Chapter 15

In Chapter Fifteen, Uchendu visits Okonkwo and shares a bit of disturbing news. He tells Okonkow that Abame, a neighboring village cluster like Umuofia, has been destroyed. Not long ago, a white man arrived in Abame on an "iron horse" (a bicycle). The people of the town did not know what to make of him. The Oracle warned them that the man was like a scout locust, a harbringer sent to explore the terrain. The other white men would follow, and when they came they were going to bring death and destruction with them. Some men killed the white man and tied up his iron horse. Not long afterward, three white men arrived with a large number of African attendants. They saw the bicycle and left. Several weeks later, three white men and a group of African subordinates came into the Abame marketplace armed with powerful guns. They shot everyone in sight. The only survivors were those who were lucky enough not to be in the market that day, and these refugees have scattered. The village of Abame is now completely empty.