”

Asin paid no heed to anyone. She just continued to sink her teeth into nose, eyes closed, whilst blood was gushing out. She shut her eyes to the whole thing. Ọkẹrẹ, who had stopped dealing blows at Asin, joined in, begging her, kneeling down and rolling at her feet.

“Please Asin. Please forget our row and remember that we have never quarrelled let alone fight before” Ọkẹrẹ was saying to her. “I’ll replace all your broken plates and dishes for you.”

“We’ve not had any problems before, and what happened was just a misunderstanding” Ọkẹrẹ explained to the onlookers.

Ijapa could not say anything anymore. He did not know whether he was alive or dead.

“Please Asin…” everyone continued to beg. “Look at your child who is crying now, and leave Ijapa alone, for his sake. Otherwise we’ll have to send someone to the palace at once. There’s nothing else we can do. Surely you wouldn’t want that?”

But Asin was adamant. She was a fighter who stuck to her gun. She continued to sink her teeth into Ijapa’s nose, and it was not until the top of his nose got cut off in Asin’s mouth, that Ijapa was free of her. By that time someone had been sent to the palace, and some Ọba’s messengers had arrived at the scene.

“I’m not quarrelling with you anymore because I know now that it’s been a misunderstanding” Asin was saying to Ọkẹrẹ as the three of them were taken to the palace to face trial.

“It’s Ijapa I wanted to teach a lesson for his bad behaviour. It’s about time…I’ve been patient with him. All this time…He’s the enemy. He’s been treating me so badly”, Asin continued after the Ọba’s messengers had questioned those among the onlookers who had seen the fight from the beginning. Some of them were selected as witnesses and taken along.

When they were brought before the Ọba, the Ọba listened to what Ijapa, Asin and Ọkẹrẹ had to say, and to witnesses, before passing judgment.

“Asin and Ọkẹrẹ will receive punishments for fighting, and especially in the marketplace for that matter and let me warn you, there must never be any more fighting between you again, or any other beings in my land. I blame Ijapa for adding more to the fighting, especially when he had been warned by others not to handle it the way he did. He should have listened. Not only was he wrong in thinking that the solution was to beat up Asin and Ọkẹrẹ, but also in thinking that he could deal more blows to Asin just because Ọkẹrẹ is his friend. His unfairness to Asin led to his downfall. He’ll receive no further punishment from me because having one’s nose cut off is a very severe punishment, and it is permanent. I also blame the onlookers who should have alerted the palace immediately the fighting broke out.”

“Let what’s happened here today be a lesson to you all. One should not settle a quarrel, let alone a fight in an unequal way. Otherwise one may regret trying to help in the first place. ‘It takes two to quarrel’, as the saying goes.”

Ijapa left the palace, ashamed and distressed by his bitten off nose. He was also embittered. Yet again he was going to be the talk of the town. Many people would blame him for interfering in the fight between Asin and Ọkẹrẹ, for being unfair to Ọkẹrẹ. ‘Serve him right!’ they would say.

“How will I be able to live this down? People have already heard about how I came about my shell, how I cracked it, why my stomach became hollow, and how I became bald, and will now get to know about why my nose is very small!”

Ijapa was so embarrassed and ashamed that he decided not to go and sell at market anymore. He would not be able to face anyone there – not even his friend, Ọkẹrẹ, let alone Asin! He was not even sure that he could continue to live in Teregun after this!

“From now on I must be very careful not to let anything like this happen to me again” he promised himself.

This is why Ijapa’s nose is very small.