And wide nose gave him a very severs look. He breathed heavily, and it
was said that, when the slept, his wives and children in their houses
could hear him breathe. When he walked, his heels hardly touched the
ground and he seemed to walk on springs, as if he was going to pounce
on somebody. And he did pounce on people quite often. He had a slight
stammer and whenever he was angry and could not get his words out
quickly enough, he would use his fists. He had no patience with
unsuccessful men. He had no patience with his father.
Unoka, for that was his father’s name, had died ten years ago. In his day
he was lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about
tomorrow. If any money came his way, and it seldom did, he
immediately bought gourds of palm-wine, called round his neighbors
and made merry. He always said that whenever he saw a dead man’s
mouth he saw the folly of not eating what one had in one’s lifetime.
Unoka was, of course, a debtor, and he owed every neighbor same
money, from a few cowries to quite substantial amounts.
He was tall but very thin and had a slight stoop. He wore a haggard and
mournful look except when he was drinking or playing on his flute. He
was very good on his flute, and his happiest moments were the two or
three moons after the harvest when the village