vexed and threw theirs away and went home; but E. picked them up and took a knife, and the yams said: “Take care.” But he said he must cut them; so the house came out and the cow and the goat; but he did not care; he cut up the yam and offered it. So people saluted him, and wives came out and washed him in a brass bath. And he cut up all three yams and became very rich.
In seven days I. and U. sent a messenger to E. to come, and he asked for E. by his real name; so E.’s people flogged the boy for insolence.
So the boy went back and explained that he had not seen E.; then I. and U. determined to go to the house of E., and they too were beaten for using E.’s real name; but E. stopped his people and gave his brothers chairs to sit upon, and they were astonished at his magnificence. Then E. took his bead coat and cap, and went with a drummer and many boys and sat down in his father’s place. And when Osa came out E. rose from the agba and offered his seat to Osa, who asked who his visitors were. When the matter was explained, Osa said: “I make Esezagazo king from this day; so he was king and Edo (Benin) and the others obeyed him.
xvii.
All the yams were ready in elimi (heaven) to go to the world; when they reached the river Omi, they discussed to whose house they should go, and Asekme (white yam) said, “We will go to the head of the town”; but Asoko said, “No, we will go to the ogie”; and Olomuda said, “We will go to a rich man.”
Then Water Yam said, “I am the last son; it is no use to go to a big man; the man who will look after us and plant us, and clear away the grass and be kind to us, we will go to him.” So they agreed and went to the man, and saluted him and said, “Shake hands; you are sensible.” So when you see water yams, you find they have plenty of “hands” underneath (this refers to the shape).
