Destined to Rule

The Voyage of GBONDU Kingdom

King Baoba loved his son so much that he usually wanted him to sit beside him. Adegbola narrated to his father the stories of his childhood, the stories of his mother and how he displayed powers from his childhood. He told his father that he loved to engage in brave acts.

He declared that a man would be remembered by the powers he had displayed.

Few days after, a terrifying lion sneaked into Bunduga kingdom and started killing people. The people of the kingdom were so afraid of the lion. The kingdom was thrown into a state of confusion. They were desperately looking for someone who could kill the terrifying beast.

No one was bold enough to face and kill the lion. When Adegbola heard the news, he saw it as the time for him to display his bravery and power. Fortunes favours the bold while the cowards live in perpetual fear. Adegbola left for the forest where the lion was. When he got there, he disguised like a log of wood lying on the ground, as the lion came near him, he cleverly caught the lion and tied its mouth and legs. He carried it on his back and took it to the village round the kingdom while dancing. Everybody who saw it was surprised to see a man carrying a living lion. This incident shocked his father but little did he know that that powerful adventure carried out by his son was just a tip of an iceberg.

One night, as Adegbola slept, he heard the noise of the people. He heard them crying and wailing. He went outside to see what was happening. When he got outside, he saw people holding their heads. This meant that something was wrong and that something bad had happened. He rushed back into the house,put on his clothes, his sandals and took his sword. He went to his father and asked "Your Highness, why is everybody sad and crying"?

His father replied "we have a very big problem in this kingdom. There is a sacrifice we make every year to Ogbondu, the goddess of the people who conquered us in a war seven years ago. Today marks the day for the sacrifice for this year. Meanwhile, to appease the goddess, we agreed to always select seven young boys and girls who are maidens to offer them as sacrifice to the goddess.

"Because of this, we are in a sober mood as we are decreasing in number. We also add fourteen boxes with clothes to the poor souls.

Fourteen shoes, twenty five shillings each,fourteen fowls and gun powder. During these four days, people of the kingdom would take the items to the river and throw them there.

They would shoot fourteen times into the sky.They will come back home and shoot another fourteen times". When Adegbola heard this story from his father, he began to think about how to save the people.

While his kinsmen were deliberating on those to select as an offer for sacrifice to the goddess, Adegbola stood up and volunteered carry out the task. He asked them to select six more people with him because his task of visiting Ogbondu had been a destined one. The king pleaded with his chiefs to disallow Adegbola's proposals and prevent him from going. Adegbola told them not to be afraid because,he is very sure that he would overcome Ogbondu. He was so confident of himself. He told the king and the chiefs that anyone who snoozes would loose. He pleaded with them to be courageous and go out once against the goddess. He promised that it is going to be a tug-of-war between him and the goddess.When the chiefs discovered that Adegbola was determined to embark on that mission, they allowed him to go. They also advised his father to allow him to go.

On the day of the journey, the king called his household together and explained the mission Adegbola was going for, to them. They felt disturbed but eventually asked the king to allow him and prayed for him. Adegbola told them many stories that showed that the people of Bunduga had suffered enough in the hands of the goddess. And now they needed a liberator who will rescue their kingdom from the hands of the goddess. The king advised him and prayed for him to go in peace and come back home safely. He concluded, "A man seen holding his two cars while running must either be running after something or something is running after him. Go in peace, my son." His kinsmen gave him different items needed like groundnuts, clothes, coconuts, bread and money.

The following day, the villagers gathered the six other boys and seven girls in front of the palace. Adegbola came out and joined them. Everybody was surprised to see him among the people and were looking at him.They were surprised that the king could allow his son to be among the people to be used as sacrifice to Ogbondu. This made them to believe that the king cared much about their welfare. After the king had addressed the people, they, left for the place where they will take a ship to Gbondu kingdom. While they were going to the port, drums were beating behind them and praise singers were chanting praise songs. They got to the port and everywhere was rowdy. The ship's engine was already on, indicating that it was about to leave the shore. The noise from its horn warned every passenger to board it on time. The drumming increased and people danced to the tune.Immediately, Adegbola and others boarded the ship, the drum stopped beating and everybody remained calm. Suddenly, people began to cry and the ship blew its horn three times and left the shore. The people started shouting."Have a save journey! Go in peace! You will Come back to see your kinsmen."

Baoba the king was also there. Looking at him, one would see that he was sad because his only beloved son and heir was to be used as a sacrifice to the goddess of Gbondu kingdom.Before Adegbola went into the ship, he consoled his father and told him to take heart. He told him that he was not going to be an easy prey for Ogbondu the goddess. His father prayed and said "I will be glad if God can bring both of us together again. I will always visit this sea every week to know if I can hear any information about you". "Please my son, if you defeat the goddess, do not hesitate to remove the black flag and erect a white one when coming back to tell us that you are safe and alive". The ship sped off. The king and his subjects were watching until they could not see the ship again. They left for home in a sober mood as if they were bereaved.