“God, our Father in Heaven,” prayed Mary, “help me for Jesus’ sake to stop these men, so there will not be a bloody battle.”

“Stop,” she cried as the first men came in sight.  “Stop, I want to talk to you.”

The men stopped.  The others soon came running up.  They had to stop, too.

“You men are planning to do something bad.  You do not know that the people of this village did bad things to you.  You only think they did.  You have drunk too much beer.  You do not know what you are doing.  Go home.”

“But Ma,” said Njiri, “they have made bad medicine against us.  They made witchcraft.  They must be punished before we are hurt.”

Njiri and his men argued with Mary, but finally they listened to her.  They turned around and once more started for home.  Mary went with them to make sure they would get there.  At last they came again to the banana plant and the witch medicine.  They were afraid to pass it.

“If we pass it, we will get sick and die,” said Njiri.

“That is sinful foolishness,” said Mary.  “That banana plant and those other things will not hurt you.  I am not afraid of them.”

Mary picked up the banana plant, the palm leaves, nuts and coconut shell and threw them into the jungle.

“Now, brave men, come on.  I have cleared the path.  Let us go to your village.”

Timidly the men tiptoed past the place where the “medicine” had been.  Then they went on to their own village.  Once more Mary thought that all would be peaceful now for a while.  She started for the village of Ekenge.

No sooner was Mary gone than the people of Njiri began drinking again.  Then they started quarreling and fighting.  One of the men in the village ran and told Mary.

“I will fix that,” said Mary.  She took some of the men of Ekenge with her.  She went to the village of Njiri.  With the help of the men of Ekenge and some of the people of the village, they tied some of the most drunken men and the wildest fighters to the trees.  They left them there to cool themselves in the breezes of the jungle.

After several hours Mary untied them because she was afraid that some lions might come and kill and eat them.  Now that things were quiet, Mary again started for home.  On the way she picked up the little banana plant that had caused so much trouble and took it with her.

“I will plant it in my own yard and see what witchcraft can do!” said Mary.

Early the next morning, a man from Njiri’s village came running into Ekenge.  He went to Mary’s house.

“Ma,” said the runner, “Chief Njiri was very sick last night.  He suffered very much.  The witch doctor took sticks and shells and shot from his leg.  It is because he walked past the banana plant and other magic medicine.  Give me the little banana plant for the chief.”

“No, I cannot do that,” said Mary.  She knew that if the banana plant was taken to the chief, someone would die because of the witchcraft belief.