Part 2 — Chapter 24

Chapter XXIV CONFLICTS IN THE NORTH § I. The Celebrated Battle of Ikirun Otherwise Called— " The Jalumi War " The Are of Ibadan at this crisis hastily filled up one or two gaps in the ranks of the chiefs. Oranyan was worshipped on the 20th October and the standard of war immediately marched northwards to the seat of carnage. It was a most unfavourable time for the army to march out, as it was the time of the latter rains. The rivers were unusually full, and unhappily many of the soldiers found a watery grave in the overswollen Oba and Osun rivers before ever they came in sight of the enemy. The expedition was altogether a trying one for the Balogun, for the Are even in this hour of danger recklessly continued to practise those short-sighted, suicidal policies of his which tended to weaken the power of Ibadan, thus showing a great lack of statesmanship. He slyly tried to handicap the Balogxm by making the Osi his rival. To this young man already of considerable importance he assigned most of his own war-chiefs and his fighting slaves, and also all the fighting men of the late Seriki lyapo his old rival. Intoxicated with such honours conferred upon him, the Osi looked down upon the Balogun ; he not only refused to obey orders, but often dictated his wish to the Balogun. Happily the latter was a man of great experience, of consummate tact, and marvellous resources ; he would readily yield in minor points as of no great importance in order to maintain peace and harmony at this crisis. Twice before they reached Ikirun he claimed in advance from the Balogun a reward for the victory that he would achieve, for he was confident that the honour of the victory would be his. At each time the Balogun sent him 10 heads of cowries. It must be added, however, that he was scarcely ever sober during the expedition. The free use of spirituous liquors was considered at this time the acme of pleasure and mark of greatness ; spirits being at this period beyond the reach of poor men. At Osogbo the Osi deeply offended the principal slaves that formed his body guard, and on whom he depended at the supreme hour of danger, by disfiguring two of them with facial marks for an offence of seizing things from people in the market by way of privilege. The big slaves interceded in vain. They pleaded for 427 any other punishment but that, but he gave them no heed, the culprits were marked with two gashes on either cheek from the top of the head to the chin. This action they were determined to revenge whenever opportunity offered. At Osogbo, he also related to those about him a dream he had in which he saw his late father Ogunmola and his brother Osun. He felt rather uncomfortable thereat, and was. ad vised to offer sacrifices to them. This he did with a horse and a cow. Meanwhile at Ikirun matters were growing from bad to worse. The last battle fought before the arrival of the Ibadans was on the 30th October, 1878, in which the Ikiruns were hemmed in on all sides, and they had to fight within the town walls. Balogun Ogboriefgn with the Ibadan forces at last entered Ikirun on Thursday the 31st October. It was said that the Akirun, Oyebode the chief ruler of Ikirun, when he saw the Ibadan forces marching into the town for his succour was so overcome with joy that he could only say to the Balogun " Ajayi, are you come ? I am almost done for." The Balogun replied, " Take courage, take courage, we are come, your deliverance is at hand." The Balogun of Ibadan now learnt from the Ikiruns the situation of affairs. The allies were in three different camps. The Ilorins under the command of Ajia were encamped by themselves North- eastwards, near the Ikirun farms ; the Has and Ekitis together not very far off from the Ilorins under Prince Adeyala of Ila, and Fabunmi of Oke Mesin respectively, and the Ijesas under their generals Ayimoro and Ogunmodede eastwards. These last had in the meantime captured the small town of Iba near Ikirun and were encamped within its walls. Iba we may mention was the paternal town of Osuntoki the Maye of Ibadan (afterwards Bale) who headed the contingent for the relief of Igbajo. From these three points the foes marched in the day of battle, and attacked Ikirun on all sides. At a council of war held the very day of their arrival the Balogun of Ibadan proposed to give the men one or two days' rest, the journey from Ibadan being tedious on account of the incessant rains and the privations they endured, and then to march against the confederates. The Osi again opposed the Balogun. He was to march at once the next day " before the allies are aware of our arrival; " and if the Balogun will not go, he will. " To-morrow," said the Balogun " will be Friday, and Fridays being unlucky days it is not likely the allies will attack us, and the men may as well have some rest." The Osi again objected, and the Balogun yielded the point. Then again the Balogun in ordering the battle proposed to divide the Ibadan army into two parts, one led by himself against the armies of the Ilorins and the Ekitis encamping not very far off from each other, especially as he had been told that was the strongest part; and the other under the Osi to go against the Ijesas encamping eastwards at Iba. Again the Osi objected. " The Ilorins and the Ekitis lie to the left of us," said he, " and I am the com- mander of the left, to the left therefore I go." " Very good," replied the Balogun " You can have your own way." As the Osi commanded nearly the half of the whole Ibadan forces, there was no reason why he should not accomplish successfully what he proposed to do, provided he acted with reason and judgment. Those about him reported that he was restless and sleepless all night, he ate little but drank much, and it had been so since their arrival at Osogbo. He emptied a bottle of gin before ordering his horse to be saddled long before daybreak. He marched out of the town by the Northern (O^a) gate, long before his war-chiefs including Akintgla were ready. He dismounted and halted a while before dawn behind the town wall until some of his men came and then he proceeded ; the others had to hurry after him one after another as each was ready. The Balogun at dawn with the Otun marched out by the eastern or Oba'gun gate leading past the ancient village of that name, along the fine road that leads to the town of Iba where the Ijesas were then encamped. The Osi's route lay for about three miles along the highway to the north, then it verged towards the right nearly at right angles along a farm road,a high range of mountains parallel to this separat- ing the forces of the Osi from those of the Balogun. About three miles along this farm road the Ilorin camp could be descried on the left hand side, situated on a hill on the other side of a morass, but approachable by a ford which lay about a mile further on, which point was more directly near the Ekiti camp. Those of Osi's men who had gone before went straight along to this ford, but the Osi wishing to take a short cut to the Ilorin camp left the road and went by a bush path and through farms with the intention of attacking the Ilorins on both sides at once. This after-thought he never communicated to those before. Many of his war- chiefs coming on after him went straight on along the road not knowing that he had left it for a bush path straight for the Ilorin camp. The Ekitis were surprised to see the Ikiruns out against them but the reason soon became evident, they had been reinforced. Those who went early to the stream were driven back at the sight Q of the Ikiruns, and they reported to the camp the advance of the enemy. Fabumi and his colleagues attacked them vigorously and over- powered them ; they were surprised at not seeing their chief and no reinforcement coming up to their aid, so they were driven back and dispersed. Fabumi pursued them till he came to the spot where Ilori the Osi took to the bush path, and this was pointed out to him. By that time Ilori had attacked the Ilorins and had repelled those out against him, and was pressing hard to capture the camp when he heard the sound of Akintola's drum coming up behind him " Kiriniun Onibudo," " Kiriniun Onihudo." He sent a mounted messenger to greet Akintola and to say "You are rather late in coming, I had almost entered the Ilorin camp, however, you are welcome." But the messenger never returned, and Ilori's men noticed that the rolling of the drum was not perfect in style, they therefore suspected treachery and communicated their fears to their master. But he rephed "Who else can it be ? Is not that Akintola's war- cry Ki-ri-ni-un Oni-budo ? " When too late, he discovered the treachery. Fabumi of Oke Mesin it was who was counterfeiting the war-cry of Akintola, who had been left behind. It was at such a crisis like this that his guards would have stood by him to a man and kept the enemy at bay until relief should come from those he left behind ; but he had insulted those trusty servants and this was their time of revenge. He was helped to his horse, but at best he was not a good rider, and his head had become muddled by drink. The horse soon got entangled in a yam field and fell down, and the illustrious Ilori was taken alive and conducted to the Ilorin camp ! At the camp he was stripped of everything he had on, a rag being given him to wrap across himself and was kept in a room under close supervision. One Koiditan a renegade from Ibadan betrayed his personality to the Ilorins, and they in ecstasies of joy at the capture of so illustrious a prisoner gave themselves up to feasting and enjoyment for the day, appre- hending no further trsuble. The Ikiruns sadly disappointed at this turn of events were ready to stone the Ibadans, they insulted them to their face saying to them " We could not drive them away indeed, but we never suffered so ignominious a defeat as this, and what is the good of you ? " So the Osi's men were scattered, many of them fleeing back to the town met those just coming out, and together they fled back to Ikirun. But some of them instead of retracing their steps to Ikirun went across the mountain range to the other side and told the Balogun what had happened. They met him in the thick of the fight with the Ijesas, company after company on both sides marching to the fighting Hne, attacking each other furiously. As soon as the escaped arrived and reported " The Osi has been captured aUve and his army dispersed ! " The Balogun was startled ; but he was a man full of resources, and endued with remarkable presence of mind " Sh" said he to the men, " say nothing of this to any one as you value your lives." He quickly called about half-a- dozen of his slaves, and bade them roll themselves in the dust —they did so. He then bade one of his servants " bind them hand to neck as men captured in battle and take them to the Otun tvith my compHments, and say Ilgri has entered the Ilorin camp, here are captives that he sent us. What are we doing ? " He then sent a message to Babalola his eldest son saying " I can see what your younger brother is doing but goodness alone knows what you are doing ; be careful, lest I disinherit you in favour of him." Just then a company of Ijesas were coming to the attack, but instead of another company of Ibadans meeting them in the fighting Une, he threw his whole force suddenly upon them and overwhelmed them. He ordered that everyone be put to the sword, and they were all massacred. They had scarcely done this when another company was coming gaily on to relieve these. The Balogun ordered a feint retreat so as to allow the company to advance further before firing, so his men hastily retreated, and this retreat encouraged the Ijesas to advance forward. The Balogun meanwhile had his eyes on them to see the effect of the massacre. As soon as the Ijesa company came up suddenly on their massacred comrades, finding them wallowing in their blood, they stood stock still, panic stricken. The Balogun noting this at once ordered a general charge " Omo Ibadan, e gba efi ti won." (Ibadan boys, up and at them). " E ma je won o Ig—" (let not one escape) at once rang throughout the whole army, and the panic stricken Ijesas gave way, the panic spread throughout their army, and the Balogun followed them up foot to foot into the town of Iba where they were encamped, and Iba was retaken. The bulk of the Ijesas fell into his hands. He then issued that heart- rending, never to be forgotten order " Let no one stay for booty or captive, all prisoners must be slain at once, both will hamper us, the latter may prove treacherous." And so all the Ij§sas captured were put to the sword. It was a heartrending sight, for many of them were formerly slaves at Ibadan who ran away to enhst under the flag of rebelUon or of Uberty (from whatever point we view it). Old comrades, calUng each other by name craved for mercy. But the Balogun's orders rang out " Whosoever will not kill his captive, let him be killed with his captive." So all were massacred! And then the Balogun immediately turned his face northwards towards the Ilorin camp without delay. As they marched along a body of Ekitis about i.ooo strong appeared on their right flank to attack them, but the Balogun neither noticed nor regarded them, notwithstanding all their efforts at firing ; they had to cease firing of their own accord, amazed at such a spectacle. There was but one thought uppermost in the Balogun's mind, and in that of every Ibadan soldier, viz., how to rescue Ilori the Osi. It was about 2 p.m., when the Ilorins heard the drum of the Balogun coming. " And who is that again ? " they asked, and were told " The Balogun." " Any other Balogun besides the one we captured this morning ? " they asked. They went out to meet the Ibadans, and within a short time, they were repulsed. The fine river that flowed by the town of Iba, flowed also along the foot of the hill where the Ekiti camp was situated, and from which they obtained water. That river loses itself in a morass here below the Ilorin camp, and the only spot where a ford was possible was along a winding stream breast deep at this season. The Ilorins having retreated to the other side held the Ibadans in check for a while on the other side of the morass. There they stood face to face, the attackers and the defenders. Chief Akintola, who we may remember was attached to the Osi's army, was left behind as we saw when that unfortunate chief rushed on before daybreak to his own fate. By the time he came up to his chief, the tragedy had taken place, and he was met by the fugitives defeated by Fabumi. He therefore retraced his steps back to Ikirun, and took the other route to join the Balogun. By the time he reached Iba, the Balogun had finished with the Ijesas and had cleared out of the place, and he had to follow in his track to where the battle was now raging. The Ibadan boys all but exhausted after the morning's fight and the day's march, encouraged at the sight of fresh troops were exhilarated by the in- spiriting air of Akintola's war cry, which the \yhole army took up with a swing " Kiriniun Onibudo Kiriniun Onibudo." Thus came up Akintola ; and stretching forth his hand across to the enemy, half turned on his saddle to his men he said " Awon ta nu ? Awon ta I'emba se ta nta ? " (and who are those ? Who are they with whom you are exchanging shots?) Immediately the Ibadan boys dashed into the morass, treading on one another they struggled across the quagmire and hurled themselves upon their foes. The Ilorins taken aback by this unexpected, this mad rush became completely demoralized and gave way. The Ibadans entered the Ilorin camp, captured a large number, put some to the sword and demolished the camp. All those who were captured in the morning with the Osi, speedily rejoined their comrades and made captives among their captors. The Osi's men were among the foremost to seek out their master, but alas, the worst had befallen him. When he heard the noise and tramp of the Ibadans within the Ilorin camp, he tried to make his escape ; he rushed out of his confinement and hid himself in a clump of fignut trees not far from the tent. The Ilgrins in their hasty flight did not forget the illustrious captive, but he could not be found until betrayed by a woman who saw him in his hiding place; then a man with drawn sword rushed upon him and put him to death before he made good his own escape. The same fate befel several of the minor chiefs, Ilori's fighting men who were caught with him that morning. Ijesas and Ekitis who had lived at Ibadan and knew all these chiefs at sight easily pointed them out to the Ilorins. Koiditan the renegade and betrayer of the Osi was caught, and taken to Ikirun where he was subsequently tried and publicly executed. The Balogun then turned towards the Ekiti and Ila camp. It was evident that they had no longer any spirit of resistance left in them. By one assault that was taken also, and so the three camps were smashed on one and the same day by Balogun Ajayi Ogborie- fgn. The victory was decisive and complete, and Ikirun was saved. The Ofa people who had long been groaning under the yoke of Ilorin took this opportunity to throw off their yoke. They cut the bridge over the Otin river at the rear of the Ilorins, and when these in their flight came to the river now swollen, with the Ibadans at their heels, they rushed into it. Here thousands upon thousands of men, women and horses perished. The river at one point was said to be so choked with human bodies and carcases of horses that some fugitives who came later were able to escape upon corpses. Ajia the Ilorin commander-in-chief escaped with great difficulty with one of his favourite wives, but several Ilorin chiefs and well-to-do people were caught. Prince Adeyala of Ila fell among the slain but Fabumi of Oke Mesin managed to escape. The roads were said to be strewn all along with loads which the Ilorins could not carry in their hasty flight. The Ibadans pursued their victory right up to Erin about 8 miles from Ofa; the head chiefs however remained at Ikirun. This event gave the name to this expedition " Ogun Jalumi," i.e. the rush-into-the-river war. Notable Events of the Day 1. Roti, Ilori's head slave and a very great favourite, with whom he was as a most intimate friend, eating out of the same dish and drinking out of the same cup, and from whom he was never parted, was in another part of the field that fatal morning when the disaster overtook his master. When he observed that something was wrong, he rode up hastily asking " Ilori da ? Ilori da ? " (And where is Ilori ?) The reply was " Ogun mu u lo " (taken by the enemy). He uttered one deep groan " O—h " He then bade his comrades farewell " Good-bye to you all, no home for me again." He drew his sword, put spurs to his horse and dashed into the midst of the Ilorins, slashing on the right and on the left, kilHng many before he fell among the slain. 2. Akintola's drum played a most notable part in the day's business ; it won and lost for the Ilorins, it lost and won for the Ibadans. And here let us note a most remarkable instance of retributive justice. The trick now played upon Ilori by Fabiimi by which Ilori was captured was the same played by Ilori's father the famous Ogunmola upon the Ijayes after the Iwawun war. It will be remembered how on his return march he counterfeited the war cry of KurQmi of Ijaye, and in that way all Ijayes who had escaped into the mountains thinking their master was come to their rescue came down from their hiding places and fell a prey into his hands (vide Chap, xviii, page 349). The same trick was now played by Fabiimi on his son with fatal results. 3. The Ife and Modakeke people who always joined the Ibadans in every expedition of theirs came up late this time after every- thing was over. The Ibadan boys taunted them to their face and accused them of intentional delay because of the formidable appearance of the war ; but said they " we have already shown that we can do without you." The Ifes never uttered a word of excuse, nor resented the remarks but followed up the chase and took Ilofa. (The fact was that the Ifes had secretly wished the issue to be otherwise in order to cast off their own yoke also ; and the Modakekes having their eyes on them would not leave them behind). They also joined in taking Omu, Erinmope, Gogo, etc., and the conquest was pursued up to Ekan. This was a small town but the men of that place were mostly hunters and sharp-shooters. They manned their walls so that the Ibadan boys failed to take it by assault. The Balogun hearing this sent Ali Laluwoye the Otun to their help. He was nearly a month in this small place and was content to reduce it by famine. They negotiated peace, sending valuable presents by Aturu who was sent to conclude a treaty with them. The Bale andBalogun of the place were sent by Ali to Ikirun to theBalogun of Ibadan to ratify the treaty. The Otun was thereupon recalled from the siege, to the great disgust of the Ibadan warboys who grumbled much against their unlucky and inefficient chief. The victory and its cost were reported at Ibadan simul- taneously on the 5th of November, so that the joy was greatly tempered with the painful loss they had sustained by the death of Ilori and his brave comrades. The Balogun received orders not to waste time to retaliate on the Ijesas or Ekitis as they would soon tender their submission. He was not to go beyond Ila, but rather to turn his face against Ilorin towns. On the i8th November the Ilorins sent ambassadors to Ibadan to sue for peace. The Are took occasion to remind them of the parable of the whorish wife returning to her husband and what he predicted would Hkely be the result. Knowing that their overtures were only for the purpose of redeeming their chiefs who were captured in the war, and kept as state prisoners, and still smarting under the loss of Ilori the Osi and his brave comrades, the Are and chiefs sent them back home without an answer. Whilst the Ibadans were rejoicing and mourning at the same time over the affairs in the north, the Egbas came to kidnap in their farms on the 22nd of December, and some farmers were carried off to Abeokuta. The Balogun was at length recalled and the Ibadans returned home on the 23rd December, 1878, with the Balogun in an in- different state of health. § 2. The Results of the Jalumi War. The results that followed this crushing defeat of the allies were totally different from what the Are of Ibadan had expected. In his opinion the disastrous results to the Ilorins were quite sufficient to make them hold aloof from the rebel states, and these he expected would tender unreserved submission, and that things would henceforth move as smoothly as before ; but, as we shall see matters took a totally different turn everywhere. The Are now saw the necessity of being on friendly terms with at least one of the neighbouring states. The Ijesas and Ekitis were subject states, he could never treat with them on terms of equality. The Ilorins lately defeated were characteristically untrustworthy, Ibadan could have nothing to gain from that quarter. The Egbas the Are was determined to subjugate so as to open a free route to the coast to all Oyos through the river Ogun. There remained only theljebus with whom Ibadans could possibly treat, and therefore the Are sent large presents with some slaves to the Awujaleof Ijebu and craved for friendly relations, as there had never been any cause of quarrel between them. But the Ijebus refused a rapprochement and declined the presents. They openly declared themselves alHes of the Egbas and Ekitis, surmising that all this pretence of friendship was mainly for the purpose of procuring war materials from the coast through the Ijebus themselves. The Are resented this rebuff by sending another raiding expedi- tion to the Egba farms. The Balogun who returned home from Ikirun ill, was getting worse and worse every day, so he sent the Otun and the Seriki, but they returned on the 4th of January, without a single captive. Meanwhile the storm was gathering thick in the north and north-east. The effect of the late defeat was to exasperate rather than dishearten the aUies, and they were determined more than ever not only to wipe off the disgrace but also to crush the Ibadan power if not destroy that town altogether. Although the Ilgrin refugees were well treated at Ofa yet they were determined to take vengeance by destroying that town for their conduct in destroying the bridge over the river Otin which occasioned such tremendous losses to them. Karkrk the Hausa Balogun of Ilorin, who, on account of his marked disloyalty to his King was denied the honour of conducting the battle which ended so disastrously, came out to succour the escaped. He came as far as Elehinjare, but when he heard of the Ibadans pursuing as far as Erin, he retreated to Ganmo as he was not then prepared to fight. Here he remained until he received orders to destroy the town of Ofa. This he meant to do by strata- gem, and to make quick work of it. He asked leave of the Olgfa to allow him to pass through his town to Erin in order to punish that small town for intrigue. But the Olofa was wide awake ; he knew who the prime intriguer was, therefore, the reply he gave was " Not until I am removed out of the way." Karkrk now threw off the mask and openly declared war against Ofa; leaving Ganmo he went forward and pitched his first camp. This expedition was not popular at Ilorin, because King Alihu wished to be on good terms with the Ibadans, at least for the present, in order to ransom all the Ilorin chiefs caught in the last war. But Kar^ra it was said threatened to convert his camp into a town, and set up M6m6 the heir apparent to be king over it, in opposition to Ilorin, and so Alihu was obliged to let him have his own way. The Ofas sent to Ibadan for help on the 20th of February, 1879; the Are sent Ali the Otun with all his forces, also Kanike one of his own head slaves with some of his men, and the Otun, Osi, and Ekerin of the Seriki ; later on he sent Akintola. This on the whole was a very weak force, for, although there were some very strong men in it, yet the leader of the expedition was held to be both unlucky and incompetent. But King Alihu did not despair ; in order to conciliate the Ibadans he declared all the roads in his territory open for trade so that all Oyos immured in Bida and in Hausa towns were able to come down in safety. He then sent an embassy again to Ibadan to negotiate for peace between them, and to arrange for the ransom of the Ilgrins captured in war, but the Are declared he could not entertain the idea unless the siege of Ofa was raised. The Are now endeavoured to fill up the gaps made in the late war by making some indispensable appointments. Akintaro the heir of the late Balogun Akere he made the Osi Balogun in place of the late Ilori. For the great house of Ogunmola there was none but the youthful Kongi son of the late Osun, Ilori's elder brother. He was now advanced to be the head of the house with the title of Areagoro. These two were the most important. Death of the Balogun of Ibadan.—In the midst of this crisis the Ibadans suffered an irreparable loss by the death of their Balogun. On the 7th of April, 1879, the firing of musketry, volleys upon volleys announced to the public that Ajayi nick-named Ogboriefon had passed away! The town went into deep mourning, as he was the last of those veteran generals of Ibadan, who had seen great fights and made a name, with the sole exception of the Are. Those who were now to the fore were not the old and experi- enced but the young and untried heirs of great houses according to the policy favoured by the Are. He was buried at about 10 p.m., with full pagan and military rites. An eye-witness thus de- scribed the interment. The grave was dug in his bedroom, the large coffin was first lowered, and the body wound up as usual was placed in it, and then nailed up. Four flint-lock guns, a naked sword, and strings of cowries were placed upon the cofifin, and a kid was immolated, the blood being poured on the lid of the coffin, and prayers offered to the gods for his soul. Ajayi was a native of Ejigbo, he came to Ibadan for the love of a military career. He was nick-named Ogboriefon from the follow- ing circumstance :—At a battle in the Efon country, he noticed a man who posted himself behind a large tree doing havoc to the Ibadans. The man was using two guns giving an assistant the one he had discharged to be reloaded for him while he took his deadly aim with the loaded gun. Aja)^ then a common soldier quietly crept into the bush behind him, going on all fours till he came near enough to this marksman, and then suddenly shot him down dead. The assistant bolted clean away. Ajayi then cut off the Efon's head held it by the ear between his teeth being besmeared all over with blood, and with the man's guns on his shoulders came again to his comrades who raised for him a shout of triumph and acclaimed him " Ogboriefon " i.e. a carrier of the Efon's head. He was always a poor man, for he spent too lavishly, but he was a brave and hardy soldier. This characteristic cleaved to him all through Ufe from a private to the post of commander-in- chief and was the cause of many errors in his procedure which all but marred his career. For a long time his favourite companions were his only slave Jato, a man with a fair complexion, and his horse ; then some friends associated together and made him their leader, and thus by degrees he rose to a responsible position. His first military appointment was when he was created an Abese and sent to Ilora during the Ijaye war to reinforce the Oyo army against Iran. He was marched off with Ogunmola to Iwawun where he received a wound which nearly proved fatal to him. The next period where he made a name was the Ilesa war, when he and Latosisa were stationed at the Odo road where he had to oppose Ogedemgbe and the army from the city, and Latosisa that from the country ; and Ogedemgbe capitulated to him. The blot on his character was serious. He intrigued to get rid of Ajobo who had helped him to bear the expenses incidental to his taking office on filling the post of Osi Balogun which was bestowed upon him after the Ilesa war. Also his withdrawal from the coaHtion in the insurrection against the Are and the betrayal of lyapo. Added to these was the wholesale massacre of the Ijesa,captives in the taking of the camp at Iba, for which however, he pleaded military necessity. But there were pleasing traits in his character. His Uberality and humility gained him the respect of the soldiers and made his memory lasting. He will always be remembered as the hero of the Jalumi war. His eldest son Babalola was his heir, and became the head of his house. § 3. The Ekitiparapos Instead of tendering their submission as the Are thought they would do, the Ijesas, Ekitis, Efons and other tribes hitherto sub- jected to the Ibadans formed an alUance which they termed Ekiti parapo i.e. the Ekiti confederation. They raised a formidable army and were determined not only to liberate themselves but also to overrun the Oyo tribes right on to the Ibadan farms at the river Oba. They invited Ogedemgbe to come over to lead them ; but this hardy warrior, having crossed swords more than once with the Ibadans was loth to do so again, but rather tried to see what might be done by entreaties and remonstrance in order to ameli- orate the condition of his people. The arrogance of the Are made him deaf to reason; he simply snubbed Ogedemgbe for his pains ; but this simple hearted soldier regarding his oaths to the Ibadans kept to his promise and for a long time never moved from his retreat. Meanwhile Fabumi of Oke Mesin headed the confederates and was on the march again for Ikirun ; the news of the death of the Balogun of Ibadan seemed to put more spirit and courage into them. When the news of this reached Ibadan the Are ordered the Seriki to arrest their progress. The Seriki was very reluctant to go for two reasons. Firstly, he wished to be present at the funeral obsequies of the late Balogun his chief, but the urgency of the affairs in the north-eastern frontier brooked no delay. Secondly, he had been dipt of his wings as it were, for his Otun, Osi, and Ekerin had been ordered to Ofa and he was left single- handed. But he must obey orders, and thus he started for Ikirun. On reaching Iwo, he was detained by the venerable King of Iwo. " What do you intend to do," asked he, " with such a small handful of men ? The Are could never have had the slightest idea -of the nature and strength of the confederacy." His Highness thereupon sent to Ibadan and acquainted the Are with the formid- able nature of the task before him. The Are with enemies all around him was trying to behave cautiously and with prudence : he did not know what the Egbas and Ijebus might do if the town were denuded of men ; however, he sent a small force to reinforce the Seriki at Iwo. The allies at this time were using all their endeavours to isolate Ibadan by cutting off all communications from it. At this crisis the Lisa of Ode Ondo sent messengers to Ibadan to inform the Are how the allies had offered him large presents to induce him to join the alliance, and close against the Ibadans the only route by which they could now communicate with the coast, viz, that by Oke Igbo, but he wished to be neutral. He might send if he Hked to verify his statements, and let his messengers see the presents for themselves. The Are repUed by sending the Lisa large presents and begged him to keep strictly neutral, and to keep that road open. The Ijebu Remos in the So«th who are simple traders were much annoyed by this closure of the roads, which put a dead stop to their occupation. Ibadan is their only customer, but their Suzerain the Awujale of Ode having joined the alliance, they were helpless. They however conceived an idea of sending to their countryman resident at Ibadan, Chief Soderinde the Balogun of the cavalry, to induce the Are to send another embassy to the Awujale and that they would act as a go-between. The Are was glad to comply with this request, but the Awujale took the presents and the slaves sent, but rejected the Remos as inter- mediaries. The fact of his accepting the presents sent a ray of hope into the Are to make one more effort. He therefore summoned to him all the natives of Ijebu Ode resident at Ibadan with Abinu- sawa, an Ijebu Prince, at their head, one who had some influence at home and begged them to act as plenipotentiaries for him in arranging terms of friendship with the Ijebus. These were glad to be of some service to their hosts, and were confident of success. But they were not even allowed to reach the town of Ode, they were stopped at Aha by an Agurin and sent back with the following message :— "Why should the Ibadans now desire our friendship? Let them remember the scant courtesy with which they have treated us in the past. When they were going to the Ijaye war we remonstrated with them but to no purpose. When we entreated them to receive back Ajobo expelled, they utterly refused even to take home his dead body. When they had differences with Efu§etan, Aijenku, lyapo we interfered and offered our good offices but were hot listened to. If they are tired of the war and want peace, let them first arrange with the Egbas, recall their troops from Of a and from Ikirun, and let the Are go to sleep." This was the end of all negotiations with the Ijebus, but the Ijebu residents still continued to make efforts to negotiate, but the Are would not expose himself to another rebuff. Once more the Lisa of Ondo sent messengers to Ibadan on hearing of the Balogun's death ; they brought the Are some presents and performed funeral obsequies for the late Balogun, kiUing a ram and pouring its blood on his grave. § 4. The Beginning of the Actual Conflict The Seriki's forces met the confederates near Ikirun, and once more the clash of arms resounded between Oyos and Ekitis. After several battles, the Ekitis began to retreat before the Ibadans towards Mesin Ipole via Igbajo ;' this town was deserted at the approach of the alUes. The Seriki drove them beyond Igbajo and pitched his camp about a mile beyond, and from thence cleared the undergrowth in the forest for miles in the direction of Mesin Ipole. Another reinforcement from Ibadan met him here in the person of Akintaro the newly-made Osi, and chief Aderibigbe. Here was enough force now to crush those opposed to them. The Are's young Chiefs could fight, but they lacked the wisdom gotten by experience. The Ibadans were surprised to see the allies advancing to attack them in their camp through the openings they had made in the forest, and concluded that they must have received reinforcement from Ogedemgbe, the rumour of whose approach then filled the country. They therefore took the precaution of guarding the camp and the rear by the Osi whilst the Seriki advanced to the attack. The Seriki had his father's veterans about him who instructed him in all his movements, where he was to sit, and when he was to charge. There was a dreadful carnage that day on both sides. When at the right moment the Seriki (through his advisers) ordered a general charge, they found the Ekitis immovably firm as a rock ! From repeated conflicts, and from their former slaves, the Ekitis had grown accustomed to the methods of the Ibadans, and were prepared against them. There was then no help for it but to maintain their ground vis a vis whilst a desperate struggle ensued. At length, the Ibadans a little while after made a sudden dash and secured a prisoner. From the obstinate resistance offered, the Ibadans thought they were opposing Ogedemgbe, but the prisoner told them it was Fabumi of Oke M§sin. " Where is Ogedemgbe then ? " they asked, and were told, " Not yet come." And further : " Who lay in ambush at our rear? " "No one." " Where is the remnant of your army ? " " This is all." With this assurance the Seriki now sent to the camp for reinforcements. It was about 4 p.m. that the drum of Akintaro the Osi was heard coming, and when the Ekitis saw fresh troops coming they gave way and fled. But it was too late to pursue them far. The Osi's men claimed the honour of the victory as theirs, as the enemy did not dare to await their approach. Those who bore the brunt of the fight since morning were naturally hurt at this, and trifling as this circumstance might appear, it altered the character of the whole campaign, and the larger issues that depended upon it. Jealousy and rivalry now take the place of judgment and discretion. Disaster upon disaster followed on both sides in subsequent battles ; the allies again and again sent repeated messages to call Ogedemgbe to their help. " We will fight now," said they, " to the best advantage, the Ibadan army is divided into three parts, one part at home to guard the town against the Egbas and Ijebus, one part at Ofa against the Ilorins, and it is but a third part we have to oppose." Ogedemgbe was a very straight-forward man, he was always true to his word. Although a sworn enemy to the Ibadans, yet he wished to be faithful to his covenant with them, for he had sworn never to oppose them. On making Ita Ogbolu his headquarters for excursion into the Igbo Ani country, he sent to Ibadan, and the Are gave him a war standard, and also sent him a contingent consisting of his slaves and volunteers among the restless and warHke youths of Ibadan. Hence Ogedemgbe was reluctant to enter upon this war rashly. But he received invitations from all the aUies, as well as from the Egbas and Ijebus, Ibadan being con- considered a formidable neighbour whose power they all dreaded and were resolved to see it crushed this time. Ogedemgbe at last issued from Ita Ogbolu his retreat, and took the field at the head of the Ekiti parapos against the Ibadans. On hearing this, the Ibadan war chiefs sent home again for more reinforcements, and on the 3rd November, 1879, the Are sent the following chiefs, viz.. Babalola the son and heir of the late Balogun Ogboriefon, Ojo late Bale Opeagbe's son, and Ogundepo the uncle of the Seriki. It was the belief of the war chiefs that the Are deUberately planned to weaken them all one by one, so as to make room for his own son to be supreme over them, for instead of sending an adequate force which could deal with the whole affair in one blow he kept sending them by dribblets, promising each batch that which- ever came out victorious would take the lead of the others, thus creating a spirit of jealousy among them. Hence every newcomer had to fight singlehanded, and never received support from those already in the field. Babalola had to oppose Ogedemgbe at Kiriji as his father opposed him many years ago at Ilesa. The combatants met about three miles from Mesin Ipole, and Babalola fresh from home and probably in order to make a name, fought three successive battles which established his fame as a worthy heir of the hero of the Jalumi war. He bore the brunt of the battle with the Ekitis alone, the Seriki and all he met before him just sat in the battlefield sur- rounded by their men, all looking on, ready to retrieve a disaster should any occur. A custom initiated by the late Balogun Ibikunle and Ogunmola at the time of the Ijaye war was still kept up for the war chiefs to have about them pages in training called " Baba ni lima sa " (the Master says I must not run away). They were all dressed in red uniforms and were to sit around their master whatever may be the condition of the fight: they may be beyond gunshot, or equally exposed with their master in a close fight. Babalgla had about 400 of these ; at the first fight he lost 140 in killed and wounded. At the second fight he lost more, at the third fight they were wiped oat ! Thus the Are began by wasting their strength, and those in the field, out of jealousy of each other, played his game until experience brought about a better judgment when too late. § 5. The Are to the Front Such was the state of affairs at the seat of war whilst the Are's son and his slaves and household war-boys were enjoying them- selves at home, till they became surfeit with pleasure and all excesses, the report of which reached the war chiefs from time to time at the seat of war. Whenever the Ijebus or Egbas were descried kidnapping in Ibadan farms, the war chiefs at home would be sent after these, but the Are's sons and slaves .would march out leisurely after these in blazing costumes, and instead of pursuing after the enemy would contentedly encamp in the Ibadan farms, feeding on the crops and cutting down standing corn as fodder for their horses ! The war chiefs in the field having wasted their strength in the manner indicated above, and finding themselves as it were being over-ridden by the Are's sons and slaves, were resolved to invite himself to the war, to take command of the army in person, and when there they were determined to take revenge on him and his menials for all their insolent acts at home. By virtue of his title as Kakanfo he was bound to respond to his people's call, and consequently he sent to the King at Oyo to ask leave to take the field, and to return home within 17 days. The King granted his consent reluctantly, knowing that he was determined to go. The Ar§ at this time exhibited some of the worst phases of human nature. At such a pitch of glory his word being law to all Ibadan and its dependencies, he became the dupe of his flatterers ; he considered himself a god and that nothing was impossible for him to effect. He certainly thought he would make a short and easy work of the task before him, but the chiefs who invited him to the war had a different plan in their head. Their resolve was to humble his pride, and to avenge the death of Aijenku and that of lyapo, the late Seriki in particular, both of whom he ordered to "go to sleep." Sanusi, the Are's eldest son, further exasperated the war-chiefs by the impudent songs he permitted his bards to indulge in at their expense ; thus : The expedition that occupied Akere's son^ three years, The war over which Awarun's son* has spent six months in vain, But one day will it take Alabi', son of lyanda Arc*, With silver-studded hands he'll extricate and bring them home. Again they sang: A club is thrown at a lime. Both hme and club got entangled. And the stick and the lime, lyanda's son will disentangle and bring home. But there were those even among his followers at home who dishked these proceedings. Many were the followers of Sumonu, the Are's nephew, who was a more affable and good-natured fellow and much preferred to Sanasi. The followers of the latter, noticing this, permitted his drummer to beat : " Sanusi jgba na a gbg ni Kanu, Iro, irg, Aremo ko pe meji." (That Sanusi is supreme is known up to Kanu, Nay, nay, two heirs there cannot be.) The retort to this came from the populace in theii; dances : " To prostrate to father, and then to the son, I cannot stoop to two at once. And where is such a thing ever done ? On the hilltop is such a thing done." The Ar§'s house at Ibadan is on the top of a hill. All these sayings and doings were duly reported in the camp, and the war chiefs there were resolved to have these high-flown talkers in the camp, where only valour counts. The Are, in order to strike a blow with effect, recalled Ali the Otun Balogun and Akintola the late lyapg's brother from Ofa to join him at the camp. Akintgla preceded Ali to the camp and, as a young Mggaji he also was allowed to fight a battle singlehanded as each of his predecessors had done. He distin- guished himself above them all ; by a flank movement he bore down on Ogedemgbe suddenly with a vigorous onslaught, surprised and captured him, but he was let off. It was not the intention of these iThe Osi. ^ xhe Seriki. »His own attributive. * His father's attributive and totem. war-chiefs to defeat their enemy to the Are's advantage, but each of them wished to show what he can do. Ogedemgbe fell into the hands of one of Akintola's slaves who said to him, " Ologun, yara, Oyo nbo " (Captain be quick, Oyos are coming.) The hide on which he was sitting, the kegs of gun- powder all about him, his charms and amulets were all taken, the Ijesas were utterly discomfited, but Akintgla withdrew and there was no further fighting that day. But the result of this fight was to drive the allies to a vigorous preparation for a more desperate resistance, especially as they heard that the Are was coming. It was reported that Ogedemgbe, on hearing the rumour of the Are's coming, sent a messenger to ask him whether the report was true, and if so, in regard to the oath he had taken, and for past favours he had received from him, he was loth to meet in the field a chief who had given him the war standard he was using. He would therefore retire with half the Ekiti forces, leaving the rest for an easy conquest; only he prayed for his clemency towards his countrymen. So faithful and honest was Ogedemgbe, But the Are, instead of returning courtesy for courtesy, proudly dared him to remain if he would share the fate of those he would soon crush under his heels ! But Ogedemgbe, out of deference to the Are, sent another private messenger to meet him at Osogbo on the same errand. The Are's answer was, " Is he still there and not gone away yet ? Well, he will have himself to thank for the consequences." Ogedemgbe and his countrymen were fighting for freedom ; courtesy and generosity he was prepared to yield to, but threats and defiance he was determined to meet with obstinate resistance. The Are, on reaching Irehe went by Otan and intended to take the Ekitiparapos in the rear, thus placing them between two fires. But the Ibadan chiefs lest their plans should be defeated grew excited, sent urgent messages after messages entreating him to come to them to the camp and take no other course. Said they : " The veterans and the flower of your army are here in the camp, who are those about you with whom you would risk your safety by taking another course ? They are but slaves who will desert you at the sound of the first gun. Not so did Lakanle of old when our fathers called him to their help at Iperu in olden days. As he went straight to them so do you come to us now and lead us to victory." In the meantime the Ijesas, hearing the Are was contemplating another route, were determined to checkmate him. Ogedemgbe left the command with one Olubayode, a great war-chief, and took with him his well-trained veterans to waylay the Are and if possible to take him alive. He was rather disappointed at the Are's being dissuaded from carrying out his plan. He missed his game. The war-chiefs' estimate of the value and fighting quahties of the Are's slaves and household officers was not from spite but from actual fact ; they had learnt to appraise them at their true valua- tion in the Ado and Aiyede wars and in the raids on Egba farms especially before Osiele. They were no longer the hardy and trusty veterans of the Ilesa and other wars when there was keen rivalry between them and the late Ajayi Ogboriefon. A hfe of ease and debauchery had since brought about degeneracy ; they were more distinguished for displaying red and showy uniforms, sitting round their master and boasting of past deeds. The Ibadan war-chiefs entered into a secret compact before the Are's arrival never to achieve a conquest or capture a town while he was living, for, said they, "What is the use ? The lion's share of our achievements will go to him, and we shall only help to increase the number of his slaves who are now lording it over us." The Are again on arriving at the camp did not call them all together and harangue them or praise them for what they had done. On the contrary his son Sanusi marched straight on through the camp and pitched his tent in a field of standing corn which the Ibadans had planted outside the camp. " Cut all down," said he "we do not need it, how long are we going to stay here ? " He had cause to regret this afterwards. The Are led the host to the field the next day, the 4th of May, 1880. The war-chiefs fought with their accustomed bravery to show him what they could do, but no more. At the first onslaught the Ijesa chief Olubayode was caught and slain, the Ijesa army became demoralized, and gave way ; the Ibadan warboys pursued them right into the gates of Mesin Ipole. The Ibadan war-chiefs seeing this passed the word round from mouth to mouth, " Afaro, afaro," i.e., " Refrain, refrain " (or " halt, halt.") The Ajero saved the situation for the Ekitis that day, for seeing all in full retreat he stood by the gate of the town, and the first Ibadan boy that entered he shot down dead ; the others, seeing no war-chief or leader of any kind behind them, retreated hastily. The Ibadan war-chiefs sat in groups, each under a tree here and there in the battlefield surrounded by their men as if resting for a while, but the Are could not get them to do anything more than skirmishing that day. He took in the situation at a glance, and was determined to sleep on the battlefield that day, and offer battle the next day, although it was pouring with rain, and there was no shelter. Cold and wet he was advised to return to the camp. but he at first refused to do so ; then the chiefs and elders of his house approached him and remonstrated with him, sajdng, " It is folly to remain on the battlefield ; we are all wet, and it is still raining. Suppose the Ekitis were to fall upon us in the night, it will be all to their advantage, because they will come from home quite fresh, with ammunition dry," The Are was sore at heart, recalling the achievements of his old rival and comrade the hero of the Jalumi war. That he, the Kakanfo, should not be able to achieve as much and a great deal more was a mixture of shame, pain and grief to him. With great difficulty he was pre- vailed upon to return to the camp for the night, and the fight was resumed the next day. The secret combination against the Are was divulged to him by Chief Aderibigbe, probably with the hope of his making amends to the war-chiefs, but the Arg, instead of calling these young men together and pacifying them, answered with some asperity, " I have fought in front of their fathers and it is now their turn to fight for me and they will not; as we are all equally concerned, let us agree to remain indifferent." The Ekitiparapos, on the other hand, fighting as they were for their independence, went on strengthening their forces by drawing recruits from the utmost bounds of the country behind them, throughout the Ijesa, Ekiti, Efon, Yagba and Akoko countries right on to Egbe. They further strengthened their alHance with the Ilorins by an exchange of troops. One Ogunmodede with a strong force of Ijesas, was sent to the Ilorin camp, and the Ilorins sent one Lasebikan with his men to the Ekiti camp. This arrange- ment, we should rather say, was an astute measure of the Ilorins by which they retained a firm hold on the Ekitis, so that they could not withdraw from the alliance even if they wished to do so, and this proved to be the case many years afterwards as we shall see in due course. The allies had also the great advantage over the Ibadans, in that they had free access to Benin for ammunition whilst nearly all the roads were closed to the Ibadans. Long flintlock guns with large muzzles were imported from Benin ; these, when fully loaded and fired, gave a report which reverberating from hill to hill all around sounded like Ki-ri-ji-i, from which this war was named the Kiriji Campaign. Famine soon broke out among the Ibadans, the provisions they brought from home were exhausted, and the standing corn around the camp had been cut down by Sanusi to make room for his tents. The common soldiers had now to live on palm nuts, certain edible roots, and whatever they could procure from the forests to sustain life, whilst there was plenty in the town for the alhes. The Are, to emphasize his determination to see that this business should at once come to a finish, removed the camp to the spot where he sat at his first battle, called Elebolo, from the abundance of the herb Ebolo in ^he place. The Ekitis, to show their determin- ation to resist him, left the town of Mesin Ipole and encamped on the spot where Babalola fought his three celebrated battles ; and so both camps stood face to face to each other surrounded on all sides by high mountains, deep ravines and craggy rocks. It seemed Providence had brought both armies into this defile, to teach them a lesson. In the day of battle there was no room for them to deploy, the situation being worse for the Ibadans than for the Ekiti mountaineers in their native mountains. The battles now became more frequent and bloody, and at every fight the Ibadans lost one or more distinguished war-cTiiefs. At a battle on the i8th May Kupolu, the Commander of the infantry of the Are's bodyguard, was killed, and Akintaro the Osi Balogun was mortally wounded. On the ist of June died Opehinde, one of the chiefs left in charge of the town. On the nth of June Ajenigbe the Ekerin was mortally wounded. He died the next day. Chief Oluferegbe, Kongi's stepfather, also fell in battle. On the 31st August a sanguinary battle was fought at Kiriji with heavy losses on both sides. Thus for a long period of time a serious battle or a skirmish took place nearly every other day with heavy losses on both sides.