The Story of Isaza and his Wife, Adyeeri the Pretty
There was once a man called Isaza.
Isaza had two wives, and was very rich. He had many cows and lots of wealth. Isaza also had a dog, called Rwoga. Rwoga was Isaza’s best friend and they would go everywhere together. The dog deeply respected Isaza.
But there was one thing Isaza lacked.
Whenever his wives gave birth, the children were always girls. Girl after girl after girl was born, and so Isaza despaired. Despite all his riches and power, he had no son.
Isaza decided to marry a third wife, in the hope that she would bring him a baby boy. After this third marriage, he gave his new wife the pet name: Adyeeri the Pretty.
Isaza loved Adyeeri very much, just as he loved his dog Rwoga. But over time, the other two wives began to get jealous.
They would often question why Isaza loved the third wife and the dog so much more than them.
The time came when Adyeeri became pregnant, and during her pregnancy, she began craving for liver. Adyeeri approached the other wives for help, asking where she could find some liver, and the two women assured her that they would find her some.
The other wives went to catch Rwoga, Isaza’s favourite dog, and they slaughtered him. They took out his liver, and threw his body into a nearby enchanted lake, that was full of spirits.
Then, they took the dogs’s liver to Adyeeri, which she happily ate.
When Isaza came back home, he waited for Rwoga to come and greet him, but the dog didn’t come.
“Where is Rwoga?” he asked the servants, but they told him they didn’t know. “Where is my dog?” Isaza asked his wives, and they, too, told him they didn’t know.
Isaza became very angry and sad, and in his desperation, decided to go to the witch doctor, who could answer questions like this.
The witch doctor told Isaza, “Take them all to the lake and tell them to cross it, while singing a song. The one who has eaten your dog will fall into the lake”.
Isaza went back home to tell his wives and his workers to get ready, Soon, the group all went out on their journey, the wives and workers walking ahead of Isaza to the lake.
When they arrived, the first wife went first. Isaza said “Cross over as you’re singing the song”.
Told by Kisembo Beatrice
So, the first wife went ahead, singing,
“Spirit of the lake, If I ate Isaza’s dog, let me fall in”
As she crossed over.
Then, the second wife took her turn,
Spirit of the lake, If I ate Isaza’s dog, let me fall in”
And she crossed over as well.
Finally, the third wife began to cross,
Spirit of the lake, If I ate Isaza’s dog, let me fall in”
But this time, Adyeeri fell into the lake.
As soon as this happened, Isaza flew into a rage. He began beating his other two wives and his servants. All the way home he beat them because his favorite wife had fallen into the lake.
After this he stayed at home, sick with rage; unable to eat, unable to find any outlet for his misery. Such was his anger that he even thought of killing his other wives and his workers but Isaza wasn’t a killer, so he just remained in his house, distraught.
Eventually, he decided to go back to the witch doctor. Isaza told the man, “We went to the lake, we did everything you told me. When we got there, my favourite wife, Adyeeri, fell in. The others are still at home, what am I supposed to do?”
The witch doctor simply told him “This shows you that she was the one who ate your dog”.
”What do you mean ate my dog?!” Asked Isaza, but there was no reply.
Though unsatisfied, after a while at home, he began to calm down. Soon, the witch doctor then told him “There’s a tree next to the lake, you should go and cut it down”.
So Isaza sent a servant to go and cut the tree on his behalf, after all, his wife had died.
The servant went to chop the tree but no sooner had he started chopping, than a song came from the lake,
“Servant, servant, servant the carpenter,
As you’re cutting, please listen,
Go and tell Isaza,
That his wife is here,
She gave birth to a baby boy,
His dog, Rwoga is here too,
You should bring a sheep to the lake,
So that I, the pretty, can come back to life”.
The servant went running to Isaza to let him know. “Isaza, Adyeeri is in the lake!” But Isaza didn’t take the news well. Thinking he was being mocked, he flew into a violent temper and instructed the others to kill the servant.
“My wife died, and now you come to me with these lies?” Cried Isaza, as his workers obediently killed the servant.
A second servant was sent to cut down the tree by the lake. As this one began to chop, the same song came from the lake,
“Servant, servant, servant the carpenter,
As you’re cutting, please listen,
Go and tell Isaza,
That his wife is here,
She gave birth to a baby boy,
Even his dog Rwogo is here,
He gives me milk for the baby,
It’s time to bring the sheep,
So that I, the pretty, can come back to life”.
The second servant ran back to Isaza with the message, “Master, it’s true! Your wife is there in the lake!”, but again, Isaza became enraged.
“No, don’t tell me these things!” Shouted Isaza, and again instructed his workers to kill the servant.
And when Isaza commands, everyone obeys.
Undeterred, Isaza sent a third servant to cut the tree. As this one began chopping, just like the others, he heard the song coming out from the enchanted waters.
“Servant, servant, servant the carpenter,
As you’re cutting, please listen,
Go and tell Isaza,
That his wife is here,
She gave birth to a baby boy,
Even his dog Rwoga is here,
You should bring a sheep,
Slaughter it into the lake,
So that I, the pretty, can come back to life”.
So, the servant ran home as fast as he could.
He ran and he ran and when he finally reached Isaza the servant knelt before him, begging, “Isaza, please, don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!
Come with me, let’s go to the lake together. Please don’t kill me, your wife is there! I can show you, just please don’t kill me”.
This time, Isaza remained calm. He stood up and instructed his workers not to kill the servant. Instead, he told them to guard him with their machetes, that they may kill him at the lake.
Together, the group travelled to the lake, and the poor servant was very scared. As they reached the water, he nervously tried to cut the tree.
The lake made no sound, and the servant became terrified, thinking he was about to be killed.
But when he started cutting again, the lake began to sing,
“Servant, servant, servant the carpenter,
As you’re cutting, please listen
Go and tell Isaza,
That his wife is here,
She gave birth to a baby boy,
Even your dog Rwoga is here,
You should bring a sheep,
Slaughter it into the lake,
So that I, the pretty, can come back to life”.
Eh! Isaza was very happy! He thought to himself, “Oh my god! Why did I kill the first two servants?”, but his regret was overwhelmed by his excitement and he immediately told his workers to bring the sheep to the lake.
When they returned with the sheep, the workers slaughtered it and put its body into the lake.
As soon as they did, they saw it began to bubble. More and more violently it boiled and bubbled until suddenly, Rwoga emerged from the lake!
Behind the dog came Adyeeri the pretty, carrying a baby! Isaza ran over and hugged the wife and he looked at his only son. The baby began to cry and Isaza saw him for the first time.
Together, they headed back home.
As they got home, Isaza began handing many gifts to the wife for giving birth to his son.
In his happiness, he gifted her a cow and other animals.
I had been watching this from afar, and finally, Isaza turned to me and asked, “My friend, what would you like?”
They gave me a cow too, and then they gave me some soup to take with me as I left.
But while I was on my way, the cow turned into a buffalo and began to run after me!
I was able to escape, but now I was left with only the sauce.
Before I got home, I met someone who was very hungry, his lips dried out. He asked if he could have the sauce so I gave it to him.
Finally, I came across an old woman who had just finished peeling her matooke. She asked me, “My child, help me carry these matooke peelings and pour them over here”.
So, I carried them and poured them away for her. And that’s why you see my clothes are dirty like this!
That’s the end of my story.
