Mighty Brahmuhn

When he got into his sleeping hut, Brahmuhn placed her on the ground.

As soon as her buttocks touched the floor she quickly crawled to the far end of the hut. She eyed him maliciously, her back against the wall and her arms drawn protectively across her shoulders.

‘Tomorrow you start working,’ he told her then turned around to leave.

‘You’re making a big mistake.’

He paused and turned around to face her. ‘Excuse me?’

‘I may not be that well informed of your ways but I do know that keeping a Ndebele inside your house is unacceptable. To sleep in the same hut…’ her eyes moved everywhere inside the hut, ‘…and I can tell that this is where you sleep; the royal hut.’

‘So you are well informed of our ways.’ He walked over to her and squatted in front of her which encouraged her to cringe her back into the wall. It looked more like it was out of disgust than fear. ‘Are you also well informed that I am the chief, little girl?’

‘That custom even applies to the chief.’

He laughed and tried to pat her head but she knocked his hand off-course before it was even halfway. He laughed again. ‘I am going to make you work so hard you’re going to wish you were dead!’

‘I prefer death to the anguish of being in your presence.’

‘I guess I could work you to death too.’

‘And in death I shall rise again.’

‘What?’ he chuckled, ‘and I thought I was the only one who smokes mbanje.’

‘If you weren’t so ignorant and self-conceited you would know that the faithful in Christ are raised to eternal life after death.’

‘Stop speaking gibberish, girl; no one can conquer death. When you die, you’re dead, and as for this… “Christ” entity the ghost men have been telling you about, I couldn’t care less for him.’ By “ghost men” Brahmuhn was referring to the pale-skinned men who would frequently visit the Ndebele villages. With them they would bring the missionaries who told the villagers about God and read them the scriptures. Brahmuhn never tolerated these tales from the moment they started spreading to the Shona villages as well.

‘Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’

‘Son?’ He was finding great humor in this. ‘Are there anymore relatives I should be aware of?’

She tried to dodge his hand again but it was too late. He successfully gave her a pat on the shoulder. She pouted even harder as if she had just been touched by filth.

As Brahmuhn stretched himself outside his hut, Tortoise came and knelt before him.

‘Hve you done as I instructed?’

‘So far only fifty-six men have been chosen, Your Greatness.’

‘Speed it up, Tortoise, speed it up. The sooner we get rid of the deadweight the better.’

‘Speaking of which, Your Greatness. About that girl…’

‘What about her?’

‘Your Greatness, it’s just that if anyone else found out that you’re sleeping in the same hut as the enemy then…’

‘That is why you and I are the only ones who know.’

He sighed. The depth of his sigh was a bit precautionary. ‘And the men we decide to take from the Ndebele, Your Greatness- isn’t there a chance that they would turn on us if we went with them to war?’

‘Remember what my father did to that stubborn bull? The one that kept goring the other cattle in the kraal for no reason?’

Tortoise remembered the bull very well. The bull was deemed crazy by most but Chief Kindi had broken it using severe procedures. He had starved it, beaten it for a continuous two weeks and in the third week, the bull did not harm another cow inside the kraal. Tortoise gulped, ‘My chief, are you suggesting that we carry out the same measures on these men?’

He did not answer him.

‘My chief, these are people!’

‘And this is war! Some things and all things are necessary to win it.’

‘But, my chief…’

‘Enough, Tortoise! I have spoken! Now do as I say!’ He had clearly become weary of Tortoise’s unnecessary sympathy towards their enemy.

He bowed, ‘Yes, Your Greatness.’ He stood in front of him for a while.

‘Well…shouldn’t you be getting back to work?’

‘I just wanted to say, Your Greatness that…I just wish your father was here to see you now. I’m sure he would be proud of you.’ He turned around and left.

Brahmuhn watched him as he left. Tortoise’s backhanded compliment left him in deep thought.