The Lost Horsetail
Once upon a time, there as a man, He had only one son When the son grow up he loved to help on the farm.
But one day, this only son took ill and died. And so the man was left all alone.
He had nobody to help him on his farm. Everyday he worked and worked all alone on his farm, but he could only do little each day.
His dead son wanted to help him, but he could not do so during the day because he was already dead. He could only move about in the night. So one night, he called all his friends who were also dead, and brought them to work on his father’s farm.
They worked and worked and worked. They cleared a large pieces of land, and made one thousand yam heaps,. When it was near morning and the cock crew, they returned to their place of rest.
When the boy’s father came to the farm in the morning, he was surprised to see that all the work that he planned to do on his farm for that day had already been done.
But who has cleared this land and made these heaps; They was nobody to answer his question. So he collected his tools and went back home.
That night, his son and his dead friends came again They did a lot of work. They planted his yams and come for him, and then they went back.
In the morning when the farmer got to farm, he was even more surprised to see all the work that had been done.
But he wanted to find out who it was that cleared the ground, made the heaps and planted the yam and corn. So he decided to got the farm at night and watch from behind a tree.
As soon as it was dark, the farmer took his Cutlass with him and went to the farm. He hid behind a tree to see who would come.
Soon after he had settled down in his hiding place, he heard some footstep. Later he saw his son leading a hundred others, Each of them had a horsetail with which he danced.
The farmer was amazed, but did not. Speak. He continued to watch them.
When they had dance for sometimes, they all put down their horsetails in a row. His son’s horsetail was the first a the row. Then they set to work as usual
As soon as they had moved out of the area where he was hiding, he came out quickly, took his son’s horsetail and went back into his hiding place.
His son and others worked until it was almost morning. They had tot go back to their resting place before cockcrow, otherwise they would be locked out. So each came for his horsetail and went away in a hurry, Meanwhile the farmer’s son searched for his horsetail in vain. Without a he could not go with the others. He searched and searched searched. But the horsetail was nowhere to be found. He bit lips and shed hot tears in silent pain, but his weeping did not bring the horsetail back. So he started to sing:
The Farmer Takes His Son’s Horsetail.
Who has taken my horsetail?
Who has taken it?
It is almost morning
And I have to go
Who has taken my horsetail?
Without it I cannot go.
Who has taken it?
All my friend has gone.
Who had taken it?
I alone am left behind
Who has taken my horsetail?
Without it I cannot go.
Who has taken it?
As he was singing, his father came out of his hiding place and begged him to go back home with him.
No father, I cannot’ his son replied,’ Remember I am dead. I cannot live with you on earth
Please come with me, my son his father begged. See how lonely I am, come back and stay with me;
Because his father instead and because he refused to give him his horsetail, the son agreed to go home with him.
When they go home the father hid his son’s horsetail on.
the rack where it was not easy for him to see it.
it was unusual for the dead to return and stay on earth but as long as his horsetail remained hidden, he just had to stay.
One day, howeve, when the farmer went out, his son searched and searched until he found his horsetail. He was about to disappear to the abode of the dead when his father returned. At that point the alarming God intervened. He allowed the son to stay happily of with his father. He however. ruled that the dead never again come back to earth in the manner the son and his friends had done.
