The Feather of Glory ( a Novella )
4 min readBy David Aoloch Bion
Chapter Eleven
After Abuk Deng, Madut had been marrying other three wives the following three years. They were Amou Malual, Achol Geng and Amear Bil. He gave each woman a herd of cattle as soon as he married her. He built each woman a homestead. He didn’t dig the farms. If he was asked why, he said he was not the son of a farmer or fisherman. He didn’t stay with any of his four homesteads Luak, he stayed in the village chief Luak during daytime and his food was taken to him there.
He pretended as though he wouldn’t love any of his wives yet he was devoted to all of them in secret. One day he traveled to a black smith who made beads by ostrich egg shells. He bought four beads. He went to Abuk. He gave her one bead. He warned her not to show it to the other three wives. He told her that she was the only woman she loved so much among his wives. He went to the other three wives and gave them beads at different times. As he gave each woman he warned her not to show the other women and that she was the only one woman he loved so much.
One afternoon, Madut’s four women went to collect firewood. Amou and Amear quarreled and they fought. Abuk and Achol separated them and stopped them from fighting.
“I can’t talk with you” Amou said
“Why can’t I talk with you? We are all Madut’s wives” Amear replied.
“Do you think Madut loves you the way he loves me?” Amou asked.
“Yes, madut loves me” Amear answered.
“If he loves you, what has he given you?”
“What about you? What has he given you if he loves you?”
“Madut loves me and he gave me this beautiful bead of an ostrich egg shell” Amou showed her bead
“What about this” Amear showed her bead of ostrich egg shell.
All the four women were surprised by Madut’s trick. Amou was greatly disturbed by this deceiving incident. It was discovered that all four women had the same bead. In that evening, the four women cooked and ate the meal with their four children. Madut moved from home to home and never found food. The following morning, the four wives came to Madut and asked him why he deceived them about the beads. Madut told them that all of them were his wives and he had to treat them equally. All the other wives forgave Madut, but Amou who was boasting about being loved so much never forgave him.
Two months went. Madut put on his feather of glory and with other eighty men went hunting for elephants. An elephant was killed. Hunters were so many that they scrambled over the elephant carcass. As all hunters were naked Madut cut of the testicles of a man called Mareng Lual. Maleng didn’t feel the pain. When the animal finished he fell down dead. The man who cut his testicles was unidentified. Mareng was carried home. Madut took to the meat he brought from hunting to his wife Amou Malual. Amou found the testicles of the man in the meat.
“What is this?” she wondered. She called in her husband Madut and showed the testicles to him.
“That is a man’s testicle” said Madut.
“Who’s?” Amou asked.
“For Mareng Lual.”
“What shall we do?”
“Don’t tell anyone”
Madut buried the testicles. Months passed. Amou beat to death a calf. When madut was about to beat her, she said “I will tell the other secret.” Madut stopped from beating her and walked away very angry.
Amou continued misbehaving and always threatened Madut with the other secret. Amou first born son was very young, she was called Dut.
“Madut had left the home of Amou Malual for the home of Achol Geng for fear that Amou might cause him problems. As it has been said, “there is no good home.” Madut got some problems at Achol’s home again. Madut quarreled with Achol and he beat her violently. The neighbour came and helped Achol from Madut. That very night Madut and Achol went to the hut to sleep. At mid night Achol woke up, she lit a bundle of grass and moved around the hut.
“What are you looking for? You will burn the hut. If you burn the hut I will beat you severely and you will suffer and suffer” Madut said.
“I’m looking for love” Achol said.
“Which love?” Madut asked.
“Our love during engagement. The sweet words you had been telling me. Where are they now?” asked Achol.
“Love is different from stubbornness” said Madut.
“A person you love you can’t beat like this.” Achol said
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