The king has lost his ring. He could not say exactly where and when he lost the ring. He woke up one morning and looked at his finger and the ring was not there. It was, however, most important and urgent that the great golden ring was found as it was the symbol of the king’s power. It was urgent because in two days’ time it would be the market day in which the people of Azimonte will come to perform the final rites of the marriage between their Prince Makona and his first daughter Princess Nma.
A great day it would be. In fact it would be greater than the day Oba the cat threw Agwo of the cave dwellers in a wrestling contest. The whole land had shaken that day. He remembered the day with deep nostalgia.
The reason why it is most important that the ring of power be found and he wears it on that day of his daughter’s wedding is that the people of Azimote are a culture conscious lot. They are sticklers to every kind of traditional detail and are bound to notice the absence of the ring and will therefore raise very high eyebrows. They in their pomposity and arrogance will give the absence of the ring every kind of interpretation including that he purposely did not put it on just to slight and insult them. They may call off the wedding just to get back at him and embarrass him. This may cause a deep enmity between the two clans and this he will do everything to avoid. They have been peaceful neighbors for a long time, and it will not stop during his reign. That notwithstanding however, there is no way he can officiate as the king in the wedding ceremony of his daughter, a Princess without the ring of power. It is against the laws of the land. Therefore, the town crier was called, and he was told by the king to go all over the land and announce that the king’s golden ring has been lost. The town crier should beat his drum very loudly to convey the urgency of the matter, and he should tell the people that whosoever finds the ring and brings it back to the King before the wedding of the Princess in two days’ time, the King promised a reward of a hundred gold nuggets to such a one.
A hundred gold nuggets!
Everyone in the land immediately went out to search for the missing golden ring.
Musa is the village woodcutter. He is not a very rich man. However, old Musa is a very wise man. He was on his way to the forest when the town crier announced the loss of the king’s famous golden ring of power and the reward following it. Musa had contemplated on what to do as he saw people rushing out of their houses to look for the ring. After a short while he shrugged and continued on his way to the woods.
I had better concentrate on my woods which I am sure will fetch me my bread today instead of on a ring which I am not sure of. “A bird at hand is worth a thousand in the forest” he muttered to himself.
It was while he was cutting a tree that he observed a lot of hoof prints on the wet forest earth. Remembering that the king usually takes his evening horse rides through this part of the forest, he decided to pay much attention. Then fate smiled on him as he saw something glittering in the morning light from among the fallen leaves under a small bush. He promptly investigated, lo and behold it was the king’s missing golden ring.
Picking it up he put it in his jumper pocket and without hesitation, old Musa hefted his axe unto his shoulder and took off to the King’s palace. Though he really needs the money, Musa, however, knows the implication of the absence of the golden ring of power from the king’s finger on a great occasion such as the one coming up soon. It means that the people of Ojatta will be subservient and eat humble pie at the hands of the extremely arrogant and very snobbish people of Azimonte on their own Princess’s wedding day. May the gods forbid! That will never happen. He increased his pace, for Musa loves his people.
However, he was in for a rude shock.
When he got to the king’s palace, he was accosted by the gate man, Shanka.
“Who are you and what do you want?” the gate man challenged him.
“I am Musa. I have found the king’s golden ring, and I wish to give it back to him.”
To his surprise, the gate man looked away and ignored him. Musa stood around waiting for the man to open the gate, but he did not seem to want to do that
“Mister Gate man I am still waiting for you to let me in to see the king. He said through the town crier that the situation is urgent”
“Well, the king is busy right now; you have to wait over there until he has the time to see people like you”
Musa was shocked.
“This is ridiculous. I cannot believe this. Well, tell the king that I brought the ring today before the sun set but you said that he was too busy. I am leaving”
The gate man got tough.
“Now Mister, you cannot go with the king’s ring. You have to give it to me if you do not want to wait. I will make sure that the king gets it”. He stuck out his hand.
Musa shook his head.
“I will not give the ring to you Mister. You want to gyp me off my reward, eh?”
“Oh, I knew it. I knew it is because of the reward that you are here, not because of your love for your king. I knew immediately I set my eyes on you that you are not a loyal subject to the king” Shanka the dubious gate man harassed Musa.
Musa puffs out his chest and thumps it.
“I am Musa, son of Adamu and the grandson of Shehu of the Dankaro clan. My family has always been loyal to the king, that is why I found the ring and I am returning it to him instead of running off to sell it in the great lake market”
“Eeh, you want to tell me that it is not because of the reward. Okay, I can only allow you to enter if you agree that you will give me half of whatever the king gives you as reward”
Musa kept quiet.
“Ehe Mister loyal subject, I am waiting and so is the king. Make up your mind before I arrest you for trying to steal the king’s golden ring”
Musa thought for a while and then shrugged.
“Alright I don’t seem to have much choice do I? At least half bread is better than none”
Shanka opens the gate and Musa enters.
“Now wait a moment. How do I know that you will keep to your word? The way I see your eyes, you do not look trustworthy. You have to swear by the gods of our land that you will keep your word”
Musa nodded
“I Musa, son of Adamu swears by Shango the god of thunder that if I do not give to you half of whatever the King gives me as reward for finding his golden ring, may it strike me down”.
Greedy Shanka smiled and then let him pass.
Musa then walked up to the great door of the palace Throne hall, and there he met Roja, the door man.
The huge man eyed Musa from under his eye lids as if he is something the cat had dragged in.
“Mghm, what do you want?” Roja is worse than Shanka.
“I am Musa —”
“I asked you what you want, not who you are. What makes you think that I care to know the likes of you? Again, what do you want?” he interrupted Musa arrogantly
However, despite Roja’s great size, Musa was not intimidated by him. He just saw him as an oversized thief. So ignoring Roja’s interruption he continued.
“I am Musa, Son of Adamu. I have found the king’s lost golden ring. I am here to return it to him”.
Roja opened one eye and assessed him. Then he stuck out one of his large hands.
“Okay, put it here and off with you. The king is busy; he does not have time for the likes of you”
Musa did not make any move to give him the ring.
“Well, I wish to give it to him myself”
“Oye. Why?”
“Because there is a reward due to the finder of the ring”
“Oh, I see, the reward that is what all this nonsense is about? Well, let me tell you, the policy here is that anyone who wishes to see the king has to give to the door man half of whatever the king gives him as a reward when he is leaving”
“Otherwise?” Musa enquires
“Otherwise, you do not enter” Roja growled, bringing his face close to Musa’s.
Musa looked at him for some time and then shrugged.
“It is alright. You don’t have to get overwrought”.
The big gate man looked at Musa for a long time, in a bid to intimidate him. Then he opened the great throne room door.
“Enter” he says quietly, and in a lower tone ‘And Mister Musa, let me tell you. If you think you can run off without keeping to your agreement, you better think again. I will catch you and I will wring your neck like a chicken’s”.
He bared his snuff-stained brown teeth to emphasize his threat as he demonstrated the wringing of neck with his two hands.
Musa ignored him and continued to the throne.
The king was overjoyed to get his ring of power back. He could not thank Musa enough.
“The king and the entire kingdom is grateful for this your wonderful act” he said to Musa.
Without delay, the royal household was summoned, and a great feast was had on behalf of Musa and the finding of the golden ring of power.
The entire king’s household thanked Musa and the king’s ministers too.
Then Musa, after thanking the king for a wonderful feast, got up to go.
“Hello, my good friend” the king called him back, ‘you have forgotten something”
Musa stopped and turned
“The reward” the king smiled.
“The reward?” Musa asked
“Yes, the reward. I know you have forgotten it but I did not. Here is a bag of your One hundred gold nuggets I promised the finder of my golden ring”. The king proffered to Musa a bag.
Musa, however, did not make a move to collect it.
“Oh yes, the reward” he stated, and then shook his head. “I do not want the hundred gold nuggets, Oh King”
“Really? Then what do you want. Ask it and I the king will let you have it”
“I want a hundred lashes of the cane”
“Whaaat?” exclaimed everyone around, including the king.
“Why do you want to be whipped after doing such a wonderful duty to the king and the land?”
Musa shrugged again.
“Well your gate man and door man made me swear that I must give them each half of the reward you will give to me before they could allow me to come in and see you to deliver the ring, Your Majesty”
The king laughed uproariously, very pleased at the ironic humor of the wood cutters trick. The king immediately had the two crooked workers brought into the throne chamber.
“Well my wonderful friend” he said to Musa, ‘I will give this two each half of the reward due to you for finding my lost ring. Meanwhile you can have these One hundred gold nuggets as gift for just being a loyal subject”
As Musa was leaving the palace with his treasure, he could hear the whaaap of the whip lashes and the screams of the gate man and the doorman.
