One day a Babalow (who was very powerful) was walking past a house and he saw an old man crying over his horse. The horse had been carrying all of the food for a certain village and was almost dead with exhaustion.
The Babalow said to the old man: “What is the problem? Why are you so sad?” And the old man replied: “I have to get to my village to bring food to my people but my poor horse is very sick.”
There was second Babalow that always followed the first Babalow around because he wanted to see what he did, and to learn everything that he could about his power.
Anyway, back to the old man and the first Babalaw: He told the old man to get a thunderstone so he could solve his problems with the horse. The old man ran and got what the first Babalow had asked him to get.
The first Babalow called Oronumila and Olodumare saying: “By the power of Chango, this horse will come back to life!” and he struck the horse in the ribs with the rock. Startled, the horse stood up and began to walk back to the village.
The second Babalow ran back to his village thinking that now he had great spiritual power. A few minutes later, the chief of the village came to his house begging for help as his mother was very sick.
The second Babalow said to the chief: “Find me a thunderstone,” and the chief went as fast as he could and found him the stone he had asked for. The Babalow took the stone and called Oronumila and Olodumare and hit the chief’s mother in the head with the thunderstone and killed her.
The chief grew very angry and killed the second Babalow.
MORAL: Not all medicine is for the same sickness.
