The Feather of Glory ( a Novella )
By David Aoloch Bion
Chapter Four
The dry season came. The cattle camps were driven to toc. There was nothing heard around and inside the cattle camps but the songs and the name of Madut Kuol.
Thon Maditt, thon was an arrogant young man who had always learned about Madut’s behaviour and activities. Thon traveled where the cattle were grazed, he took the bull of Madut to his cattle camp. He tied very big gong on the neck of his bull. Madut received the news of his bull being mistreated by Thon. Madut and his brothers went to Thon’s cattle camp, they asked for the bull but Thon refused to give them the bull. When he was asked what his intention about the bull, Thon could not tell whether he want to buy the bull or not. Thon just replied that “I don’t exchange or buy ugly bull like this, what I have done I have done”. The other part of the matter will be finished by the youthfulness and strength. Madut forced his brothers to go back because they were out numbered by Thon brothers, the Thon cattle camp elders tried to mediate but they failed because of Thon arrogance and pride
Madut returned the following morning with his cousin. He speared to death the colored bull of Thon. This provoked Thon’s brother to a physical fight between the two sides. They fought with stick, teeth of some men were broken down, eyes were injured, some men’s heads were beaten up to the /breaking of skulls. Madut’s group chased Thon’s group out of their cattle camps. Madut’s group composed defeat and victory songs.
That incident had just happened when the cattle camps were about to leave toc. Immediately, the cattle were brought to the village camps. That was after fourth year of initiation. Madut called his group for Duel festival. Dueel if a feeding festival that the youth moved out from cattle camp with cows and bulls. They allocate forty cattle for Duel festival so every morning one cow is slaughter and eaten. Milk is brought from the camp. This is a chance for each man to see how fat he may grow. During this Duel, Madut sent his bell to Mac Kur, one of the lead wrestlers. Mac agreed to wrestle with him. In the morning, Mac came wearing a leopard skin and his sisters escorting him with ululation. On the other hand, Madut advised his people not to escort him with any sign. He said, he should wrestle with him first. They wrestled, Madut thrown him down, Madut sister, brothers and parents and the whole clan brought a drum on the wrestling ground and started dancing in some amazement. He sung praising wrestler. The follower of Madut in wrestling came and threw the man too. As soon as wrestling finished, a messenger arrived with news that the cattle were raided by the neighbouring tribesmen. Madut and his second-fellow wrestler ran out to rescue the cattle. The second fellow wrestler Ayolor was killed. When Madut saw his friend whom they were wrestling, singing, dancing and drinking milk together. Madut tried to run into the enemy line in order to avenge his friend or to be killed like his friend. He was stopped by his brothers. His friend Ayor said “I am not a coward, I have not died a bad death I died for my people, my name, my father, my mother’s name will go round the village, the stories of my bravery or cowardice will be told” and he died. After this, Madut mourned his friend bitterly. He made his ash-treated hair curly. He never danced or sung for a year.
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