"They are well," he replied without interest.
The first man to speak to Umuofia that morning was Okika, one of the six who
had been imprisoned. Okika was a great man and an orator. But he did not have the
booming voice which a first speaker must use to establish silence in the assembly of the
clan. Onyeka had such a voice, and so he was asked to salute Umuofia before Okika
began to speak.
"Umuofia kwenu!" he bellowed, raising his left arm and pushing the air with his
open hand.
"Yaa!" roared Umuofia.
"Umuofia kwenu!" he bellowed again, and again and again, facing a new
direction each time. And the crowd answered, "Yaa!"
There was immediate silence as though cold water had been poured on a roaring
flame.
Okika sprang to his feet and also saluted his clansmen four times. Then he began
to speak: "You all know why we are here, when we ought to be building our barns or
mending our huts, when we should be putting our compounds in order. My father used
to say to me: 'Whenever you see a toad jumping in broad daylight, then know that
something is after its life." When I saw you all pou &??r??F?F??2?VWF??rg&????F?P?V'FW'2?b?W"6??6?V&???F?R??&???r????WrF?B6??WF???rv2gFW"?W"?fR? ??RW6VBf?"'&?Vb???V?B?BF?V?&Vv?v???$???W"v?G2&RvVW??r??FV????2vVW??r??wwVwwR?2vVW??r?v&??2vVW??r??B??F?R?F?W'2??W"FV@?fF?W'2&RvVW??r&V6W6R?bF?R6??VgV?67&??VvRF?W?&R7VffW&??r?BF?P?&???F???vR?fR??6VV?v?F??W"W?W2?"?R7F?VBv??F?7FVG???2G&V?&??p?f??6R??%F??2?2w&VBvF?W&??r???6??6?&?7B?bw&VFW"?V?&W'2?"w&VFW ?f??W"?'WB&RvR???W&S??6???S?&R??F?R6??2?bV?V?f?v?F?W2?W&S?"?FVW?W&?W"7vWBF?&?Vv?F?R7&?vB?