THERE WAS ONCE a virgin named Kwaboaso. To whomever they gave to marry she said, “I do not desire him.” They gave her to a hunter, and she said, “Ugh! This man has ticks on him; I do not want him.”
One day she went off to the plantation, saying she was going to cut plantains. She took a knife and struck at the pantain, when behold, the little folk were sitting on the plantains. They descended aand came and caught Kwahoaso. They said, “You are the one who shakes your head, pusu! pusu! when they take you to give to anyone.” And the fairies caught hold of her and said:
“Come let us squeeze her.
We squeeze her, O!
We squeeze Kwaboaso.
Come, Let us squeeze her.
We squeeze her, O!”
Now, when the hunter to whom they had given Kwaboaso heard Kwaboaso’s voice, he said, “I am going to see what is the matter, for we don’t take something bad to repay something bad.” When he arrived, there was Kwaboaso and the fairies squeezing her. Then the hunter fired a gun at the fairies, and one fell down.
The eldest of them said to the others, “He has drunk palm wine and is intoxicated; place him yonder in the meantime, and then go on squeezing her.” Again the hunter fired, and another fell. The eldest again said, “The brave fellow has drunk palm wine nd is overcome; take him and lay him aside there.” The hunter killed all the little folk except the eldest The eldest called out to the hunter, “Come, oh, come on! I will not do anything to you.”
Thhe hunter went over to her. Th eldest of the fairies said, “Look in my room there and you will see the medicine for the gun and all the bullets which you have fired. Take what belongs to you and take Kwaboaso as well. But before you leave, go and cut bananas and, as you go, throw them away, so that when the other fairies wake up and come to catch you they will stop to pick them up, one by one, and you will have gone long, long, long aago.”
And accordingly, the hunter went and cut bananas, and he took Kwaboaso as well, and, when he reached the path, he threw one banana away. He continued doing so all the way home. And when only a short time remained before they would reach home, behold! the fairies were pursuing them. And he threw down the only banana left, and the fairies went after it, and eventually turned back. And the hunter restored Kwaboaso to her blood relations. Then the hunter went off to his own house.
Now the hunter was living there when he saw messengers had arrived at his place, and he said, “What is the news?”
The messengers said, “Kwaboaso says she has asked the head of the village to intercede for her, saying that now she is willing to marry you.”
The hunter said, “I thank you for the words from the mouth of the headman of the village, but I cannot marry the girl, for I still have ticks on my body.”
That is why the elders say, “When they take you to give you in marriage to anyone, marry him, for you do not know whether some day when you are in need, he will not rescue you.”
[ ASHANTI ]