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If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Congo life and folklore - -Author: John Henry Weeks - -Release Date: December 19, 2022 [eBook #69558] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Peter Becker, KD Weeks and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The - Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CONGO LIFE AND FOLKLORE *** - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Transcriber’s Note: - -This version of the text cannot represent certain typographical effects. -Italics are delimited with the ‘_’ character as _italic_. - -Footnotes have been moved to follow the paragraphs in which they are -referenced. - -Minor errors, attributable to the printer, have been corrected. Please -see the transcriber’s note at the end of this text for details regarding -the handling of any textual issues encountered during its preparation. - - - - - CONGO LIFE AND FOLKLORE - - - - -[Illustration: _Photo_] A NATIVE VILLAGE. [_Rev. R. H. -Kirkland_] - -[Illustration: - - THE MAIN PATH ON WATHEN STATION. - (Note the “Welcome” Banner.) -] - - - - - CONGO LIFE - AND FOLKLORE - - PART I - LIFE ON THE CONGO - AS DESCRIBED BY A BRASS ROD - - PART II - THIRTY-THREE NATIVE STORIES - AS TOLD ROUND THE EVENING FIRES - - BY THE - REV. JOHN H. WEEKS - (BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY) - - - - - _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS_ - - - - - - - - - LONDON - THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY - 4 BOUVERIE STREET; & 65 ST. PAUL’S CHURCHYARD, E.C. - 1911 - - - - - TO - - MY COLLEAGUES, LIVING AND DEAD - - WHOSE ARDUOUS LABOURS AND FAITHFUL LIVES HAVE - REDOUNDED TO THE GLORY OF CHRIST, AND - TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF HIS KINGDOM IN CONGOLAND - - AND TO - - THOSE CO-WORKERS IN THE HOME-LAND - - WHOSE GENEROSITY, PRAYERS AND KINDLY WORDS HAVE - SUPPORTED, STRENGTHENED AND ENCOURAGED - THEM ALL THESE YEARS, THIS BOOK - IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED - - - - - PREFACE - - -A brass rod is the money of by far the larger number of the people on -the Lower and Upper Congo. In thickness it is not quite so stout as an -ordinary slate pencil, and varies now in length, according to the tribe -using it, from five inches long on the Lower Congo to an indefinite -length among the more distant tribes of Congo’s hinterland. Originally -the brass wire was employed on the Congo for purposes of ornamentation, -either of the person in the form of necklets, armlets, and anklets, or -of articles they greatly prized and wished to decorate. It was beaten -into ribbons and wound round the hafts of their favourite spears, -paddles, and knives which were only used on gala days; or the wire was -melted down, and, with much skill, made into personal ornaments. I have -seen brass necklets weighing twenty-eight pounds, and have taken from a -woman’s legs brass rings that weighed in the aggregate nearly sixty -pounds. It is probable that at first this brass wire changed hands in -lengths of several fathoms, and gradually pieces of a certain length -were sold at a fixed value, and thus it became in due time the article -of common exchange--the currency, the money of the country. - -For a considerable time the writer has been interested in the folklore -and anthropology of the people, and has made long and careful notes on -such subjects, and some of this information he has worked into the -story. For obvious reasons much must be left unwritten[1] in a popular -book; but that which finds a place in the following pages can be -accepted as perfectly trustworthy and true to Congo life. The missionary -and other experiences are founded on fact, the views and prejudices of -the natives are faithfully pourtrayed and are not exaggerated, and the -native superstitions have, as shown here, resulted in innumerable cases -of murder by ordeal, and the killing off of the most progressive -natives, possessors of inventive genius, of irrepressible energy and of -great skill--the best men, who would have been the leaders of their -people and would have left them more advanced than they found them but -for the witch-doctor and the ordeal. - -Footnote 1: - - It may interest those who would read further on the folklore of the - Lower Congo people that in _Folk-Lore_ (the Journal of the Folk-Lore - Society) for 1908, 1909, 1910, and 1911 more detailed articles will be - found, which were furnished by the writer. - -By writing under the guise of a Brass Rod, worn first round the neck of -one owner and then round the arm of another, the writer has had more -scope, and he hopes has been able to make the scenes from life more -realistic than he could have done by the ordinary method. And the reader -will find that the book deals much more largely with the people of the -country--their habits, customs, views of life and superstitions--than -with the scenery. - -The book has been written during the intervals of deputational work; and -its object is to lay clearly before the reader the ingrained prejudices, -the curious views, the tremendous and all-pervading superstitions, and -the mighty forces that have been arrayed against the introduction of -Christianity into that benighted land, and how, in spite of such forces -against it, the evangel of Jesus Christ has triumphed more wonderfully -than our poor faith and often blundering efforts have deserved. - -It is hoped that superintendents, Sunday-school teachers, leaders of -Christian Endeavours and of missionary prayer-meetings may find that the -reading aloud of some of these chapters will awaken in their scholars -and hearers a deeper sympathy with missionary work, and that ministers -and teachers will discover in the stories told around the Congo fire, -which form the second part of this volume, _new nails_ upon which to -hang old truths. - - JOHN H. WEEKS. - - _Baptist Mission House, - 19 Furnival Street, Holborn._ - - - - - CONTENTS - - PAGE - - PREFACE vii - - PART I - - CHAPTER I - - EN ROUTE TO CONGO - - _I am packed in a box--Sent to Congoland--My journey on the 1 - ocean steamer--Curious names of the Kroo boys--Landed at - Banana--Thrown on the deck of a river steamer_ - - - CHAPTER II - - MY JOURNEY UP THE CONGO - - _Our captain and tyrant--River scenes--We camp at a 6 - trading-station--Native riddles_ - - - CHAPTER III - - MY OVERLAND JOURNEY BEGINS - - _The white man’s fetish--I am exchanged with others for rubber 12 - and ivory--My new companions express freely their opinions - about the white men--Why the white men are on the - Congo--Native suspicions and prejudices_ - - - CHAPTER IV - - WE REACH THE TOWN OF MY OWNER - - _Crossing the Mpalabala hills--The head man knocks his toes--It 19 - is an evil omen--He visits the “medicine man”--Finds his - brother dying--Last hours of the dying chief_ - - - - CHAPTER V - - A FUNERAL ORGY - - _Satu becomes chief--Preparations for the funeral feast--My box 24 - is opened--I become a neck ornament--Bakula, my new owner, is - smart, but superstitious--The mourners assemble and present - their gifts--The toilet before eating--Drunkenness and - quarrelling--Corpse is carried to the grave--A white man wants - to steal the ivory trumpets--He is shaved and sent about his - business_ - - - CHAPTER VI - - OUR TOWN LIFE - - _Streets are irregular--Houses small and draughty--Their 34 - reception, dining, and drawing rooms are in the open - air--Their many charms and fetishes--Routine of the - day--Bakula tells a story: “How the Sparrow set the Elephant - and the Crocodile to pull against each other”--Tumbu, a slave, - relates the tale of “The Four Fools”--And Bakula tells: “How - the Squirrel won a Verdict for the Gazelle”_ - - - CHAPTER VII - - THE SEARCH FOR THE WITCH - - _People believe their chief died by witchcraft--They send for 49 - the witch-finder--His arrival and antics--The ceremony of - discovering the witch--Satu’s brother, Mavakala, is - accused--Why was Mavakala accused?--He takes the - ordeal--Proves his innocence--Other tests are forced on - him--He is done to death_ - - - CHAPTER VIII - - VISITORS ARRIVE - - _The dulness and pettiness of native life--Arrival of two 58 - visitors--Bakula questions them about the white man--They - relate the little they know about him--Old Plaited-Beard stirs - the people up against the white man--They exchange their views - about him--They agree to oppose him--The white man is seen - approaching--He is driven from the town and has to sleep in - the bush_ - - - CHAPTER IX - - SOME CUSTOMS, GAMES, AND A JOURNEY - - _The Luck-giver is called to bring prosperity on the town--His 69 - mode of procedure--Satu and some of his people go on a visit - to a great chief--Good and bad omens--The game at - “Antelope”--Bakula narrates a story: “How the Fox saved the - Frog’s Life”--Another lad tells why inquiry should come before - anger--The difficult road--Bakula and his friends dress - themselves--Their mixed wardrobes_ - - - CHAPTER X - - OUR RECEPTION AND ENTERTAINMENT - - _The welcome of Tonzeka and his people--A case judged--We find 89 - the white man in Tonzeka’s town--Tonzeka defends the white - man--He complains of the effect of the white man’s - preaching--A drunken bout_ - - - CHAPTER XI - - SATU VISITS THE WHITE MAN - - _Bakula goes to the white man to have his wound dressed--White 100 - man puts in a good word for the traders--Bakula is touched by - the white man’s kindness--A native dance--An exhibition of - native pride--A long talk with the white man--We gain many new - ideas from our conversation--Bakula has another interview with - the white man and they become good friends_ - - - CHAPTER XII - - NATIVE GAMES AND PASTIMES - - _Make-believe games--“Biti” and needle--Game with canna 114 - seeds--Hoop game--“Mbele,” or Knife game--The story of “The - Four Wonders,” or a puzzle story--Conundrums--“The Adventures - of the Twins”_ - - - CHAPTER XIII - - BAKULA ACCOMPANIES AN EMBASSY - - _A title reverts to Satu--He sends Old Plaited-Beard to the King 131 - with a present--The embassy arrives at the King’s town--Has an - audience in the King’s house--King promises to send a deputy - to install Satu--King dines with the white man and sees a - magic lantern--Bakula and the white man renew their - acquaintance--He sleeps on the Mission Station and hears all - about the King’s household_ - - - CHAPTER XIV - - BAKULA STAYS WITH THE WHITE MAN - - _The working of a Mission Station--Buying food--The 148 - school--Bakula is afraid to enter the school--Repairing the - station--Boys work in the gardens--A quarrel, and how it was - settled--An evening’s chat with the white man--Rubbing evil - spirits out of a man--Sunday - service--Congregation--Sermon--Visit to a near town--Religious - talk with the King--Boys pray for their white - teacher--Witch-doctor’s trick exposed_ - - - CHAPTER XV - - SATU RECEIVES A TITLE - - _The King sends for medicine--He is told to apply to St. 167 - Catherine--The King’s promise--Bakula bids farewell to his - white friend--King’s deputy goes with us to Satu’s - town--Ceremony of conferring the title--Killing a - leopard--Satu redeems his brother--Releases his niece from a - hateful marriage--A story: “Appearances are sometimes - Deceptive”--A chief asks for Satu’s niece in - marriage--Marriage money is paid--The wedding--Satu gains a - new slave_ - - - CHAPTER XVI - - HUNTING AND BUSH-BURNING - - _Manner of bush-burning--Witch-doctor makes a hunting 194 - charm--Ceremony is carefully performed--Blazing bush and - rushing animals--Satu arranges with another chief to burn the - bush--Dimbula breaks the law and insults Satu--War is - declared--Old Plaited-Beard being unsuccessful accuses Bakula - of bewitching him--He tries to restore his luck_ - - - CHAPTER XVII - - SATU AND HIS PEOPLE GO TO WAR - - _Satu as the insulted party makes the first move--He sends an 212 - embassy to Dimbula--He asks for an apology or offers a - bullet--The apology is refused, but the bullet is - accepted--The witch-doctor makes a war charm--Mode of - fighting--The ridge-pole of chief’s house is captured--Dimbula - sues for peace with a white goat--Pays homage to Satu--Blood - brotherhood is made_ - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - GOVERNING, MARKETING, AND TRADING CUSTOMS - - _The making and enforcing of laws--Fines imposed--Division of 223 - fines--Congo week of four days probably named after their - markets--Raids and robberies--Preparing a caravan for the - road--Rules of the road--Arriving at a trading-station--Mode - of trading--Goods given and received_ - - - CHAPTER XIX - - AN ACCUSATION AND THE ORDEAL - - _Old Plaited-Beard charges Bakula with stealing--The accusation 240 - is denied--Bakula declares his disbelief in charms and - witch-doctors--Satu saves him from immediate death--The - missing cloth is found in Bakula’s house--Tumbu exposes the - accuser’s trickery--He is ridiculed--Bakula submits to the - ordeal of the boiling oil--His arm is badly scalded--During - the night Bakula escapes to the Mission Station_ - - - CHAPTER XX - - BAKULA AT SCHOOL - - _After much nursing Bakula recovers--He becomes a school-boy--He 252 - struggles with the alphabet--He learns to understand - pictures--Routine life--Bakula itinerates with his white - man--He does not relish sleeping in the wet bush--He is - convicted of sin--He inquires the way of salvation--The lads - play a trick on a witch-doctor--Bakula is received into the - Church--He returns to his town_ - - - CHAPTER XXI - - BAKULA’S WORK CHECKED - - _The conservatism of the Congo people--Bakula and his scholars 267 - build a school-house--A missionary visits his town--He - encourages Bakula in his work--A “luck fowl” dies--Its death - is put to the credit of the missionary’s visit and - teaching--The school-house is pulled down--Satu is afraid to - interfere--Native way of punishing an unpopular chief_ - - - CHAPTER XXII - - BAKULA FALSELY ACCUSED AND MURDERED - - _Failure of various remedies--Witch-doctor engaged--Diagnosing a 274 - case--Different “medicine men” are called in--Bakula denounces - their trickery--Suspicion of witchcraft falls on - Bakula--Native attempts to rid themselves of death, sickness, - etc.--Preparing a corpse for the grave--Bakula is accused of - bewitching his mother to death--He is guarded by Old - Plaited-Beard through the night--He is taken to the - hill-top--He falls and is done to death--Tumbu buries the - mangled body of his friend_ - - - CHAPTER XXIII - - I FIND MANY CHANGES - - _Mikula while digging the foundations for a brick house 294 - discovers me--The town is changed--There is daily - worship--Observance of the sabbath--Sunday - service--Collections for support of teachers--Christian - funeral--Visit to the Mission Station--Teaching - teachers--Martyrs for the cause_ - - CHAPTER XXIV - - A MARRIAGE AND A HARVEST FESTIVAL - - _A Christian wedding--Grateful offerings--Christianity a great 307 - boon to the women--Reunion--Various meetings--Lady - missionaries conduct services--Auction sale of the - gifts--Changed lives--Mikula instructs a stranger in the way - of Salvation--Rules for candidates and for Church fellowship_ - - - CHAPTER XXV - - MIKULA AT THE CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL - - _Months glide quickly by while working hard--Deacon’s 326 - meeting--Church-meeting--The kind of candidates who were - rejected--Baptismal service--The great meeting of the - Church--Election of deacons--The balance sheet--A - deficit--Native Christians wipe out the debt--Local missionary - meeting--The great communion service_ - - NOTES TO PART I 341 - - - PART II - - NATIVE STORIES TOLD AROUND THE EVENING FIRES IN CONGOLAND - - _Introduction_ 361 - - - I - - _How the Fowl evaded his Debt_ 371 - - - II - - _Why the Small-ant was the Winner_ 374 - - - III - - _How the Animals imitated the Gazelle and brought Trouble upon 376 - Themselves_ - - - IV - - _Why the Fowls never shut their Doors_ 379 - - - V - - _Why the Dog and the Palm-rat hate each other_ 382 - - - VI - - _The Leopard boils his Mother’s Teeth_ 384 - - - VII - - _How the Ants saved the Partridge’s Eggs_ 386 - - - VIII - - _The Leopard sticks to the Nkondi_ (_wooden image_) 388 - - - IX - - _How the Mouse won his Wife_ 391 - - - X - - _The Gazelle outwits the Leopard_ 396 - - - XI - - _The Gazelle punishes the Palm-rat for breaking his promise_ 399 - - - XII - - _How the Crow cheated the Dove and got into Difficulty through 401 - it_ - - - XIII - - _How the Civet and the Tortoise lost their Friendship for each 403 - other_ - - - XIV - - _The Water-Fairies save a Child_ 406 - - - XV - - _How the Squirrel repaid a Kindness_ 410 - - - XVI - - _The King-fisher deceives the Owl_ 415 - - - XVII - - _How the Tortoise was punished for his Deceit_ 416 - - - XVIII - - _How the Frog collected his Debt from the Hawk_ 419 - - - XIX - - _How a Child saved his Mother’s Life_ 422 - - - XX - - _How the Gazelle won his Wife_ 425 - - - XXI - - _The Gazelle is at last punished_ 429 - - - XXII - - _The Leopard pays Homage to the Goat_ 433 - - - XXIII - - _Why the Owls and the Fowls never speak to each other_ 436 - - - XXIV - - _How the Elephant punished the Leopard_ 439 - - - XXV - - _How the Leopard tried to deceive the Gazelle_ 441 - - - XXVI - - _The Story of two Young Women_ 443 - - - XXVII - - _Why the Chameleon cut off his own Head_ 445 - - - XXVIII - - _Why the Congo Robin has a Red Breast_ 447 - - - XXIX - - _The Leopard tries to steal the Gazelle’s Wife_ 449 - - - XXX - - _The Gazelle kills the Flies and Mosquitoes, and outwits the 451 - Leopard_ - - - XXXI - - _The Leopard is badly tricked by the Gazelle, Rat, and Frog_ 454 - - - XXXII - - _Why the Small-ants live in the Houses_ 460 - - - XXXIII - - _The Son who tried to outwit his Father_ 462 - - INDEX 463 - - - - - The following Stories will be found in Part I - - CHAP. VI.— _How the Sparrow set the Elephant and the Crocodile to - pull against each other (p. 39); The Four Fools: a puzzle - story (p. 43); How the Squirrel won a Verdict for the - Gazelle (p. 46)._ - - CHAP. IX.— _How the Fox saved the Frog’s Life (p. 77); Inquiry should - come before Anger (p. 81)._ - - CHAP. XII.— _The Four Wonders: a puzzle story (p. 122); Adventures of - the Twins (p. 126)._ - - CHAP. XV.— _Appearances are sometimes deceptive (p. 182)._ - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - _Facing Page_ - - A NATIVE VILLAGE } - THE MAIN PATH ON WATHEN STATION } _Frontispiece_ - - THE LOWER CONGO RIVER NINETY MILES FROM THE SEA 10 - - A CONGO HUT 10 - - THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL AT NKABA 58 - - JUNGLE PATH THROUGH THE FOREST 84 - - WATHEN: THE BOYS’ QUARTERS 100 - - WATHEN: THE DISPENSARY 100 - - SCHOOL-BOYS PLAYING HOCKEY 116 - - AT THE GIANT STRIDE 116 - - GYMNASTICS 116 - - BUSY WASHING 128 - - RESTING AFTER WASHING 128 - - SCENES IN CATARACT REGION 166 - - A WITCH-DOCTOR 166 - - NATIVE ROPE BRIDGE 202 - - NATIVE BRIDGE 202 - - WHITE TRADER AND NATIVE TRADERS AND THEIR PRODUCE 236 - - THE REV. JOHN H. WEEKS AND HIS BOYS 252 - - CLOTH WEAVING 258 - - BLACKSMITHS 258 - - CATS’ CRADLES 284 - - A PROTECTIVE FETISH 284 - - DEACONS OF WATHEN CHURCH 304 - - TEACHERS WORKING UNDER THE WATHEN CHURCH 304 - - A CHRISTIAN WEDDING 312 - - CHURCH COLLECTION AT WATHEN 312 - - A NATIVE MARKET 332 - - BAPTISMAL SERVICE, CHRISTMAS 1905 332 - - PART I - Life on the Congo - AS DESCRIBED BY A BRASS ROD - -[Illustration: - - THE BRASS ROD - - [_The currency of the Country_]] -] - - - - - LIFE ON THE CONGO - - Chapter I - En Route to Congo - -I am packed in a box--Sent to Congoland--My journey on the ocean - steamer--Curious names of the Kroo boys--Landed at Banana--Thrown on - the deck of a river steamer. - - -I am much older than you think, for it is more than twenty-five years -ago since I was born in a great factory in one of your English towns. -The years that have passed since my birthday have been filled with joy -and sorrow, rest and toil; but in looking back over them I think they -have contained more sorrow and toil than rest and joy. - -When I was born I was very tall--nearly thirty inches high; but instead -of growing taller I have become shorter, being only[2] eleven inches -long now, for my enemies have cut off one little piece after another to -melt down for brass ornaments. Folk think more of finery than of -honesty. I must not, however, anticipate my sorrows, for they came all -too soon. - -Footnote 2: - - See note 1, p. 341. - -Soon after I was born I was put with many other brass rods into a dark -box, and nailed in very tightly; for I heard one of the workmen say that -I was to take a very long journey over sea and land. There was -fortunately a hole in my box, and looking I saw that we were first put -on a train, and then carried into the hold of a big ship. Soon after we -were all packed carefully and tightly in the hold, the steamer began to -move, and we could hear the creaking of the rigging and the rattling of -the racing engines, and feel the pitching and rolling of the great -steamer itself. - -I felt very glad when the pitching and rolling stopped, and the cover -was taken from the hold, and the beautiful sunshine came streaming in, -making the rats scurry off with their young to dark corners and cracks. - -Just then we heard the bang of a cannon and the shrill scream of a -whistle; and, wondering what was going to happen next, we heard the -babble of many voices, and the patter of naked feet along the deck; and -a voice shouted; “There, our gang is complete. We don’t want any more, -and the sooner you others get over the side into your canoes, the better -for your health.” - -I heard an old palm-oil barrel who had taken this journey many times -remark to a new one: “We are now off the Kroo Coast, West Africa, and -have taken on Kroo boys[3] to work the cargo and keep the decks clean. -That bang of the cannon was to call them, and the whistle was to hurry -them.” - -Footnote 3: - - See note 2, p. 342. - -I do not know how many Kroo boys we engaged; but they were very noisy, -and gave us many a sleepless night. At four o’clock in the morning, -while we were at sea, they began to rub the decks with stones and scrape -the ironwork with knives, talking incessantly all the time; but when we -were in port it was worse, for they not only worked the winches right -over our heads from early morn till late at night, but they came down -into the hold, turned us over and pitched us about so that if I had not -had a good wooden box round me I should have been badly bent and -bruised. Some of my friends were smashed to pieces, and some bales I -knew received deep gashes in their sides, and others I never saw again. - -It was a sad journey, full of partings, for those Kroo boys never came -into our hold without tying up some of my friends, and we saw them for a -moment hoisted into the air, and over the side they went, into what?--I -knew later, but not then. - -What curious names those Kroo boys had! Some of them still linger in my -memory, such as: Peasoup, Teacup, Bottle-of-Beer, Brass-pan, Top-hat, -Kettle, Arm-chair, Pen-and-ink, Kiss-me-quick, Flower-vase, -Napoleon-Buonaparte, and Duke-of-Wellington.[4] I learned afterwards -that the reason why they had these names was that their white masters, -not being able to pronounce their proper country names when they first -engaged them, gave them any name that happened to come into their heads -at the moment, and such names stuck to them all the days of their -service on the coast. It was amusing to hear these names called, or, -when one was asked his name, to hear him answer: “Me, massa, me be -Bottle-of-Beer.” - -Footnote 4: - - See note 3, p. 342. - -The Kroo boys good-humouredly retaliated by giving their masters names -that picturesquely described any peculiarities they observed in them. -One they called Big-nose, another Skinny-legs, another Long-legs, and a -fourth Bald-head. There was more appropriateness in the names they gave -their masters than the names they received from them. - -About seven weeks after we started my box was tied with others, hoisted -into the air, and thrown over the side of the ship into a big boat, and -we were rowed ashore and landed at Banana. As we were going a Kroo boy -spied me through my peephole, and tried hard to drag me out of my -comfortable resting-place; but I clung tightly to the others, and thus -successfully resisted his attempts to steal me. I soon found myself in a -large store filled with huge piles of boxes, bales, and crates, and long -rows of large bottles filled with rum and other fiery waters. - -After a few days a white man came into our store, and, sorting out a -large number of cases, bales and bottles, sent them away on the heads -and shoulders of Kroo boys. For two days they were carrying out loads as -quickly as they could, and just as I was thinking that I should not be -disturbed a Kroo boy came and lifted my box in his strong arms, and, -carrying me across the busy, sunlit yard, threw me with much force on -the deck of a steamer, and I became unconscious. - - - - - Chapter II - My Journey up the Congo - - Our captain and tyrant--River scenes--We camp at a - trading-station--Native riddles. - - -When my senses returned I found my box was piled on deck with many other -boxes like it, and thus I had a fine view. The sun was rising, flooding -the river with its brightness, lighting up the distant hills and -throwing into sombre shadow the mangrove trees that lined the banks. -There was much hustling and shouting on board as the ropes were cast -loose; and I soon began to feel the throb of the engines, and hear the -rush of the water as the small steamer pushed its way against the strong -current that was hurrying the mighty volume of the Congo to the sea. - -On reaching mid-channel I could see that the trading-houses of Banana -were built on a narrow tongue of sand, having on one side the Atlantic -Ocean constantly rolling and sometimes madly rushing as though it -desired to tear the very tongue out of the mouth of the river; and on -the other side the gentle lap, lap of a back current of the river -itself. - -The Congo is said to be fifteen miles wide at the mouth--from hills to -hills; but it does not look so wide because of the islands and mangrove -swamps that hinder a clear view of the whole width, and narrow one’s -vision to the channel in which you are steaming. - -From my position I had an easy view of the deck of our small steamer. -There were only two white men on board--a captain and an engineer; the -former was a short man, who never spoke without swearing, and never gave -an order without punching or kicking one of the black crew. He had a -large rubicund nose, hideously coloured by frequent applications to the -bottles that were always on his table. He was privately nicknamed by his -crew as Red-nose, and was thoroughly feared and hated by them all. Many -of them were slaves and could not get away from him, and others had -contracted for one or two years’ service, and if they ran away they -would have lost their pay; but notwithstanding this some did escape, -preferring loss of pay to constant brutal treatment. - -The current was too strong to remain long in mid-channel, so the steamer -went near to the bank and pushed and fought its way, with much rattling, -throbbing and panting, from point to point of the various bays. When the -water was too swift to be conquered at one place, the steamer, snorting -with defeat, crossed the channel and worked its way up-river on the -other side. - -There was not much to be seen--no hippopotami, no crocodiles, and very -few natives in canoes, and only an occasional trading-station on -low-lying, swampy land surrounded by palm-trees, plantain groves and -vegetable gardens. Here and there men were to be seen fishing with large -oval nets. They stood on the rocks by which the water rushed tumbling -and foaming in its hurry to reach the sea, and dipped in their nets with -the mouths up-stream, and, pulling up the whitebait thus caught, laid -them on the rocks to dry. Others made small fences by the river’s bank -about eighteen inches apart and three feet long, and into these they put -small scoop-shaped nets, and drew up the small fish that had passed -between the fences. - -By sunset we reached a trading-station belonging to my owners. Our -steamer was quickly tied to the bank, and all made secure for the night. -The men soon had some fires lighted along the beach, and saucepans of -food boiling on them, and pieces of meat roasting in the ashes. Groups -gathered round the fires, and after a hearty meal of rice, ship-biscuits -and meat, they became very talkative, and soon started asking riddles. -Some of these riddles I still remember after all these changeful years; -and I will try to tell you a few of them. - -A Loango man named Tati seemed to know most riddles,[5] and he was -called upon to make a start. After much persuasion he asked: “What is -this? _The stick is very little; but it has a number of leaves on it._” -One after another attempted to give the answer, but as they all failed, -Tati said: “The answer is--_Market_, because it is a small place, but -has a lot of people on it.” They chuckled with delight over the neatness -of the riddle, and demanded Tati to give them another. - -Footnote 5: - - See note 4, p. 343. - -Tati sat in a brown study for a few minutes, and then, looking up, said: -“_There were five buffaloes; but only four tracks._” Semo, who was -Tati’s rival in this game, instantly cried out: “_Fingers_” as the -answer, because while there are five fingers on a hand there are only -four tracks, _i. e._ spaces between them. - -Semo was then asked to give one, and without a moment’s thought he cried -out: “_My father’s fowls laid their eggs under the leaves._” All kinds -of guesses were made; but at last admitting their failure, Semo said: -“_Peanuts_,” and of course they all saw it at once--peanuts grow under -the ground beneath their own leaves. - -Semo was called upon for another riddle, and after a short pause he -said: “_I went to a strange town, and they gave me one-legged fowls to -eat._” This one also was too difficult for them to guess, and after many -attempts Semo had to give the answer, viz. _Mushrooms_, which have only -one stalk (_i. e._ one leg) on which to stand. - -Soon after this the talk became general, and gradually died away as one -by one they rolled themselves in their mats and went to sleep, leaving -the fires brightly burning to throw out warmth to the sleepers and to -frighten away hippopotami, crocodiles and sundry other creatures. During -the night the snorting of hippopotami could be heard as they gambolled -in the shallow water near the bank; and occasionally the switch of a -crocodile became audible as it hurried by in search of food for its -cruel but never-satiated jaws; many noises also came from the dark -forest just beyond the settlement, that filled the night with weirdness -and made the first glow of dawn welcome to men, birds and beasts. - -[Illustration: A CONGO HUT.] - -[Illustration: THE LOWER CONGO RIVER ABOUT 90 MILES FROM THE SEA.] - -Just as the sun peeped above the eastern horizon bells began to ring, -and the whole station awoke to life. My friends, the crew, hurriedly -came from their mats, and were soon carrying bales, boxes and bottles -ashore, under the directions of a white man, and in an hour or so all -the goods for that station were discharged, and the steamer was pushing -its nose against the strong current of brown, oily-looking water to the -next up-river station. - -The higher we ascended the river the narrower it became, and the more -powerful was the rush of water on its ever-scurrying way to the sea. -Whirlpools opened up at the most unexpected places, making the steamer -roll and pitch, and straining the engines until they panted and groaned -in their never-ceasing struggle with the giant current. Twice we were -twisted round in a place called the Devil’s Cauldron and carried -down-river, but at the third attempt the giant was conquered, and an -hour or so later we were tied up to a wharf at the highest point on the -Lower River. - -Just below us the river narrows between steep hills to a mile and a -quarter in width, and through that funnel more than twenty thousand -miles of rivers empty themselves into the “cauldron” which constantly -seethes, bubbles and boils with the rush of water tearing over its -rough, rocky bottom. - - - - - Chapter III - My Overland Journey Begins - -The white man’s fetish--I am exchanged with others for rubber and - ivory--My new companions express freely their opinions about the - white men--Why the white men are on the Congo--Native suspicions and - prejudices. - - -The morning after the steamer arrived all the goods were taken ashore, -put into a huge store, and arranged in their places. Just opposite the -store door was a large image, gaudily coloured and grotesquely ugly. It -was a fetish[6] that the white man had bought of a native “medicine -man,” and had placed it there in the store to frighten the natives and -deter them from stealing. Of course it was no use, for the natives knew -that no “medicine man” would sell a real fetish to the white man, -consequently it did not overawe them, nor keep them from thieving when -they had the opportunity. - -Footnote 6: - - See note 5, p. 343. - -I had not been in the store many days when the box in which I was packed -was carried out and handed over to some natives who had brought some -tusks of ivory and rubber to the white trader for sale. From what I -heard it had taken them a long time to settle the price; but directly -that had been agreed upon they quickly selected their goods, viz. forty -pieces of assorted cloth, ten barrels of gunpowder, fifteen flintlock -guns, one box of brass rods, two demijohns or large bottles of rum, five -cases of gin, and some common looking-glasses, knives, beads and various -other trinkets. - -I was carried, with the other trade goods, to the native -sleeping-quarters, and found my new owners were not tall men, but wiry, -lithe, strong fellows, who, after they had bound us with ropes in long -baskets, commenced their tedious overland journey to their town far in -the interior. Before sunset we had crossed the hills, descended the -valley, and forded by means of a canoe the Mposo river. The boys of the -party collected wood and fetched water, and very soon bright cheerful -fires were blazing, and the camp resounded with much chatter and -laughter. - -Most of the talk was about white men and their strange ways. One laughed -at them for having such a silly fetish in their store. “Why, I know,” -said he, “the ‘medicine man’ who made it; and he told me himself that he -had put no strong charms in it, as he was not going to hurt his own -people for any white man; but the foolish white man gave plenty of cloth -and gunpowder for it.” - -Another asked if they knew Fomu,[7] a white man who lived in the next -district? “Well, he put a weight under his scale, and cheated us for a -long time; but we found him out, and at first we would not trade with -him again, until some one found a way to punish him for defrauding us.” - -Footnote 7: - - Most white men are known to the natives by native names. - -“What did you do?” asked another. - -“Well,” answered the first, “we procured some bananas and coated them -with rubber, and sold them to him as solid rubber; and it was a long -time before he discovered it, and then we had to cut every lump of -rubber into pieces; but I think we recovered what he stole from us.” -There was a hearty and good-humoured laugh over this playing off of one -trick against another. - -Just then an old man with a long plaited beard chimed in: “Yes,” he -said, “I had a friend who lived in a part of the country where, instead -of using brass rods as we do, they use strings of blue pipe beads as -money--a hundred beads on each string. One day my friend sold some ivory -to a trader there, and received some packets of beads as part payment; -but when he arrived home he found that instead of there being one -hundred beads on each string there were only sixty. He was cheated out -of forty beads on every string, and before he could pass them on the -markets he had to make them up to the proper number. - -“After that no native would deal with that trader unless he gave two -strings of beads in the place of one, so he lost in trying to cheat us. - -“Pish!” exclaimed the old man, “the white men are cheats! They put heavy -pieces of iron under their scales to rob us; they put lumps of stuff in -their measures to rob us; they give beads in short numbers to rob us; -when we work for them they beat us just before our term is finished so -that we may run away without our pay, and when we have carried loads for -them they often pretend we have stolen from them so as to have an excuse -for not paying us.” - -The old man had worked himself into a rage as he recalled wrong after -wrong; but his voice was drowned in a burst of laughter that came from a -group sitting round another fire. “What are you laughing at?” he shouted -aggressively. - -“Not at you, father,” respectfully answered one of the young men. “We -are laughing at what we heard yesterday: A trader had treated his house -boys, his people, and his customers very badly for some time, so some of -them met together one evening, went to his house, and stripping him of -his clothes, they carried him into the bush, and rubbed him well with -cow-itch, and then let him go. He had a very bad time; but he has been -better to his people since that night.” - -There was much snapping of fingers and chuckling over this joke played -on the white man. - -“For what purpose does the white man buy rubber and ivory?” asked one of -the boys of the old man with the plaited beard. - -“I don’t know,” replied the old man. “When I was a boy we made pestles -and trumpets of the ivory, and drumstick knobs with the rubber; but I -think the white man only buys rubber and ivory to hide the real reason -of his presence in our country.” - -“What is that?” asked the lad. - -“Well,” said the old man, with a knowing look in his black eyes, “the -white man does not like the work of making cloth, hence they come to -this country to buy up all the bodies of those who die to send to their -country to make cloth for them. They preserve the bodies in their stores -until there is a good opportunity of sending them away in their -steamers; and when these bodies reach Mputu (the white man’s country) -the spirits are forced to return to them by the magic of their great -‘medicine men,’ and then they are compelled to work for them as their -slaves. - -“The white men have very strong magic, surpassing the magic of our -people; but if the white men were not here, very few, if any, of our -people would die. Why, a friend of mine told me all about it the other -day. He said: ‘In the sea there is a hole,[8] and the white man goes in -his steamer to this hole and rings a bell, and the water sprites push up -the end of a piece of cloth, and the white man pulls on it one day, two -days, three days, until he has enough cloth, and then he cuts it off and -measures it into pieces, and binds it into the bales, as we see in their -stores. But before he leaves the hole he throws into it some bodies he -has bought in our country.’ Yes, the white men are very wicked, and -don’t you have anything to do with them. Why, all your relatives who -have died are now, perhaps, slaves in Mputu, and some day you may be the -same.” - -Footnote 8: - - See note 6, p. 344. - -A thrill of horror went through the gaping crowd as the old man in -graphic language and with dramatic gestures told these things. When he -had gained his breath he began again. - -“The other day I heard of some exceedingly wicked white men who pretend -to tell people about God, white men who will give you medicine if you -ask for it, and will teach you in a school how to read and write, and -will even take you into their houses and clothe and feed you. Beware of -those white men, for they are only trying to secure you, and you will -soon die and become their slaves in Mputu. The other white men say: ‘We -have come for rubber and ivory,’ and we receive plenty of trade goods -from them in return for our rubbish; but these very wicked ones say: ‘We -have only come to tell you about the great God, and to help you.’ They -are more crafty, cunning and wicked than the others. Keep away from them -always, or you will quickly die!” - -By the time the old man had finished there was a large circle of -horror-stricken natives around him, who, with many a cry of rage and -hatred against such evil doings, promised never to go near such wicked -wretches as these white men were, and with many an oath they threatened -they would kill them if ever they had the opportunity. - -Soon after this the fires were replenished, and men and boys curled -themselves in their mats and cloths, and went to sleep dreaming of the -cruel wickedness of white men. And all through the night the river went -gliding by to the great Congo and on to the sea to lose itself in the -waters of the Atlantic; and it took no warning to the white men who were -leaving home, friends, and family to tell such as those who slept on its -banks of the great and good God. - - - - - Chapter IV - We reach the Town of my Owner - -Crossing the Mpalabala hills--The head man knocks his toes--It is an - evil omen--He visits the “medicine man”--Finds his brother - dying--Last hours of the dying chief. - - -The next morning was dull and damp--a weeping morning, and every one -shivered with the cold as they hastily picked up their loads and -prepared for the steep ascent that would take them over a spur of the -Mpalabala mountains. The road was a narrow track, steep and stony; huge -boulders were often in the path, and had to be climbed over or avoided -by detours, thus making the way difficult and tiring. By ten o’clock the -sun was shining brilliantly on the white stones, making the eyes ache -with their glare and the body perspire with their reflected heat. The -men panted beneath their burdens from the heat, and water was very -scarce. - -By midday we had passed the steep and wearisome hills of Mpalabala and -were camped in the valley by a pleasant stream. - -Just before arriving at the resting-place the head trader unfortunately -struck his toes against a stone, and, being very superstitious, he was -filled with horror at the evil omen. It was the general subject of -conversation as to what this omen predicted. One thought that a wife of -the head trader was dead; another suggested that his house and goods -were destroyed by fire; and thus they prophesied one evil after another -until Satu--the poor fellow who had struck his toes--could hardly rest -at the midday halt; and he certainly put on a very woebegone appearance, -for he had no doubt some great misfortune had befallen him or was about -to happen to him. This fear so played on his mind that he had disturbed -sleep and bad dreams that night; and often started out of a nightmare -screaming that his sister or his wife was dead, or his house was burnt -to the ground. - -The next day a large town was reached, and Satu sought out the “medicine -man” there, who was famous through all the countryside for the wonderful -power of his fetish, and the charms he made from it. Satu told him how -he had struck his toes against a stone, and his fear of the evil omen, -and asked the wizard to avert the evil. Some of his companions -laughed[9] at him for wasting his money over such nonsense, while -others, who were more superstitious, advised him to fee the wizard well, -and thus enlist his power to stave off the threatened mischief. - -Footnote 9: - - See note 7, p. 344. - -This particular “medicine man” had a charm which was called -_Kimbaji-mbaji_ (meaning, to-morrow), and any person who came under its -protection could not be harmed because he who wanted to hurt him always -put off the carrying out of his evil intentions until to-morrow, and, as -you know, to-morrow never comes. The special charm used by this wizard -was a shell full of various herbs which had been pounded, mixed and -rammed into it. - -The troubled man took a fowl to the wizard, who killed it and poured -some of its blood into the shell, which he then placed on the ground, -surrounding it with eight little heaps of gunpowder. After dancing about -them for a short time, and chanting an incantation over them, he -exploded the powder and blew his whistle vigorously. These ceremonies -aroused the charm to work effectively in the postponement of the evil -spells that were being used against the man. The wizard received twenty -brass rods as his fee; and Satu went on his journey satisfied that the -omen could not now work against him. - -Satu, however, found on his arrival home that the wizard’s power was -ineffectual in his case, for his brother, the chief of the town, was -very ill and nigh unto death. Hence their arrival, instead of being -acclaimed with the loud shouting of women and children, and the firing -of many guns, was greeted with the solemn headshakes of the men, the -crying of the women, and the beating of drums by the “medicine men.” - -The patient was apparently so bad that as a last resort they had called -all the “medicine men” of the district together in the hope that their -combined force would rescue the man from the malignant influence of the -evil spirit--the _ndoki_ that was killing him. All night long they had -been drumming, shouting, beating gongs, and parading about the town -calling on the evil spirit to desist, but without avail, for the chief -was now dying, and Satu had only just arrived in time to receive his -brother’s last wishes about his property and the names of those who owed -him money, and slaves. - -All the goods brought from the coast were piled in the chief’s house so -that he might gloat with dying eyes on his increased wealth, and curse -in strong, passionate language the _ndoki_ who was causing his death. - -From my fortunate spy-hole I could with ease view the weird scene. It -was a small hut built of grass and sticks tied neatly and securely -together. There were two doors, but no windows, and the smoke escaped as -best it could through crevices in the walls and roof. - -In the far corner, lighted by the flickering flame of the wood fire, was -the chief, lying on a bamboo bed covered with a papyrus mat, and -squatting on the floor were numerous women--the hut was crowded with -them--loudly talking, and freely giving their advice on the best way of -curing the patient. Some suggested one particular charm, others argued -in favour of certain rites and ceremonies; but all were angry with the -witch (_ndoki_) who was regarded as the cause of all the mischief; and -they were unanimous in their demand that the witch should be discovered, -tried by the ordeal, and killed. - -In the early hours of the morning the chief died. The female members of -his family, old and young, set up a howl of rage and grief--rage because -the witch had killed their chief, grief because their relative was dead. -The men fired off their guns to frighten away evil spirits, to give -expression to their sorrow, and to inform the spirits in the great, -mysterious forest town, whence all the souls of the dead go, that a -great man was coming to join them. - -Upon Satu rested the responsibility of the funeral, and every detail had -to be scrupulously observed, or the spirit of the deceased would trouble -them as a family, and perhaps cause their extinction. - - - - - Chapter V - A Funeral Orgy - -Satu becomes chief--Preparations for the funeral feast--My box is - opened--I become a neck ornament--Bakula, my new owner, is smart, - but superstitious--The mourners assemble and present their - gifts--The toilet before eating--Drunkenness and quarrelling--Corpse - is carried to the grave--A white man wants to steal the ivory - trumpets--He is shaved and sent about his business. - - -As the deceased chief was a very great man it was necessary to postpone -his burial for a month or two until fitting arrangements for a grand -funeral could be conveniently made, otherwise his spirit would not be -satisfied, and trouble would follow.[10] Moreover, if the chief had been -hurriedly buried like an ordinary man, the whole countryside would have -accused the family of meanness and selfishness in wanting to keep the -dead man’s wealth for themselves. Therefore the body was dried, wrapped -in a cloth and placed in a hut built for the purpose. - -Footnote 10: - - See note 8, p. 345. - -Satu sent to all the markets day after day for miles round, buying up -every goat, sheep and pig that was offered for sale. Having collected a -large number of animals he then began to send out invitations to the -funeral ceremonies. It was decided that on the eighth _nkandu_[11] -market day the rites should begin. All messengers sent to chiefs with an -invitation had to take with them one or two goats, according to the -chief’s importance, “to feed them and their followers on the journey” to -the mourning town. - -Footnote 11: - - See note 9, p. 345. - -At the commencement of these preparations my box, in which I had -travelled so far, was opened, and I should have been sent with many -other brass rods to the markets in exchange for goats or pigs; but a lad -took a fancy to me, and begged to give an old brass rod in my place. My -new master, whose name was Bakula, turned over my two ends, and, hooking -them together, he wore me round his neck as an ornament, and as he -polished me brightly every day I was well able to see all that happened -about me. - -My new owner was a free-born lad of high spirits, alertness and agility, -quick at all games, successful in all kinds of sports; but like many of -his seniors, held the women and girls in great contempt except when he -wanted a favour, and then he could cajole and flatter them until their -eyes sparkled with pleasure and they became his slaves. He was, however, -very superstitious, had many charms tied about his person, and regarded -the “medicine men” with great awe and admiration. Bakula quite believed -that his success in hunting, his smartness at games, and his general -good fortune were entirely due to his charms and the regularity with -which he made sacrifices to them. - -The appointed day for the funeral was drawing nigh, so the preparations -were pushed on apace. Large quantities of cassava flour[12] were -prepared and an immense number of _kwanga_[13] loaves were bought at the -different markets, and demijohns and calabashes of palm-wine were -ordered for the three days’ feasting that were to precede the interment. - -Footnote 12: - - See note 10, p. 345. - -Footnote 13: - - See note 11, p. 345. - -The eventful day at last dawned, and during the morning and early -afternoon chiefs with retinues of wives, followers and slaves were -constantly arriving. They came from all quarters and entered the town by -all the roads leading to it. Bakula seemed to be ubiquitous, for he -greeted most of the chiefs as they entered the town, and led them to -where Satu was sitting in state to receive his guests. Those of humble -origin knelt before Satu and paid homage to him; those of exalted -position received homage from him; and those who were his equals sat -down on a mat, and solemnly, they and Satu, clapped their hands at each -other. - -Every chief, head man, and invited guest brought a gift of cloth “to -wind round the corpse,” and as soon as the salutations were over the -cloth was presented, piece by piece, to Satu. The present was supposed -to be in proportion to the giver’s social position. A chief who on -account of his importance had received two goats with his invitation -would be expected to give three times the value of the goats in cloth, -and if he fell short of this he was considered mean; but if he went -beyond it he was regarded as a generous, wealthy man, and his name would -be in the mouths of all the mourners, and he could strut about puffed -out with pride. - -This cloth, though given ostensibly “to wind round the dead chief,” was -really used to defray the expenses of the feast; and happy was the -family which had no crushing debt left at the close of such festivities. -Satu carefully noted the value of every gift, and although he could not -write, yet at the close of the day he could have told from his -well-trained memory the number and quality of every piece of cloth given -by any chief. - -Nearly three hundred people had gathered to the funeral, either by -direct invitation, or in attendance on their husbands, their chiefs, or -their masters. It was just at the beginning of the dry season, -consequently all the cooking and eating was done in the open streets; -and those who could not find a house in which to sleep considered it no -hardship to spread their mats and sleep in front of the houses. - -Soon after sunset the ordinary folk gathered round the fires watching -the women cooking, while the chiefs and head men sat in groups gravely -talking local politics or loudly boasting of their prowess in bygone -hunts and fights. No cloths were laid for the feast, and no tables were -set and decorated. Everything was in primitive style. Their fingers were -all the cutlery they possessed, and their loin-cloths were substitutes -for serviettes. - -Just before the food was served boys and girls went round with -calabashes of water, and each guest took a large mouthful, with which he -washed his hands, mouth and teeth in the following manner: Having taken -a large mouthful of water, the operator ejected some of it from his -mouth in a gentle stream on to his hands, which he washed quickly and -vigorously. With the remainder of the water he cleaned his teeth by -putting the index finger of his right and left hand alternately into his -mouth and rubbing them; then, throwing the residue of the water about in -his mouth to rinse it, he spat it out. Lastly, drying his hands on his -loin-cloth or on a bark cloth, he completed his toilet preparations for -dinner. - -It was an amusing sight to see scores of men sitting on their haunches -and gravely squirting water on their hands. The puffed cheeks, filled -with water; the intent looks, and the care shown to aim the jets of -water straight so as not to waste any, made a humorous picture on my -mind. How simple and how effectual was the operation! I found that this -habit of washing hands, teeth and mouth not only preceded each principal -meal, but was also repeated after the meal, and largely accounts for the -beautiful, healthy teeth possessed by the natives. - -By now the food was cooked, and the women were turning it out into every -kind of receptacle they could find--wooden dishes, tin plates, baskets, -saucepans and washhand basins were all requisitioned. The guests broke -up into groups of from six to ten persons; and each group received a -large vessel of smoking vegetables, and another of steaming meat and -gravy. - -At once the fingers were dipped in, and he who could bolt his food the -quickest got the largest share of what was going.[14] Vessel after -vessel was emptied, and stomachs visibly distended in the process; but -at last operations became slower and died away in grunts of -satisfaction. - -Footnote 14: - - See note 12, p. 346. - -I noticed that the men and boys ate by themselves, and the women and -girls by themselves. In fact, it was considered beneath his dignity for -a man to eat with a woman; and boys of ten would receive their portion -from their mothers and go and eat it with the men. As a rule the women -had what was left by the men, or what they could successfully hide from -them. During meals little or nothing was said, as each diner thought -eating was more important than talking. - -At the close of the feast the old men sat in groups talking and drinking -palm-wine. Now and again voices were raised in angry quarrels; for as -wine entered, prudence retreated; grievances and jealousies were -remembered, revived and wrangled over again, and some of them had to be -forcibly restrained from fighting. - -The younger men and women, hearing the drums resounding with their -rhythmical beating, went off to dance in the moonlight, and the drinking -and dancing continued far into the night; pandemonium reigned, law and -order were forgotten, and the stars looked down that night on a town -that had changed into a pig-sty. - -These orgies lasted three nights. Through the day the men lounged about, -sleeping in the shade; the women did no work, but simply gathered -firewood and water for cooking the evening feasts. During the day no -regular meals were taken, but the folk ate bananas, or roasted plantain, -or a few peanuts, or stayed their hunger on sugar-canes--all, by -fasting, were preparing for the night’s feasting. - -On the evening of the fourth day, just at sunset, the corpse was carried -to the grave for burial. The bearers took it first round the town, and -pretended that the corpse was reluctant to leave the town so they had to -struggle with it to the burial place, and there they buried it with its -feet to the setting sun, and its head towards the east. - -As the corpse was carried by the houses of the principal men they came -out to greet it, and fire their guns in a parting salute to their late -chief; and after that farewell from the town the funeral guns were -loaded and fired in quick succession to inform the spirits in the great, -mysterious forest town that an important man was coming. - -The Lower Congo natives always buried at sunset for this reason: During -the daytime their own towns are deserted, because the women and girls go -to the farms and do not return until the afternoon; and the men and boys -go to hunt or fish, or work in the forest, or trade on the markets, and -do not return until the evening. Hence the old, the sick and the -children only are left in the town; consequently any one arriving during -that time would find few, if any, to greet them; but if the traveller -reaches a town between five and six o’clock the folk will have returned -from their various occupations, and at every step he will be greeted by -the people. They think that the great forest town of spirits is -conducted in the same way, and to ensure a welcome to the deceased they -bury him just before sunset with much firing of guns, blowing of ivory -trumpets, and beating of their drums. - -Just as the burial rites were completed a white man, a State officer, -arrived. He was greeted, and a house was cleared out, swept and given to -him for the night. The white man walked freely about the town that -evening and enjoyed the hospitality of the people. He watched the -dances, listened to the native band composed of ivory trumpets and -various drums, and was free to go and come as he pleased. In the morning -he repaid their hospitality by demanding the ivory trumpets from them. - -This unreasonable request the natives refused to obey; a fracas ensued -followed by a scuffle, during which the officer was securely tied. - -One party of the natives wanted to kill him and pour his blood on the -grave of their buried chief; but another, and stronger, party resisted -this extremity, wishing only to punish him for trying to enforce an -unjust demand. Finally it was decided to shave the man’s head, beard, -moustache and eyebrows and send him off. - -When the officer’s head and face had been reduced to the smoothness of a -billiard ball--native shaving is not a gentle process--he was allowed to -proceed on his way a sadder, and, perhaps, a wiser man. I heard that -ever after that encounter with the natives he heartily and thoroughly -abused them to his compatriots, but he carefully left out of the account -his attempt to steal their ivory trumpets. - -The Congos have a proverb that runs thus: In a court of fowls the -cockroach never wins his case; _i. e._ the verdict of one race against -another is to be received with caution. - - - - - Chapter VI - Our Town Life - -Streets are irregular--Houses small and draughty--Their reception, - dining, and drawing rooms are in the open air--Their many charms and - fetishes--Routine of the day--Bakula tells a story: “How the Sparrow - set the Elephant and the Crocodile to pull against each - other”--Tumbu, a slave, relates the tale of “The Four Fools”--And - Bakula tells: “How the Squirrel won a Verdict for the Gazelle.” - - -As soon as the funeral festivities were over, our many visitors returned -to their towns and villages, and I soon became interested in the normal -life of the natives. Our town was not very large, and its houses were -not in regular streets. A person would build to suit his own -convenience, and in walking from one side of the town to the other you -were obliged to wind in and out among the houses. As a rule there was -plenty of space between the huts, but here and there they were crowded -together and surrounded by grass fences. These enclosed places belonged -to the chief and his head men. - -The houses were built with grass walls and roofs, all the work being -very neatly done. When new they were rain-proof, but very draughty. The -walls were only four feet six inches high, and the ridge-pole was about -seven feet above the ground. The people cooked their food, ate it, and -sat outside their houses. In the open air they held their receptions, -their social meetings, their palavers, their courts of justice, and -every other town and domestic function. The houses were simply for -sleeping, for storing their goods, and for sitting in on cold, windy, -stormy days. There was no privacy about the native manner of living, but -everybody knew everything about everybody else, and a little more -besides. - -A great number of charms and fetishes were to be found in the town, and -it seemed as though they had a charm for every imaginable circumstance -of life. One man possessed a charm to protect his goods, and another had -a charm to help him steal successfully; one owned a charm to bring him -good luck in trading, and another wore a charm to aid him in cheating on -the markets the folk with whom he traded. One man whom I saw had a charm -to render him invisible that he might, unseen, hear conversations, and -enter forbidden places to his own advantage; and many had bought charms -to keep evil spirits from jumping down their throats. - -My owner, Bakula, wore many charms about his person. One maintained him -in good health, another helped him in hunting, a third made him a -favourite with the women and girls, and a fourth brought him good luck -in his trading transactions with the other folk in the town. On the -appearance of every new moon, Bakula would at sunset catch a chicken, -and, cutting its toe, drop a little blood on each of his charms to keep -them in good humour, or otherwise they would not act on his behalf. - -Every morning soon after sunrise the women and girls went to work on the -farms, carrying with them their hoes, baskets and babies; and then the -men and boys went to the bush and forests to hunt for game, to tap the -palm-trees for wine, or to gather materials for house building and -repairing. Others went to the markets with their pigs, goats, fowls, -saucepans, native woven cloth, or any other article they had for sale, -or desired to exchange for some needed goods. - -Towards the middle of the afternoon the women and girls returned laden -with food, firewood and water, and at once set about the preparations -for the evening meal--the principal one of the day. Then later came the -men and boys firing guns in their jubilation, if they had been -successful in the hunt, and the female population would rush out -shouting vociferously their congratulations to the hunters, and passing -remarks on the bush pig or antelope being carried into the town -ignominiously on a pole between two or more bearers. The other men -arrived from the markets with the results of the day’s trading, or from -the forests with the building materials they had collected. - -At five o’clock the inhabitants would all be back, and the town would be -very lively--the children laughing and playing at their various games; -the men lounging about reciting, with more or less boasting inaccuracy, -their doings during the day, and awaiting with keen appetites the -evening meal. Over all the noises of the village would be heard the -angry voices of the women quarrelling; but as such disturbances were of -daily occurrence among the women, very few took any notice of them, -except to put in an occasional word to incite the women to greater -efforts with their tongues. - -Soon after sundown the food was ready, and the women turning it out into -baskets and wooden platters, carried it to their husbands, hiding a -portion for themselves. If you, my reader, had walked through the town -then you would have seen the head of each family, together with his -sons, male visitors, and friends, sitting around the vessels containing -their food, helping themselves with their fingers, their hands and -mouths having already been washed. At some little distance the women and -girls would be eating their portions, for they were regarded as inferior -creatures, entirely unfit to eat with the men, so they ate in a -half-shamefaced, apologetic fashion out of sight of their lords and -masters. - -As you stood looking at them one of the boys would ask you to have a -piece of his pudding, and if you accepted the invitation and took a -piece you would find it stick to your teeth like toffee. - -“Ah!” the lad would laughingly say, “that is not the way to eat our -pudding (_luku_).[15] This is the proper way.” And he would pull off a -piece, roll it in his fingers, dip it in some soup, and opening his -mouth let it roll down his throat without any chewing; afterwards -remarking, with a twinkle in his eye: “You white boys may be very -clever, but you certainly do not know how to eat pudding.” - -Footnote 15: - - See note 13, p. 346. - -It was quite dark by the time the meal was finished, and the numerous -fires flared and flickered before the houses, lending an air of -cheerfulness to the scene. The elders gathered around the fire in front -of the chief’s house, and discussed the politics of the day with much -earnestness and eloquence. The lads were allowed to stand silently -around, listening; and while my owner, Bakula, was there, a pompous man -made a long, wearisome speech, in which he showed that he thought more -of himself than his hearers thought of him. - -The speech was full of bombastic platitudes and boastful words, so the -chief at last pointed at him, saying: “Here is a little fowl trying to -lay a big egg.” Such was the effect of this proverb that the pompous man -collapsed, whilst his audience chuckled and shook their sides with -laughter. And amid the laughter Bakula ran off, and we soon joined a -group of young folk who were telling stories round the fire. - -Bakula was received with shouts of delight, for he was a merry lad, and -appeared to have among them the reputation for telling good stories. -Hence he was soon called upon for one, and in a lively, pleasant manner, -and with much dramatic force, he gave them the following account of - - “How the Sparrow set the Elephant and the Crocodile to pull against - each other.” - -“While the elephant was searching for food one day he happened to pass -near a sparrow’s nest, and accidentally knocking against the branch, -nearly threw the eggs to the ground. The sparrow thereupon said to the -elephant-- - -“‘You walk very proudly, and not looking where you are going, you nearly -upset my nest. If you come this way again I will tie you up.’ - -“‘Truly you are a little bird,’ the elephant laughingly replied, ‘and -are you able to tie up me--an elephant?’ ‘Indeed,’ the sparrow answered -him, ‘if you come this way to-morrow, I will bind you.’ - -“‘All right,’ said the elephant, ‘I will now pass on, and will come back -here to-morrow to look upon the strength of a sparrow.’ So the elephant -went his way and the sparrow flew off to bathe in a neighbouring river. - -“On reaching the river and finding a crocodile asleep at her favourite -bathing-place, the sparrow said: ‘Wake up! this is my bathing-place, and -if you come here again I will tie you up.’ - -“‘Can a little sparrow like you tie up a crocodile?’ the crocodile asked -her. - -“‘It is true what I tell you,’ retorted the sparrow, ‘and if you return -here to-morrow I will fasten you up.’ - -“‘Very well,’ replied the crocodile, ‘I will come to-morrow to see what -you can do.’ And with that the crocodile floated away, and the sparrow -returned to her nest. - -“The next day the sparrow, seeing the elephant coming, said to him: -‘Yesterday I told you not to come this way again, because you endangered -my nest. Now I will tie you, as I warned you.’ - -“‘All right,’ said the elephant, ‘I want to see what a little thing like -you can do.’ - -“The sparrow then brought a strong vine rope, put it round the neck of -the elephant, and said to him: ‘Wait a moment while I go and have a -drink of water, and then you will see how strong I am.’ To which the -elephant replied: ‘Go and drink plenty of water, for to-day I want to -see what a sparrow can do.’ So the sparrow went and found the crocodile -basking in the sun on the river’s bank. - -“‘Oh! you are here again,’ she said, ‘I will tie you up as I warned you -yesterday, because you do not listen to what you are told.’ ‘Very well,’ -sneered the crocodile, ‘come and tie me up and I will see what strength -you have.’ - -“The sparrow took the end of the rope and tied it round the crocodile, -and said: ‘Wait a moment, I will go a little higher up the hill and -pull.’ So away she flew up the hill on to a tree, and from there she -called out: ‘Pull elephant, pull crocodile. It is I, the sparrow.’ So -the elephant pulled and the crocodile pulled, and each thought he was -pulling against the sparrow; not knowing they were pulling against each -other. All the day long they pulled, until the evening, but neither -out-pulled the other. And during the whole day the sparrow was crying -out: ‘Pull, elephant, you have the strength; pull harder, elephant.’ And -in the same way she addressed the crocodile. - -“At last the crocodile said: ‘Friend sparrow, I cannot pull any more, -come and unfasten me, and I will never come to your bathing-place -again.’ ‘Wait a little while,’ said the sparrow, ‘I am going up to my -village.’ And the elephant said, as she drew near: ‘Now I know you are -very strong. Please come and undo me, and I will never come again to -shake your nest.’ So the sparrow loosened the elephant and then went and -removed the rope from the crocodile’s neck; and from that time the -sparrow has never been troubled by either the elephant or the -crocodile.” - -At the close of this story there were many comments on the ’cuteness of -the sparrow, and some sage remarks. One little fellow said that, -although the sparrow was small, she had more wit and sense than either -the big crocodile or the bigger elephant. Therefore we should not -despise people because they are small. - -They begged Bakula to tell them another story; but he said he could not -remember another just then. They, however, pleaded with him, and at last -he said: “If Tumbu will now tell one of his stories, I will try and -recall one of mine by the time he has finished.” Tumbu, who was sitting -at the back, was pushed forward to a place in the centre, near the fire; -and as the light from the fire fell on him, it revealed a sad face lit -with large, intelligent, but pathetic, eyes. - -I knew the boy and his sad story. He was a slave who, in a time of -famine in his district a few years ago, had been sold by his parents for -a few roots of cassava, and he was forced from his mother, his village -acquaintances, and brought to this strange town. The boys and girls -twitted him with being a slave, and to make matters worse they taunted -him with the miserable price that had been paid for him. - -His sensitive spirit brooded in his loneliness over the insults poured -upon him, and the marks of his deep sorrows were seen on his sad face. -He shrank from the gaze of the many eyes that were now fixed upon him; -but Bakula had been kind to him, and had often defended him, and he was -ready to bear anything for his hero. Therefore in a glad, shy manner he -related the following adventure, called - - “The Story of the Four Fools.” - -“A wizard out walking one day met a boy crying bitterly. He asked him -the reason of his tears, and the boy said: ‘I have lost my father’s -parrot, and if you can find it I will pay you well.’ So the wizard -called a hunter, a carpenter, and a thief, and told them about the loss -and the reward, and they decided to search for the parrot. - -“‘Before starting let us show our skill,’ said one of the four. ‘You, -thief, go and steal an egg from that fowl without its knowledge.’ The -thief went and stole the egg, and the fowl did not move. The hunter put -up the egg as a mark, went a long distance off and proved his skill by -hitting the egg. After which the carpenter showed his cleverness by -putting the egg together again. Then they turned to the wizard for him -to give a proof of his smartness, and after a little time he said: ‘The -parrot has been stolen by the people in that vessel.’ - -“All four entered their glass ship[16] and after a time caught up to the -vessel. The thief went on board, and waved his charm, then he took the -parrot, laid the table, and had a good feast; and when he had finished -eating he picked up the parrot and returned to his glass ship. - -Footnote 16: - - See note 14, p. 346. - -“When the people in the vessel found the parrot gone, they gave chase to -the glass ship. The captain of the vessel sent down the rain and it -broke the glass ship, but the carpenter mended it, and the hunter fired -at the rain and killed it. The captain sent the lightning and it broke -the ship, but the carpenter mended it again, and the hunter fired at the -lightning and killed it. So they eventually reached the land and took -the parrot to the chief’s son, and said: ‘Here is your father’s parrot.’ - -“The lad was so glad to receive it that he told them to select what they -liked from his wealth, ‘even to the wonderful fowl which lays beads, or -anything else you desire.’[17] They chose the fowl and went their way, -but they had not gone very far before the wizard said: ‘It is my fowl, -for I told you where the parrot was.’ The thief said: ‘No, it is mine, -for I stole the parrot from the vessel.’ And the carpenter also claimed -it, as he had twice mended the broken ship. Moreover, the hunter said: -‘Of course it is mine, for I killed the rain and the lightning.’ Thus -they argued long and angrily, and as they could not agree, they at last -did a thing that was amazingly stupid. They killed the wonderful fowl, -and divided it into four pieces, each taking his share. Now who out of -these four foolish ones should have had the fowl?” - -Footnote 17: - - See note 15, p. 346. - -This story excited a great amount of discussion. Some argued that this -one should have had the fowl, and others argued with much gesticulation -that another should have taken the fowl. Each character had his -supporters; but all agreed that they were four fools not to let the fowl -lay plenty of beads and share them. - -Bakula was now asked again to give his promised story; and he told -them-- - - “How the Squirrel won a Verdict for the Gazelle.” - -“When the leopard and the gazelle were living in the same town each of -them bought a goat--the leopard a male and the gazelle a female. One -night the gazelle’s goat gave birth to two kids, and the leopard, being -very greedy, went and stole the two kids from the gazelle’s goat and put -them with his own goat. - -“In the morning the leopard called the gazelle and said to him: ‘My goat -has given birth to two kids.’ The gazelle was very much surprised at -hearing this, as male goats do not have kids, and he told the leopard -so; but the leopard said: ‘All right, you don’t believe me. We will call -the judges and hear what they say.’ So they carried the case to the -court of animals, who acted as judges, and they said: ‘The kids belong -to the leopard’s goat.’ For they were very much afraid of the leopard, -and thought that if they gave the verdict against him he would kill -them. - -“The gazelle went and told the squirrel all his troubles and how he was -cheated out of his kids. ‘To-morrow morning,’ said the squirrel, ‘put a -rope across your town for me to run on.’ So the next morning the gazelle -put a rope right by the leopard’s house and courtyard, which were full -of the folk who had judged the case in favour of the leopard. And by and -by the squirrel came running along the rope at a great rate. - -“‘Where are you going so quickly,’ asked the leopard, ‘that you cannot -rest a little?’ ‘I am in a hurry to fetch my mother,’ said the squirrel, -‘for my father has just given birth to twins.’ - -“‘Ah! ah!’ laughed the leopard; ‘can a man give birth to a child?’ - -“‘Can a male goat give birth to kids?’ retorted the squirrel. Whereat -the leopard was so angry and felt so much ashamed of himself, that he -went right away from the town and never returned, for fear of the -animals laughing at him. And the gazelle carried the kids back to his -own goat.” - -When this story ended appreciative remarks were made on the wit of the -squirrel, and contempt was poured on the clumsy leopard who so foolishly -threw away the verdict given in his favour. - -By this time the moon, full and beautiful, was riding high in the sky, -flooding the village with its soft, silvery light, so Bakula proposed a -dance. - -Up jumped the boys and girls from the different fires; drums were -carried out to an open space, seed rattles were tied round the ankles -and wrists of some of the dancers, and very soon the rhythmic tap, tap -of the drums were heard and answered by the clap, clap of the dancers’ -hands as they formed two lines--one of girls, and the other of lads, and -began a dance that only ended in the early morning, and when the -performers were thoroughly exhausted with their exertions. - - - - - Chapter VII - The Search for the Witch - -People believe their chief died by witchcraft--They send for the - witch-finder--His arrival and antics--The ceremony of discovering - the witch--Satu’s brother, Mavakala, is accused--Why was Mavakala - accused?--He takes the ordeal--Proves his innocence--Other tests are - forced on him--He is done to death. - - -During the illness of the deceased chief there was a widespread feeling -in the town that some one was bewitching him, and that therefore the -“medicine men” were unable to cure him. At last one of their wizards -stated plainly that a witch was at work destroying their best efforts; -and although they tried charms to ward off, and threats to frighten, the -witch from pursuing his (or her) wicked purpose, yet their patient -continued to grow worse, and at last died. And now that their chief was -buried the people demanded that a proper witch-finder should be engaged -to seek out the witch. - -A great witch-finder was called from a distant town, and on his arrival -I noticed that he was a small, active man with keen piercing eyes that -seemed to jump from face to face and read the very thoughts of those who -stood around. - -He was dressed in the soft skins of monkeys and bush-cats; around his -neck was a necklace of rats’ teeth mixed with the teeth of crocodiles -and leopards. His body was decorated with pigments of different colours; -thick circles of white surrounded the eyes, a patch of red ran across -the forehead, broad stripes of yellow chased each other down the cheeks, -bands of red and yellow went up the arms and across the chest, and spots -of blue promiscuously filled in the vacant spaces. At the different -points of his curious dress were bells that tinkled at every movement. -The boys looked at him in deep awe, the girls and women cowered away -from him, and the men, though they feared him, greeted him with a -simulated friendliness that ill-accorded with their nervousness. - -The witch-finder (or _N gang’ a N gombo_) was supposed to find his own -way to the town and home of his client; for how could they believe in a -man’s occult power to discover a witch if he had not the ability to walk -straight, without being shown, to the house of his employer. - -To meet this difficulty the witch-finder had one or two apprentices, -among whose duties it was to question cautiously the messenger, and to -obtain from him all the needed information about the town, house, -circumstances attending the death of the person, and the relations of -the townspeople to one another. If the messenger would not, or could -not, give the required knowledge, then the assistant accompanied him -back to his town, and, as he went, he dropped at the cross-roads twigs -or leaves to guide his master--the witch-finder--right up to the house -of his client. - -The assistant ferreted out the quarrels of the family employing his -master, and their animosities towards each other, or towards one of -their number. In every family there is to be found at least one who is -the object of the suspicion, jealousy or hatred of the family--the -unpopular member; and all the information thus gathered is secretly told -to the witch-finder and the disliked person pointed out to him. - -On the appointed day a great crowd gathered. No member of the clan was -absent, except those on trading expeditions. The assembled people formed -a great circle, into the middle of which the witch-finder danced and -chanted to the beat of the drums. It was a hot day and the sun poured -down its scorching rays on the performer, making him perspire so -profusely that the various colours on his face and body ran into each -other, adding grotesqueness to his ugliness. - -As he pranced and danced up and down the circle he put question after -question, and was answered by the people with _ndungu_,[18] or -_otuama_,[19] as he guessed wrongly or rightly about the dead man’s -ways. - -Footnote 18: - - See note 16, p. 347. - -Footnote 19: - - See note 17, p. 347. - -Presently he elicited the fact that the deceased had had a very bad -quarrel with some one, and then he discovered that it was with a man in -the town. By crafty questions the witch-doctor narrowed the circle of -examination, the people, all excitement, really helping him though quite -unaware that they did so; and at last, in a fandango of whirling skins -and rotating arms and legs, he brought himself to a standstill in front -of one of the men, and accused him of being the person who had bewitched -the late chief to death. - -It was the unpopular man, Satu’s brother, who was thus publicly declared -the witch, and the whole crowd was astonished that they had never -thought of him before as the monster who used witchcraft to do his own -brother to death. - -Immediately on the declaration there was a tremendous hubbub of voices; -insults were heaped on the accused, he was jostled about, weapons were -raised threateningly, and each tried to outvie his neighbour in abusing -the denounced man as a proof of his own guiltlessness. - -Amidst the _mêlée_ the accused protested his own innocence, and -demanding to take the ordeal, he ran for his gun[20] to shoot the -witch-finder who had, by his false accusation, brought all this trouble -on him. But the crafty _nganga_ had received his large fee, and was -already well on his way back to his own town. None doubted the _bona -fides_ of the _nganga_ except Mavakala, the accused man; and how could -he prove his guiltlessness except by voluntarily taking the ordeal. - -What had Mavakala done to draw such an accusation upon himself? On his -brother’s death he had cried as long and as loudly as any of them; he -had neglected his person, worn old clothes, dressed his hair in mourning -fashion, gone unwashed, and had carefully observed all the usual -ceremonies of “crying” for a near relative, and yet they charged him -with bewitching his brother to death. Yes, all his neighbours recalled -these facts, but they interpreted them now in the light of this serious -charge. Of course, he had observed all these rites simply to deceive -them. He must have thought them fools to be duped by his proofs and -protestations. No, he must take the ordeal, and that quickly, and the -ordeal-giver must be sent for immediately. The whole of Mavakala’s -family was alienated from him, for was he not accused of the most -heinous crime of which a human being can be guilty--witchcraft? - -Footnote 20: - - See note 18, p. 347. - -What had Mavakala done to render himself so fatally unpopular? That -evening the declaration of the witch-finder was discussed round all the -fires, and as Bakula went from group to group I picked up many items of -the indictment. - -Mavakala was an energetic, successful trader, and from each trading -journey he came back the richer for his enterprise. They were jealous of -his wealth; but among themselves they whispered that his increased -riches were really due to witchcraft and not to his ability; and were -not their suspicions justified, for was he not now accused of selling -his brother’s corpse to the white traders? - -I heard, too, that Mavakala was a skilled blacksmith, and had made good -knives out of odd pieces of hoop iron taken from old cases, and bought, -by him, from traders on the river; and had even made hoes and axes out -of old bale iron. Many other clever things he had done, all of which -were now by these superstitious people accepted as proofs of his -witchcraft. He had awakened their jealousy by his energy and smartness -in business; his skill and ingenuity in smithing had aroused their -suspicions, and his prosperity had provoked their hatred. In any other -country his ability would have been admired and honoured, but on the -Congo it was a sign of witchcraft, and always ended in death by the -ordeal. - -It was then I understood the reason for the backwardness of these -people. They destroy their leaders and their best men, and the only hope -of the people is deliverance from the curse of the witch-doctors. - -The next day the ordeal-giver (or _ngol’a nkasa_) arrived, bringing with -him the ordeal bark which he had procured from the nkasa tree in the -following manner. This tree is supposed to have a spirit; hence, when -they are about to cut some of its bark for ordeal purposes, they address -it in these words: “I come to take a piece of your bark, and if the man -for whom it is intended is a witch, let my machet bend when I strike -you; but if he is not a witch, let my machet enter into you, and let the -wind stop blowing.” The machet had bent under the blow, and the omen -being against Mavakala the ordeal-giver made his preparations with smug -satisfaction. - -Mavakala, accompanied by many of the men and lads of the town, was led -to the bare top of a neighbouring hill, where a rough shanty of palm -fronds was built. The accused was pushed into this, and told to stretch -out his arms, and not to touch anything. The ordeal-giver pushed a stone -towards the poor wretch, with twenty-seven pieces of nkasa bark on it; -and then he ground each piece of bark and slowly fed Mavakala with the -powders. - -During the process the accused man vomited three times, and should -therefore have been set free and carried back to the town with shouts of -honour; but was not the omen against him? and besides, was he not -obnoxious to his jealous and superstitious neighbours? - -Consequently, when the ordeal-giver proposed that further tests should -be applied, there were none to lift up their voices in protest against -the injustice of continuing the cruelty. - -Mavakala was dazed with the narcotic effects of the drug that had been -forced on him, and his wits were dulled and muddled. He was taken with -rough hands from the temporary hut and made to stand by himself, a -swaying, lonely, pathetic figure--a type of all those who have been -persecuted or have laid down their lives for the sole crime of being in -the vanguard of their generation. - -While Mavakala stood swaying there, six twigs in rapid succession were -thrown at his feet, and he as quickly had to name the trees to which -they belonged. This he did successfully, and then he was told to name -the birds and butterflies that were sailing by. Again he unerringly gave -each its proper name; but now, just when he wanted his eyes to be at -their keenest, he could feel them becoming blurred with the dregs of the -drug he had been forced to take. His tormentors called on him to name -the ants crawling at his feet. He faltered, stammered confusedly, and in -stooping, that his poor, hazy eyes might have a better chance to -recognize them, he fell, with a moaning cry, to the ground. - -In an instant the heartless, superstitious crowd was on him; sticks and -machets, knives and guns, soon did their work on the poor mangled body. -None was too poor or mean to kick his carcass and spit in his face, and -his bruised, gory corpse was left unburied upon the bare hill-top--a -feast for the beasts of the forests and the birds of the air. - -By and by the stars peeped out, half ashamed to look on a world where -such tragedies were enacted, and as they looked they saw that _thing_ -there upon the bare hill-top. It was covered with wounds, and every -wound had a tongue that cried to its God, and to their God: “How long, -how long, shall darkness cover the land, and gross darkness the people?” - - - - - Chapter VIII - Visitors Arrive - -The dulness and pettiness of native life--Arrival of two - visitors--Bakula questions them about the white man--They relate the - little they know about him--Old Plaited-Beard stirs the people up - against the white man--They exchange their views about him--They - agree to oppose him--The white man is seen approaching--He is driven - from the town and has to sleep in the bush. - - -The excitement of the funeral festivities, and of the hunt for and -murder of the witch had passed away, leaving a deadly dulness on the -town. The men suspiciously snarled at one another, and the women -quarrelled with monotonous regularity. Their lives were petty, mean, and -there was not enough dignity in a whole village to supply one man. For -generations they had lived on a low level, with their eyes, thoughts, -and hearts on the ground, and apparently the art of looking into the -infinite spaces of God above and around them had been lost in their -animalism. - -Daily the women went to the farms, or to the markets to barter their -produce; and the men went to the forests, to the markets, or to the -hunt. - -[Illustration: THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL AT NKABA.] - -But one evening the town was set agog with the news that a white man was -visiting the various villages, and would soon arrive in their town. The -men who brought this news had much to tell about the coming visitor, for -he had spent two or three days in their village. They were the “lions” -of the evening, and their only regret was that they had not larger -stomachs to accept comfortably all the invitations to the evening meals -that poured in on them. - -The visitors had come to transact business with the chief; consequently -Satu’s fire was the centre that evening of a large and interested -gathering. Men and lads crowded near the chief and visitors, while the -women and girls hovered about the outskirts of the circle picking up -such scraps of information as filtered through to them. - -My owner, Bakula, was there, and put the first question, or rather -series of questions: Who is this white man? What is he like? Where does -he come from? What is he doing in this country? And Bakula stopped not -because his curiosity was exhausted, but from sheer lack of breath. - -Bakula had put into words what all were longing to know, so they sat -quietly, while one of the visitors said: “We don’t know who this white -man is. He is not one of the traders whom we have seen at Mboma,[21] for -he is new to these parts, but he speaks our language very well, though -at times he makes stupidly amusing mistakes. His carriers say that he -comes from Congo dia Ngunga[22]--the king’s town away south. He will not -sell us things like a trader, for he only barters for food for himself -and carriers, and not for ivory or slaves. He offers to give us -medicine, but we are afraid to take it, for who knows but it may bewitch -us to death. He has invited some of our boys to his school, and has -promised to teach them to read and write, and also how to make doors, -windows and bricks, like white men. He even promised to clothe and feed -them; but we shall not let any of them go. What we cannot understand is -this: Why should the white man take all this trouble? Why should he -offer to feed and clothe our children, to teach them, and to give us -medicine?” - -Footnote 21: - - See note 19, p. 347. - -Footnote 22: - - See note 20, p. 347. - -“I know why they do all these things,” shouted the old man with the -plaited beard. “They want to bewitch you; they desire to take your -spirits away, and then they will buy up your bodies and send them to -their own country to turn, by their great magic, into slaves. You know -what I told you on the road;” and with angry, burning words and vehement -gestures he repeated to the whole crowd what he had told the few around -the fire the first night I spent among them; and then, with foaming lips -and glinting eyes, he cried: “This is the kind of white man against whom -I warned you. If he comes here let us kill him.” - -The women clapped their hands in horror of the wicked white man, and -held their children tightly to them, and the men shifted nervously in -their seats, and loosened the knives in their belts. - -If, at that moment, the white man had walked into the town he would have -been murdered, and his mutilated body thrown into the bush. - -It was some time before they had so quieted as to continue their -interrogations of the visitors. “Well, you have not told us what this -white man is like,” called a voice from the back of the crowd. - -“No, I have not,” replied the visitor, “because Tata stopped our talk -with his horrible charges against the white men. This man who is coming -is a white man, and you have all seen white men. This one is neither -short nor tall, he has no beard, but he has tin saucepans to cook his -food in, and a funny thing called a frying-pan, which always makes a lot -of noise when it is put on the fire. He is a dirty white man, for the -two days he was in our village he never washed more than his hands and -face, and he smells just like all the other white men.”[23] And the -speaker and others held their noses with expressions of exaggerated -disgust. - -Footnote 23: - - See note 21, p. 348. - -“I do not think he is dirty,” chimed in one of the listeners. “When I -was last at the coast I asked one of the white man’s boys if his master -was dirty, and he said: ‘No, he takes a bath every day in his house.’ -You see this white man is travelling, and has no bath-house with him, -and consequently in front of you he only washes his hands and face.“ - -“Oh, is that it? Perhaps you are right,” answered the visitor in an -unconvinced voice. - -“I will tell you something else,” continued the first speaker. “Once -when I was at the coast I was talking to one of the interpreters there -about this very matter--the smell emitted by white men; and he said: -‘They give off a bad odour, I know, but one day I heard one of the white -traders say: “Those wretched niggers do stink badly!”’ So after all it -may be that we smell as badly to them as they do to us, therefore we -must not complain.” - -The man with the plaited beard eyed the speaker for a few moments in -angry contempt, and then he burst out at him in such a tirade that I -feared his words would choke him. - -“You dog,” he cried, “you witch, are you in the pay of the white man -that you should thus speak for him? You white man,[24] you bewitched our -chief to death; not Mavakala, I always said he was innocent and he -vomited the ordeal three times, yet they would kill him; but you are the -witch; you sold our chief’s spirit to these cursed white men, and now he -is slaving for them, and we shall all die through your witchcraft and -greed.” - -Footnote 24: - - See note 22, p. 348. - -By the time the old man had finished his invectives the two chief actors -in this scene were standing by themselves in a circle of anxious, -terror-stricken faces. They were types of the old order and the new--the -old order, slaves to witch-doctors, charms and superstitions that -demanded the continuance of things as they are; the new order, men and -lads upon whose minds new ideas were dawning and struggling for the -mastery against their crude, superstitious fears,--men who were yearning -for they knew not what, and were restless through strange strivings in -their hearts. - -There, flooded by the glorious, soft moonlight, stood the two men -glaring at each other. Murder was in their hearts, and their hands were -on their knives. A few moments more and the pent-up feelings of the -surging crowd would have burst their strained barriers and much blood -would have been shed, for each had his adherents, when Satu, the chief, -stepped between the two men. - -He was still dressed in mourning for his brother, and the thick coating -of oil and soot on his face--a sign of his sorrow, had not yet been -removed. He was a superstitious man and much travelled, a man in whose -soul what-he-had-seen was struggling with his ignorant, superstitious -fears. - -In a few calm words he poured oil on the turbulent passions of his -people. He scouted the idea that because a man related what he had seen -and heard that therefore he was a witch; and he soothed the old man by -promising to oppose the white man. - -There was no more talk that night about the coming white man, for very -soon after Satu uttered the above diplomatic words the people separated, -and went either to whisper their fears to each other around their own -fires, or to spread their mats for sleep. Several times during that -night women woke from horrid dreams, screaming that the white man had -stolen their children, or was trying to throttle the souls out of -them.[25] In the morning as the women went to the farms they related to -each other the dreams of the previous night, but instead of regarding -them as nightmares caused by the exciting events of the preceding -evening, they were taken as undeniable proofs of the devilish designs of -the white men to carry out the awful predictions of the old man with the -plaited beard. - -Footnote 25: - - See note 23, p. 348. - -A few evenings after these happenings the much-talked-about _Mundele wa -N zambi_ (or white man of God) was seen descending the hill on the other -side of our valley. The women, screaming, snatched up their children and -fled; the men beat some loud sounding notes of alarm on the drums; and -then, picking up their guns, machets, knives, sticks, and any weapon to -hand, went hurriedly to bar the entrance to their town. We saw the white -man hesitate, stand still a moment, and then come on slowly and -deliberately. He evidently knew the meaning of those excited thuds on -the drum and the screams of the women. - -Bakula, with a heavy stick in his hand--how he longed to have a gun so -as to have a shot at those cruel white men!--ran with the men to the -road by which the white man must come. As we hurried forward we could -hear the men discussing what was to be done. Some were for killing the -white man at once, but the majority said: “No, we will hear what he has -to say. We will smell out his wickedness first, and then if there is -cause we will help you to kill him.” Satu said: “We will neither hear -him, nor kill him; but send him back the way he has come.” - -The white man was now mounting the hill. It was a narrow, difficult, -rough track that led to our town. He was panting by reason of the -steepness of the ascent; and seemed utterly wearied with his long -journey. He saw the ugly demonstration in front of him; he heard the -yells and screams of rage and defiance; but he came quietly on--a lonely -man to a surging torrent of wild, uncontrollable passions. His carriers -and boys hung back, for they were overawed by the threatening aspect of -the crowd. - -As he drew near the white man held out his hand as a sign of his -friendship; but Bakula, filled with the terrible stories he had heard -about white men, struck at the proffered hand, and missed it in his -blind rage. - -Then arose a babble of curses, contradictory shouts, and threats to kill -him if he did not go back. They hustled him about like a battledore. -They tore his clothes; but he was so mixed up with them that they could -neither use guns nor machets without great risks to their friends, and -he was not worth that. When their fury had somewhat spent itself, the -undaunted white man calmly asked them for permission to sleep in their -town. - -“No, we don’t want you,” the people screamed. - -“I have only come to do you good,” he said. - -“No, you have not, you have come to bewitch us to death,” they shouted. - -“If I wanted to bewitch you to death I should have brought guns and -soldiers, but you see I have neither. I want to speak to you about the -great and good God Who sent His Son into the world to tell you of His -love, and to save you,” was his quiet reply. - -“You are a cunning, crafty witch. We want neither you, nor your -goodness, nor your talk about God, therefore go away,” they cried. - -“It is nearly dark, and the next town is a long, long way, and my people -and I are very tired. Let me sleep here outside your town!” he pleaded. - -“No, not here,” they said. “It is too close to us; go and sleep by the -stream in the forest.” - -“It is cold and damp there, and plenty of fever and mosquitoes are in -that place. Let us sleep here, we shall not harm you!” he smilingly -said. - -“No, not here. Down there is good enough for a witch. Keep the fevers -and mosquitoes away with your magic,” they sneeringly retorted. - -Sadly and wearily the white man retraced his steps, and as he went down -the hill he called his carriers and boys, and that night they put up -some waterproof sheets to serve as a tent to protect them from the heavy -dews and dripping trees. - -Well, it might have been worse, and through his God-given calmness the -white man had come out of a very difficult and dangerous position with -only a few rents in his clothes and a few bruises on his body. We heard -many things about the white man next morning when his boys came up to -the town to buy some food from the people. - -All through that night the natives in the town danced around their -fetishes to keep them alert in protecting them from the white man’s -devilry: drums were beaten and gongs sounded to frighten the evil -spirits away; and guns were occasionally fired to warn off witches, and -the lonely white man down in his camp, as he heard the various sounds, -prayed: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do,” and -especially did he pray for the lad who struck at his outstretched hand. - - - - - Chapter IX - Some Customs, Games, and a Journey - -The luck-giver is called to bring prosperity on the town--His mode of - procedure--Satu and some of his people go on a visit to a great - chief--Good and bad omens--The game at “Antelope”--Bakula narrates a - story: “How the Fox saved the Frog’s Life”--Another lad tells why - inquiry should come before anger--The difficult road--Bakula and his - friends dress themselves--Their mixed wardrobes. - - -Satu, the chief, wished to have a healthy and prosperous town, and his -people were one with him in this laudable desire. Now the only way they -knew of obtaining their object was to send for the luck-giver (or, -_ngang’a zumbi_), who possessed a bag of charms consisting of pieces of -the skins of various animals and reptiles, bits of herbs, and powders -concocted of indescribable messes. These were supposed, when properly -used, to impart good health to a town, good luck in breeding animals, -and prosperity in trade. The people clubbed their moneys together, for, -as all were to share in the good fortune to be conferred by the charm, -all were expected to give towards its expenses; and as the benefits -would be large the cost would also be proportionately great. - -I had observed that people who owned little fetishes and expected small -benefits only from them made small offerings to them, such as a little -blood from the foot of a frog, or from the toe of a chicken that cost -them nothing. Those who wanted larger boons killed fowls and poured -their blood over their fetishes; and those who wished for greater -advantages sacrificed goats every month--their expectations were in -proportion to their sacrifices. - -The fee having been collected, the luck-giver was called. He was a -wizen-faced, withered man with small, crafty, shiftless eyes. His -appearance seemed to belie his cornucopian office; but, perhaps, he -could give to others the good fortune that he had apparently failed to -procure for himself. - -On his arrival he very carefully selected a hard wood log and cut a hole -in it, and into this hole he put bits of all the articles from his bag -so as to make the log an effective charm. A hole was dug in the ground -on the outskirts of the town by the side of the road along which the -women passed when fetching water from the stream. A goat was then killed -and the head put in the hole, and the fetish stick erected on it--this -was supposed to preserve the post from the attacks of the white -ants,--and then the blood from the slain goat was poured over the charms -in the post; and over the hole containing the charms was tied a piece of -palm-tree gossamer, which also was drenched with the goat’s blood. Earth -was rammed round the stick, and the fetish was now completed, and ready -to work. - -But there was one prohibition that the luck-giver said must be -scrupulously observed: nothing tied in a bundle could be brought into -the town, or the charm would become ineffective, and its luck-giving -power destroyed. Women returning with firewood must untie their bundles -before reaching the fetish; men with bundles of thatching-grass must -take off the bands; carriers with loads must either loosen all the -cords, or make a wide detour to avoid the town; and the people must -remove their girdles and belts. - -This was a very cunning prohibition, for, if the town had good health, -the animals bred well, and the trade prospered, then the luck-giver -received all the credit for making such a wonderful charm; but if no -good results followed the expense and trouble of setting up such a -costly fetish, then some one had broken the taboo and nullified the -luck-giving properties of the fetish post. - -As the luck-giver was there Satu and some of the head men thought they -would invest in a luck charm for their own private use. My owner, -Bakula, longed to speculate in one, and he counted his little store of -savings, but found that he had not near enough for the fee, etc. - -The necessary arrangements having been made and the fee paid, Satu and -the head men selected strong, young cocks and carried them to the -luck-giver, who took out of his bag of charms a small portion of each -and pounded them carefully into a well-mixed paste, and a little of this -“medicine” he gave to each cock, and thereupon they became the very -embodiment of luck and all kinds of good fortune to their happy owners. - -As only rich men could afford such luxuries as these expensive charms -the superstitions respecting their wealth-giving powers were fostered -and maintained. From that time these fowls were treated as fetishes. No -one was permitted to beat or hurt a luck fowl (or _nsusu a zumbi_). It -was respected like a chief, and strutted about the town crowing -aggressively, as though it were fully cognizant of its own importance. - -This fetish fowl was supposed to tell its owner of coming events as -danger to the town or to himself. By its crow it predicted the future, -and, as only the owner was able to rightly interpret the crow, he had -therefore exclusive information which he could use for his own -advantage. I found afterward that when these fowls grow old they are -killed and eaten only by their owners, and the charm is given to other -fowls; and sometimes the charm is put into a billy-goat or into a male -pig, and they are then treated with respect like the fetish fowls, and -tell their masters by their bleatings and gruntings of future events. - -One day Satu told his people that he was going in eight days to visit -the great chief of a distant town, and he asked some of his people to go -with him. He had fourteen wives, but he promised to take only six of -them. He reckoned to be absent about a fortnight, or, as they put it, -four _nkandu_,[26] i. e. sixteen days. Great preparations were made for -this visit of ceremony. All who owned bits of finery brought them out of -their hiding-places and furbished them anew. Cassava roots were dried, -peanuts were shelled, and as the day of departure drew near _kwanga_[27] -bread was made ready for the journey. Messengers had been sent to inform -the chief of the coming visit, and had returned with greetings and words -of welcome. - -Footnote 26: - - See Chapter XVIII, on native markets, p. 223. - -Footnote 27: - - See note 11, p. 345. - -The day at last dawned on which Satu was to pay his important visit to a -brother chief. Bakula, with a bundle of Satu’s best cloths, cosmetics -and trinkets, led the way; then came some ordinary town-folk carrying -sleeping-mats, food for the journey, small bottles of palm-oil, and -cakes of camwood powder. Following these was our town band, consisting -of five ivory trumpets and three drums. Whenever we drew near to a -village or town our band played to notify the folk that some great men -were coming. Behind the band came Satu with his six wives, other head -men followed with contingents of wives from their harems, and Old -Plaited-Beard brought up the rear with three of his wives. - -We had not gone very far when a snake darted out of the grass on one -side of the road, but instead of crossing the path, it turned up towards -the oncoming party. Bakula, terrified at the evil omen, called a halt -and sent word along the line to ask Satu what was to be done. - -While Satu was hesitating Old Plaited-Beard came up, and as soon as he -heard of the ill omen he insisted that the whole party should return and -start the journey over again. Many protested at this foolishness, but -others, swayed by superstitious fears, agreed that the only wise course -was to return at once. - -Fortunately we were not far from our town, and before the sun was very -high we were back at the starting-point, where we rested for a short -time, and received the condolences of those left in the town. - -If the snake had only turned the other way it would have been an augury -of good luck. Bakula, directly he saw it coming out of the grass, should -have shouted, and then the snake would have directed its course the -opposite way. He might have turned, by prompt action, an ill omen into a -good augury, and we should have been saved all this trouble. - -After a rest we again started, and as a bird flew along the path in the -direction in which we were going everybody began to laugh and crack -jokes, for this omen of the bird was entirely in our favour. - -About the middle of the afternoon we reached a village, where we decided -to spend the night. The chief of this village, being a man of no family, -paid homage to Satu, and gave him and the other head men houses for the -night, but the ordinary members of the party slept in the open. Satu -also received from the chief presents of different kinds of food, as -bunches of plantain, baskets of cassava flour, a few fowls, and two -demijohns of palm-wine, which was fizzing loudly with fermentation and -was strong enough to make them drunk, only fortunately there was not -enough of it. - -While we were resting I noticed the youngsters in this village played an -amusing game called “Antelope,” and they did it in the following manner: -All the players but one ran about on all-fours with their faces upwards, -one person alone being allowed to stand up, and he was called the -“antelope,” and the others were called the “hunters.” They scuttled -about in this ridiculous attitude, and each tried to touch, or kick the -“antelope” with his foot. - -A large court had been marked out on the ground, and the “antelope” was -not allowed to go outside it, and the “hunters” tried to hem him in a -corner; but when the “antelope,” to avoid being touched, ran out of -court all the “hunters” got on their feet and chased him, and he who -first pretended to cut him up with a knife became the “antelope.” - -A general _mêlée_ usually ensued, for every one pretended to cut him up -with shouts of “a leg for me,” “head for me,” “some flesh for me.” The -game excited much laughter, and all seemed to enjoy it thoroughly. - -After the evening meal was over, and the men had lit their pipes and -gone to hold high converse on politics, woman, and sundry other -important matters, Bakula was called upon by the young men of the party -to tell a story or two before they rolled themselves in their mats for -the night. - -Nothing loth, he told, with all his usual grace and sprightliness, the -following story, perhaps suggested by the fact that they themselves were -on a journey. He called it-- - - “How the Fox saved the Frog.” - -“A Frog, having built a nice town, received a visit from several -well-dressed young men. The Frog welcomed them, and they very civilly -answered his greetings. The Frog asked them where they were going, and -they replied: ‘We are not going anywhere in particular; we are just -walking about visiting the towns.’ The Frog called out his thirty wives -to come and pay their respects to the visitors, and they came out of -their houses and greeted the young men. - -“The wives asked their husband how he came to know them, and he replied: -‘I do not know them, but seeing them well dressed I saluted them.’ - -“‘Oh! you welcomed them because they are well dressed,’ they retorted; -‘yet ever since we married you we have never received any new cloths -from you.’[28] - -Footnote 28: - - It is the custom for a man to give his wife at least one new cloth - every year. - -“‘Never mind,’ he said, ‘I am well known as a great chief who has built -a whole town and married thirty wives.’ - -“‘Oh yes,’ they answered, ‘you are well known; but we work and farm, and -have no cloths, only rags, hence you don’t respect us like those who are -well dressed.’ The Frog was dumb. - -“The Frog asked the young men where and how he could buy some cloth, and -they told him that if he carried some peanuts to Mboma[29] he could buy -plenty there, and the road was not difficult to find, for if he followed -the river he would reach there in a few days. The Frog was glad to hear -this, and thereupon he killed six fowls and made a feast for his -friends, and told each of his wives to bring him a large basket of -peanuts in the morning, for he said: ‘Altho’ I am a big chief of a large -town I feel ashamed, because my wives have had no new cloths since I -married them, and they do not dress properly.’ - -Footnote 29: - - See note 19, p. 347. - -“The next morning the peanuts were brought and tied into a load, and for -the journey some food was prepared, and the Frog started, telling his -wives that he would be back in twenty days. - -“On the third day of his journey the Frog reached a large baobab-tree -that had fallen across the road, and while he was considering how he, a -person with such short legs, could jump over it, he heard a voice say: -‘If you are a strong man please put down your bundle and save me, for as -I was on my way to visit my wife’s family this tree fell on me and has -held me here for twenty months. Have pity on me and help me now from -under this tree.’ - -“When the Frog heard this, he at once put down his load and went under -the tree, and swelled and swelled until he lifted it and the Snake was -able to crawl out; then the Frog let the tree down again, and went to -pick up his load to continue his journey. The Snake, however, -immediately caught him by the leg, and told him to get ready to be -swallowed. - -“The Frog said: ‘What have I done that you should swallow me, for -although I had a right to be paid for helping you, yet I did not ask for -anything! Let me go on my way to Mboma.’ - -“While they were arguing about this an Antelope arrived, and he was -asked to judge between them; but when he had heard the whole matter he -was afraid to settle the affair properly, for he said to himself: ‘If I -let the Frog go, who is right, but little, then the Snake will kill me.’ -So the Antelope gave the verdict in favour of the Snake. - -“The Snake quickly said: ‘Do you hear that? Get ready at once and I will -swallow you.’ But the Frog cried: ‘He would have given me the verdict -only he is afraid of you.’ - -“While they were discussing this point a Fox arrived on the scene, and -he wanted to hear all about it. When the case was laid before him, the -Snake said: ‘Am I not in the right, for I am very hungry and want to -swallow the Frog?’ - -“But the Fox would not give the verdict until he had seen the Frog lift -the tree, so he said to the Snake: ‘Release the Frog’s leg and let him -go and raise the tree,’ which the Frog did at once. - -“The Fox said: ‘Truly the Frog is very strong to lift so large a tree. -Now, Snake, you go under it, and show us how you were lying beneath the -tree.’ So the Snake went, thinking he would surely win the case as the -judge was taking so much trouble over it, but the Snake was no sooner -under the tree than the Fox called out: ‘Frog, let go the tree,’ and -down it came right on the Snake, holding him so that he could not get -away. - -“The Fox then said to the Snake: ‘You are entirely in the wrong, for -your friend did a kindness to you in helping you in your trouble, but -you want to repay him by a bad deed--you want to swallow him.’ - -“Thereupon they all went away, leaving the Snake under the tree, as no -one would help him again for fear of his ingratitude. - -“The Frog thanked the Fox for saving him, and gave him his load of -peanuts, and they became great friends.” - -At the close of this story no one had a word to say in defence of the -Snake’s ingratitude. All thought he was rightly punished in being left -beneath the tree to starve to death, and Bakula remarked that: -“Ingratitude is a crime so black that no one ever owned to being guilty -of it, and everybody is ready to condemn it in others.” - -This story had so swept sleep from their eyes that they begged Bakula to -tell them another of his stories; but he said he could not recall any -more stories that night; and then another lad volunteered, and, with -much laughter, told the following story of the trick a jocular boy -played on two friends. I call this-- - - “Inquiry should come before Anger.” - -“Once upon a time a Wine-gatherer and a Fisherman became great friends; -they ate together, walked and talked together, and went to work -together; and when one went to collect wine from his palm-trees the -other would look after his fish-traps in the streams and pools near to -the palm-trees; and after their work was finished they would meet in the -booth to drink the wine and cook and eat the fish together. - -“One day, while thus eating and drinking, the Wine-gatherer said: ‘There -is no one who can break the strong friendship that exists between us -two,’ and the Fisherman assented, saying: ‘Why, if you had not mentioned -it, I was going to remark that no one can separate us one from the -other.’ - -“A frolicsome boy heard them make this covenant of friendship, and -laughingly said to himself: ‘When they go away I will do that which will -test their friendship for each other.’ - -“In a short time the two friends returned together to their town, and -when they had gone the boy took the hoop and climbed up the palm-trees, -and removed all the small calabashes that were placed there to catch the -palm-wine, and then he went to the pools and streams and gathered all -the fish-traps, and put the calabashes in their place, and the -fish-traps he tied to the palm-trees. Having thus changed them he -returned to his town. - -“Next morning the Wine-gatherer and the Fisherman awoke, and calling -each other they started for the valley where their work was, and there -parted--one to look at his calabashes on the palm-trees, and the other -to visit his fish-traps. - -“The Wine-gatherer, on arriving at the booth, took his hoop and climbed -a palm-tree, and there he found, not his calabash, but a fish-trap; he -pulled it off and threw it down in anger, and descended the palm. Thus -he went from palm to palm and found nothing but fish-traps, which he -collected and carried to the booth, and sat down to wait for his friend, -full of wrath and indignation. - -“While this was happening the Fisherman was going from pool to stream, -finding nothing but small calabashes floating on the water where he had -put fish-traps the night before. In great anger he gathered them up and -carried them to the booth, and there he met his friend, who said: ‘Those -calabashes, are they not mine?’ - -“To him the Fisherman replied: ‘Those fish-traps, are they not mine?’ - -“‘Why did you put your useless fish-traps in my palm-trees?’ excitedly -asked the Wine-gatherer. - -“‘Why did you put your silly calabashes in my streams and pools?’ -retorted the Fisherman. - -“And without more ado they stood up and beat each other, and cut each -other, until at last they fell exhausted to the ground. - -“At this moment the mischievous boy arrived, and seeing their plight, -said: ‘What! are you not friends? Why have you been beating each other? -I heard your covenant of friendship the other day, and because I wanted -to try it I went and changed your things. Now you have been quarrelling -with each other without talking matters over. Inquiry should come first, -and anger follow after.’” - -This story elicited many a chuckle from the listeners; but at last, -overcome by sleep, they rolled themselves in their mats and were soon in -the land of dreams. The next morning they were astir before sunrise, and -after traversing many hills and wading several swamps and streams Bakula -and his friends reached their noon camping-place, tired, hungry and -disagreeable. Everybody threw down his or her load, and stretched -themselves in the shade. - -It was a wearisome road. The hills were steep, the paths simply -rain-washed gutters where all the earth had been swept away by the -torrents, leaving only the rough stones sticking up, and often on either -side of the track was tall grass from ten to twelve feet high that -interlocked their stalks when the storm winds played among the hills or -whirled through the valleys, so that the travellers as they pushed their -way forward had frequently to put their arms before them to keep the -points of grass out of their eyes and the sharp blades from cutting -their faces. - -[Illustration: - - _Photo_] JUNGLE PATH THROUGH THE FOREST [_Rev. R. H. - Kirkland._ - (Said to be haunted by bad spirits at night.) -] - -Huge boulders like giants’ marbles were strewn about the hill-tops, and -some were clinging to the sides of the hills, while others were lying -about the valleys as though the players in their games had thrown them -too far. The travellers had, with difficulty, to wind round or clamber -over them, and every extra exertion was felt in such a tropical heat. - -After resting they ate some of their _kwanga_ loaves, and, bathing in -the turbid river, they picked up their burdens to start again on their -journey, when Old Plaited-Beard kicked his foot against a stone. A look -of horror came into his beady eyes at the ill omen against himself. - -The snake omen was against the whole party, but this was against the -individual. On a journey like this the omen might mean death at the end -of the journey to whomsoever it occurred, and the only way to counteract -its potency in this case was to go right back home and stay there. - -Old Plaited-Beard was too superstitious to disregard the portend, and -with many a muttered curse on his carelessness he turned his face -homewards, having taken the long fatiguing journey to no purpose. No one -regretted his going, for he was as cantankerous as he was superstitious. - -His wives and followers at first refused to return with him; but the old -man, infuriated at their unwillingness, poured upon them a torrent of -abuse, charged them with bewitching him to kick the stone, and -threatened them with the curses of his various fetishes in such -invectives that they trembled before him, and, gathering their goods, -followed him with hearts full of fear and hate. - -We lost so much time over these events that instead of reaching our -destination that evening we were compelled to spend another night on the -road. The whole of the next morning was leisurely spent in resting and -dressing. - -Satu and his followers bathed during the morning, using soap-worts, -which lather well, instead of soap. Then one of his wives combed out and -replaited his hair, and dusted it with fine camwood powder. Another wife -very carefully rubbed his face, body, legs and arms with palm-oil, to -render the skin soft and cool; and a third pounded some camwood into a -fine powder, and, putting it into a coarse mesh cloth, dabbed the oiled -skin with the cosmetic, giving it a pleasant look and an appearance of -being well groomed. A thick band of brilliant red was drawn across the -forehead, and Satu went and lolled on a mat to wait for those who had -not such expert wives. - -The wives rubbed one another with palm-oil, and dusted each other with -the red camwood powder. Bakulu and his friends operated, with the skill -of experience, on each other, and I came in for such a polishing that I -shone like gold on my owner’s neck. - -These toilet operations being completed, bundles were untied and a -miscellaneous assortment of garments and gaudy coloured cloths were -brought to light, and were donned with all seriousness. - -The eight bandsmen were adorned in two old pairs of trousers, three -waistcoats, one pair of boots--down at the heels and out at the toes, -two jackets with patches of different colours on the sleeves, and two -peaked hats that, like their other articles of attire, had seen better -days in other climes. The intervals in their dress were filled with -diverse pieces of gaily coloured cloth. Satu followed, invested in a -bright red blanket round his loins, two waistcoats, old and ill-fitting, -across his chest, a heavy brown coat on his back, and a large brass -fireman’s helmet on his head. Behind him came his wives, the foremost of -whom carried a red, black and green parasol over her husband’s head. The -sun blazed, and poor Satu perspired in the costume that had cost him a -heavy tusk of ivory. - -The other head men were arrayed in soldiers’ coats of diverse ranks and -regiments--in their selection they had not been captivated by the -stripes on the arms, but by the colours. Hence you saw a colonel of one -regiment hob-nobbing with the corporal of another. Bakula wore a cloth -of gorgeous colours round his waist, a brewer’s cap on his head, one -stocking (he owned a pair, but had lent the other to his particular -friend) on one leg, a boot on the other, and a beaming self-satisfied -smile on his face. - -Fortunately we had not far to go. Up a slight hill, across a plateau, -and there stood the town we had come to honour with our presence. - - - - - Chapter X - Our Reception and Entertainment - -The welcome of Tonzeka and his people--A case judged--We find the white - man in Tonzeka’s town--Tonzeka defends the white man--He complains - of the effect of the white man’s preaching--A drunken bout. - - -The whole town turned out to welcome us with shouts, gun-firing, -clapping of hands, trillings, and the slapping of their open mouths with -the palms of their hands. The folk lined the paths leading to their -chief’s house, and saluted and chaffed us good-humouredly as we threaded -our way to it preceded by our admired band. Satu’s brass helmet excited -much envy and many remarks. It was the first time such a head-gear had -been seen in those parts, and naturally called for various comments on -its size, brightness and value. - -Chief Tonzeka received us heartily, and having exchanged greetings with -us, showed Satu and his followers the quarters they were to occupy -during their visit, and deputed a large number of women to fetch -firewood and water, and also cook for us. The women had to supply all -the vegetable foods for our meals, and Tonzeka sent them the necessary -meat and fish. Tonzeka proved the genuineness of his hospitality by -killing a large pig, thus supplying Satu and his people with the meat -that all Congos love so well. - -We incidentally heard there was a white man--one of those _Mundele wa N -zambi_ (white men of God) visiting the town, but we did not see him -until the next evening. - -While the women were busy preparing the evening meal, Satu and his folk -foregathered in the chief’s courtyard (_lumbu_) to exchange news, to -talk about trade, about politics, and about the different cases that had -been brought to them for settlement as chiefs and head men. - -Tonzeka gave as an example of the foolishness of the people in his -district the following case that was brought before him for judgment. - -“A pig belonging to the Lumu people was killed by a Manga man on a farm -belonging to one of his wives. The Lumu folk demanded payment for the -pig; but this was refused on the ground that any pigs found digging up -cassava roots on a farm can be killed. After a time the Manga women went -to work that piece of ground again, and the Lumu women met them there, -and, being more numerous, took away the hoes belonging to the Manga -women, and claimed the land as their pig was killed on it, and no -compensation had been paid for it. That evening the chief of Manga sent -a message to the chief of Lumu, and the messenger carried a gun, which -he should not have done, so the Lumu people took the gun away from him -on the plea that he was bringing force into their town.” - -“How did you settle that palaver?” asked Satu. - -“Well, you know,” replied Tonzeka, “that any pig found on another’s farm -may be killed, and in some parts of the country the man who kills it can -take half the flesh for the trouble of killing it, and to compensate him -for the damage done to his farm; and the other half he sends to the -owner of the pig. In this part, when a pig is killed for trespassing, -the one who kills it leaves it at the place where it was slain, and -sends to tell the owner what he has done, and he himself has to fetch -the carcass, and as he finds it on another person’s farm he has sure -proof that it has trespassed.” - -“Yes,” assented Satu, “I know those are the different customs, and in -our district we always take half the pig.” - -“But,” continued Tonzeka, “this case was complicated because the Manga -people allowed their messenger to take a gun with him when he was sent -with their message.” - -“That was very foolish of them,” said Satu, “but how did you decide the -case?” - -“I judged it thus,” answered Tonzeka. “I fined the Lumu people one pig -for attempting to claim land which did not belong to them, as the -killing of a pig gave them no rights over the land on which it was -killed; and I fined the Manga people one goat, as the messenger had no -right to carry a gun when he went to deliver a message. It was taking -force into another’s town, and was also an exhibition of insolence.” - -“You judged wisely,” commented Satu, “and I hope you received a fat pig -and a large goat for your trouble.” - -“You will be able to judge that for yourselves,” laughingly replied -Tonzeka, “for the fines[30] only arrived this morning, and you will be -eating the pig for your evening meal.” - -Footnote 30: - - See note 25, p. 348. - -Satu expressed the hope that he would receive such splendid fines every -day. - -Tonzeka then informed his visitors that there was a white man staying in -his town, and promised to take his friend Satu to see him. - -“I wonder if it is the same one whom we drove out of our town?” queried -Satu. - -“Why did you drive him away?” asked Tonzeka, with a note of surprise in -his voice. “Surely he had done no harm to either you or your people?” - -In an apologetic tone Satu admitted that he had not done them any harm, -for they did not give him an opportunity, as they would not allow him to -enter the town. “But Old Plaited-Beard told us such horrible things -against the white men that if I had not been there my people would have -killed this one. What is he doing in your town?” - -To him Tonzeka replied: "This white man comes to see us very often, and -tells us about God, and about His Son Jesus Christ, Who, so the white -man says, came to die for us on a cross. I don’t understand all his -palavers; but he washes the sores of old and young, rich and poor, head -men and slaves, puts good medicine on them, ties them up with his own -white fingers, and the sores are quickly healed. We understand that! You -know my mother was very ill, and we tried one _nganga_ after another, -but they failed to cure her, although they ‘ate’ up a lot of money. Then -this white man came on one of his visits, and in two or three days she -was fully restored to health by the white man’s medicines." - -“Yes,” remarked Satu, “perhaps he gave her the sickness by his -witchcraft, and therefore could easily cure her. These white men are -exceedingly cunning.” - -“I know what you mean,” replied Tonzeka. “That is what our _ngangas_ do -to make money out of us. The _ngangas_ by means of their charms and -fetishes cause our diseases, and they receive fees for doing so; by -their fetishes they curse us or try to cure us, and again they receive -fees, and thus they become rich by our complaints. This white man did -not charge for the medicine, and what is more he gave my mother some of -his own food to make her strong.” - -“I did not quite mean that,” said Satu, “but these white men are here to -buy up the dead bodies of our relatives, which they store in their -houses, and on the first good chance they send them away in their ships -to Mputu to become their slaves. They have wonderful magic for restoring -the spirits to the bodies.” And as he spoke a look of alarm and hate -came into his eyes, for he called to mind his fear that his own brother -and various other relatives were, as he was speaking, toiling in farms -and forests for their dreaded white masters. - -With an air of superior knowledge Tonzeka said to his honoured visitor: -"There was a time when I also firmly believed what you have just stated; -but I and many of my people have been to this white man’s station. He -received us very kindly and showed us over his house; and truly, we saw -no shelves[31] there, and no places where he could keep dead bodies. -When we had an opportunity we entered his stores, medicine-house, boys’ -quarters, and nowhere did we find a place where he could stow away dead -bodies. After two or three visits we came to the conclusion that these -falsehoods had been started by our _ngangas_ to protect their own -interests." - -Footnote 31: - - See note 26, p. 349. - -Satu expressed his astonishment at what he had heard; but still -doubting, asked: “Did you go into all the rooms in his house, and does -he ever send bales and boxes to the coast?” - -“Yes,” replied Tonzeka, “I went into all the rooms, for one of the boys -showed me every nook and corner one day while the white man was absent. -He does not trade, consequently he has no bales and boxes to send to the -coast. Friend Satu, do not believe those lies about the white man. -Evidently ivory and rubber have a value in their country. Why, the white -man himself showed me a coat and a sheet made of rubber that no water -could pass through. I tried them myself; and I understand that in their -country it rains all the year round, for they have no dry season as we -have, and if they had no rubber they could not make rubber coats, and -would have to stay in their houses every day.” - -Satu thanked his friend and said: "What you tell me about rubber coats -and sheets quite accounts for the presence of traders in our country; -but these ‘white men of God’ do not trade. Why are they here?" And a -look of sly triumph came into his eyes as he continued: “They don’t buy -rubber, they don’t deal in ivory, they don’t trade in anything, and, -according to your own statement, they don’t even buy dead bodies. Why -are they here? That is what I want to know?” - -“That is the very question I put to this white man myself,” replied -Tonzeka, "and I will try to give you his answer. He said: A very long -time ago, years and years ago, the people in his country were just like -the people are now in our country. They were naked, painted savages that -lived in huts in their forests. They had spears and knives, and fought -each other as we do. They had canoes like ours, and wore brass armlets -and anklets very much the same as ours. They believed in fetishes, -charms and _ngangas_; and, to use his own words, his forefathers lived -wretched lives and died miserable deaths without God and without hope. -Then some messengers brought to his country the wonderful news about -God, about Jesus Christ, and about the great Salvation, and the hearts -and lives of many thousands were changed and filled with joy and -pity--joy because they were saved, and pity for us who know not of God’s -great love for all, for so great is His love that He freely gave His -beloved Son to die for us. Now these people have sent this white man and -others like him to pass on the blessings of Jesus and His grand -salvation to us, for it seems that this Jesus gave them a command to -preach the good news to everybody all over the world. - -“I spent nearly a whole evening in talking these palavers over with the -white man, and I have told you all I have remembered; but I am afraid I -have forgotten a great many of his words.” - -Again Satu thanked his friend, and promised to ponder in his heart the -words he had heard, or, as he expressed it: “To drink water over them.” - -“Well,” said Tonzeka, “I have sent two of my sons to the white man’s -school, and they are learning to read, write, do carpentry and to make -bricks. They are gaining much knowledge, but there is one thing I do not -like about this white man.” - -“What is that?” eagerly asked Satu. - -Tonzeka paused a few moments before replying, and then he broke out in a -self-pitying tone: "This white man tells me that I am a bad man, because -I lie, steal, commit adultery and become often very drunk, and in doing -these bad deeds I am breaking God’s laws, and shall be punished for -doing so. When he talks like that I always feel very uncomfortable, for -I know that what he says is perfectly true. I never heard before that -God had given any laws for us to obey, because, as you know, we have no -books; yet when we get drunk, or thieve, or lie, or do any other bad -action, something inside tells us that they are wrong and condemns us; -but we are not ashamed, because everybody does them. If he would give us -medicine, and teach our boys and girls it would be all right, but when -he talks God’s palavers I do not like him, for he makes my ‘heart stand -up’ with fear." - -Satu was about to condole with him, but there was a general movement -towards the fires, for by now the saucepans were steaming with cooked -food, and all the folk were eagerly anticipating the feast of pig and -pudding. Satu turned these matters over in his mind, and remarked to one -of his head men: “After all, there are some disadvantages in having a -white man in one’s town, if he makes us uncomfortable in our hearts; -and,” he continued, “I am not sure whether Tonzeka is bewitched by the -white man, or is sharing profits with the white man in the sale of dead -bodies.” - -After the evening meal Tonzeka gave another proof of his hospitality. He -opened some cases of trade gin[32] and two demijohns of rum, and invited -Satu and his party to a drinking bout. - -The fiery liquor quickly induced a quarrelsomeness in the drinkers that -I thought would cause such murderous fights that the town would be -drenched with blood; indeed, Bakula received a nasty cut on his arm, and -several others were wounded and bruised. But this intoxicated madness -was fortunately soon succeeded by a maudlin state, in which the -carousers embraced each other, shouted senseless sayings, joined in -ribald refrains, and engaged in obscene dances until at last the potions -gained the mastery and they fell on the ground in sottish sleep--mere -breathing logs. - -Borne on the breeze from a distant part of the town came the evening -hymn of the white man and his boys, and distinctly the words were -carried to me-- - - “God loved the world of sinners lost - And ruined by the fall; - Salvation full, at highest cost, - He offers free to all. - Oh, ’twas love, ’twas wondrous love! - The love of God to me! - It brought my Saviour from above - To die on Calvary.” - -Footnote 32: - - See note 27, p. 349. - - - - - Chapter XI - Satu visits the White Man - -Bakula goes to the white man to have his wound dressed--White man puts - in a good word for the traders--Bakula is touched by the white man’s - kindness--A native dance--An exhibition of native pride--A long talk - with the white man--We gain many new ideas from our - conversation--Bakula has another interview with the white man, and - they become good friends. - - -The next morning the sun rose with clear-eyed brightness, oblivious of -all that had occurred during his absence through the night, for he and -the moon never approach near enough to each other to exchange -confidences. Notwithstanding the sun’s obliviousness, the results of the -night’s debauchery were evident in all who had taken part in it. Some -ate monkey peppers, others bits of kola-nuts as pick-me-ups, and others -took a plunge bath in the nearest stream; but headaches, wounds and -bruises were not easily removed by such means. - -[Illustration: _Photo_] WATHEN: THE DISPENSARY. [_Rev. J. H. -Weeks._] - -[Illustration: - - WATHEN: THE BOYS’ QUARTERS. - _Bricks made by schoolboys and buildings erected by old school lads._ -] - -During the afternoon those who had smarting cuts went shamefacedly to -the white man to have them bandaged with his soothing ointments, and -among those who went was Bakula. He thought the white man would not know -him in his “dress costume”; but I saw that the white man recognized him -at once, though he said nothing at the time. - -The white man carefully dressed the wounds, and then asked them how they -came by them. - -“We don’t know,” they answered, “for we got madly drunk last night on -gin and rum, then we had a fight and cut each other. We were too -stupidly intoxicated to remember which one cut the other, and who -started the quarrel.” - -“I am sorry the traders sell you such vile stuff. It maddens you when -you drink it, and it is the chief cause among you of a great amount of -sickness, and of a large number of the fights that occur between your -towns and villages,” quietly and sadly replied the white man. - -“Yes,” they asserted in chorus, “the traders are all as bad as the -things they sell us.” - -“No, they are not all bad,” sharply answered the white man, “and neither -are all the articles they sell bad. You can buy from them good cloth for -covering yourselves, blankets to keep you warm in the cold season, nails -and tools for building your houses, soap, candles, saucepans, tins of -provisions, and many other things that are good, and help to make your -lives comfortable.” - -“That is so,” they assented, “but when our heads ache with the bad gin, -we forget the many good articles we can buy of them.” - -“I know many of those traders,” continued the white man, “who hate -selling gin and rum to you, and wish a law[33] could be enforced to stop -all trade in them; but you are such fools, and will buy drink; and there -is so large a profit on it that their masters in Mputu make them sell it -to you.[34] Some of the traders are very good men, and perform many acts -of kindness to you black people. Do your wives throw away all the -pumpkins in their farms because a few have maggots in them?” - -Footnote 33: - - See note 28, p. 349. - -Footnote 34: - - See note 29, p. 350. - -“No, of course not,” they sheepishly replied; “our wives throw only the -rotten ones away.” - -“Well,” rejoined the white man, “do not speak ill of all the traders -because some cheat and rob you; nor condemn all their goods because they -sell these accursed fiery waters that turn your towns into pandemoniums, -and you into beasts and fiends. Buy the good articles they have, and let -the bad ones alone.” - -Bakula was astonished that the white man had not accused him of striking -at his outstretched, friendly hand. He was in a quandary. Did the white -man recognize him or not? Or was he simply waiting his opportunity to -punish him for what he was now heartily ashamed? He was fearful lest the -latter was the explanation, and he had almost made up his mind to put -the matter to the test, and ask the white man; but just then the drums -began to beat, and hurriedly taking farewell of their friend who had so -patiently dressed their wounds and given them good counsel, they ran -back to the chief’s courtyard. - -To the native there is something electrical, moving, exhilarating about -the beat of a native drum. Directly he hears it his body begins to -twitch and sway to and fro in rhythm to the beat, a smile spreads over -his face, weariness is forgotten, dull care is thrown to the winds, and -he is soon shuffling round the circle, or has taken his place in the -line, clapping his hands, and singing a chorus in admirable time. - -Bakula and his townsmen were no exception, for even now in their running -they kept step to the beat of the drum. On their arrival they took their -place in the line of male dancers. The particular dance to the fore was -called “Sala.” A medium drum was used, and the formation was in two -lines, one of each sex. This dance was characterized by a rapid shaking -of the whole body; and during it they made up songs about one another, -causing endless amusement by their pointed remarks, innuendoes, and -by-play. - -While the dance was in progress a member of Tonzeka’s town went over to -the drum, and by beating on it carried on a conversation such as the -following, asking questions and replying to them himself. - -“Welcome to you, chief Satu. Are you quite well?” - -“I am quite well,” replies the drummer. - -“Have you come a long way?” - -“Yes, my town is very far away.” - -“Are you very rich?” - -“Yes, I have plenty of wives, slaves, pigs, goats, cloth and money. I am -so wealthy that I really don’t know how rich I am. I don’t know what to -do with my money. It fills my bags, boxes and houses.” - -“Have you much with you?” - -“Yes, my pouches and bundles are full.” - -“Give me some of it, as you are so rich.” - -And foolish Satu, flattered by this pretended conversation out of his -usual caution, and in the vanity and pride of the moment, handed over -some thirty shillings’ worth of brass rods. Gratified by the largesse -the drummer beat away and sang a recitative in praise of Satu’s -generosity, and the object of all this by-play sat swelling with -self-complacency. - -No sooner did the first drummer drop the drum than Bakula darted -forward, and with laughing eyes and skilful hands beat out a -conversation in fulsome praise of Tonzeka; his riches, his prowess in -war, his unstinted hospitality--all received their full meed of -wheedling adulation, and at last came the expected request: “As you are -so rich, so great, so generous a man, give me some of your money.” - -And poor, cajoled Tonzeka had to pass over thirty-five shillings’ worth -of brass rods, for it would never have done not to surpass his visitor, -Satu. - -Bakula went to share his spoils with some friends; and another man took -the drum and tapped out flatteries about the different head men with -varying success, until he received what he considered a very mean -present. - -Then the disappointed drummer rapped out a song on stinginess so -bitingly sarcastic that sharp words were bandied about from side to -side, and what began as an amusing dance ended in a _mêlée_ that -engendered bad blood between the persons concerned for many a day. - -As soon as the noise had quieted down, Tonzeka offered to take his -visitor to see the white man, but through an indefinable fear Satu -shrank from going in the broad daylight, and promised to accept the -invitation after the evening meal. So at the appointed time Tonzeka -called Satu, and together they walked over to the white man’s quarters, -followed by a large number of people. - -The white man had heard of the proposed visit, and with the help of -boxes and rugs had prepared seats for the coming visitors. - -Satu, however, before trusting himself to the improvised chair, lifted -the rug, shook the box to test its stability, and then gingerly took his -seat. There was more than a rumour afloat that the King of Congo had -murdered his mother by inviting her to sit on a mat which gave way -beneath her. It had precipitated her, it was said, into a carefully -prepared hole, and directly the wretched woman disappeared, the -unnatural son ordered her to be buried alive. - -The white man was fully conscious of Satu’s implied distrust, but said -nothing; and Tonzeka pompously introduced Satu and some of the head men -who had accompanied him. - -During the speech Satu sat uneasily on his seat, casting furtive glances -at the slim, kindly-faced white man before him. After all he did not -look so terrible that a whole town should go frantic with fear of him. - -When Tonzeka had concluded his speech the white man replied: “I am so -glad to see Satu, for I have often heard of him, and a few weeks ago I -went to visit him, but through some silly prejudice he would not give me -hospitality, and sent me and my people to sleep in the damp with the -mosquitoes at the bottom of his hill. Since then I have heard that some -of his people wanted to kill me, but he would not let them;” and leaning -forward he took Satu’s hand in his, and said: “I thank you very much for -not only saving my life, but the lives of those who were with me. There -was a lad who struck at my outstretched hand. This afternoon he came for -medicine for a bad cut on his arm, thinking I did not know him. There he -is, standing with the firelight full on his face. Will he not shake -hands and be friends?” - -And, rising, the white man went with outstretched hand to Bakula, who -with much trepidation put his hand nervously into the very hand at which -he had so cruelly aimed a heavy blow. In broken sentences Bakula begged -forgiveness, which was freely given. - -Everybody now felt thoroughly at home with each other, especially when -Satu had cordially invited the white man to visit him, promising better -hospitality next time; and the white man heartily accepted the -invitation, promising, on his part, to come soon. Then came a long -series of questions about Mputu (the countries of the white man); and -while the white man told them of the great houses with many rooms, the -innumerable streets, the broad roads, the trams, horses, and the size of -the cities and towns, the audience sat with wide-eyed astonishment, -broken only by the snapping of fingers and exclamations of surprise. - -At last one boy put their thoughts into words by asking if the white man -was speaking the truth; because, said he: “We have always believed that -you white folk live underneath the sea.” - -“Why do you think that?” laughingly asked the white man. - -“For two very good reasons,” asserted the boy, rather aggressively. He -did not like being laughed at before all the others, for he was only -stating what they all believed. - -“State your reasons,” said the white man kindly, for he saw that the boy -was hurt by his laughter. - -Encouraged thus, the boy said: "When we stand on the shore at -Ambrezette, or at any other of the trading-stations on the sea-coast, we -see the ships come in, and what do we notice first? Not the big part of -the ship at the bottom (the hull), but the stick at the top (the mast), -and when the ship has discharged all its goods on the beach, and filled -up again with palm-oil, rubber, ivory, palm-kernels and peanuts, it goes -away, and the part that we see last is the topmost post. Of course it -comes up out of the sea. That is why we first notice the top of the -‘stick,’ and it goes down into the sea; that is why the top of the -‘stick’ is last seen." - -“Yes, that is very good! What is your second reason?” asked the white -man. - -“The second reason is this: all we people who live on the earth have -curly hair; but all you white folk, because you live under the sea, have -straight hair. That is because the action of the water has taken all the -curl out of your hair.” - -The white man with much difficulty suppressed his laughter, and -proceeded to give them a simple lesson on the rotundity of the earth. -They had all seen eclipses of the moon, and starting from that fact, and -using his candle and various articles on the table as his apparatus, he -tried to show them that only round objects threw round shadows on the -wall of the adjacent house. They were interested, and pretended to be -convinced, but how many of them went to bed that night still believing -in the flatness of the earth he never knew. - -Then came a series of questions, not prompted by impertinence, but by a -healthy and natural curiosity. Questions such as: “Is there plenty of -food in your country? How many wives have you in Mputu? Were you once as -little as our babies? Have you a mother, father, brothers and sisters? -Did they turn you out of your country because you are a bad man? How do -you make matches? Who makes the cloth and the different articles we see -in the traders’ stores? How do you make candles, soap, boots, and from -what are they made? Why are you white and we black?” The white man -patiently answered these questions to the best of his ability; but I -noticed that whenever possible he worked his answers round to God’s -palaver--he told them how a thing was made, that they themselves could -make it, and would, by this time, have found out how to make it, only -their witch-doctors taught them that anything new, anything out of the -ordinary, anything that showed skill, was the result of witchcraft, and -hence they killed off their wise and clever men; and lastly, "God’s -palaver, when it enters the heart, sets them free from all their -superstitious fear of the _ngangas_, and gives true wisdom and -guidance." - -It was now far into the night, and Satu was about to rise when the white -man said: “It is very late, and I have attempted to answer your many -questions. Now I am going to ask you all as a favour to stay while we -have prayers.” - -Satu very courteously thanked the white man for taking so much trouble -and for telling them so many wonderful things. They would willingly stay -to prayers and listen while the white man talked to God; but “Excuse us -now, we are tired, and must go to sleep.” The white man looked sadly -disappointed, but bade us “to go and sleep well.” - -As we were returning to our quarters some one asked Satu: “Why did you -not stay for prayers?” - -“I was afraid the white man’s God would bewitch me; or that the white -man himself might do so,” answered Satu. That night Bakula could not -sleep, but frequently I heard him murmur: “He dressed my wound with the -same hand I tried to strike.” - -During the next morning Bakula and a few of the young men went to greet -the white man, whom they found busy washing and dressing sores, and -dispensing medicine to the sick. Bakula shyly went forward to have his -wound dressed, and when it was finished the white man asked his name; -but Bakula, filled with fear, gave his Santu name[35]--Dom Pedro. “No, I -don’t want your Santu,” said the white man, “but your proper name. Do -you still distrust me? Never mind, tell me when you know me better.” - -Footnote 35: - - See note 30, p. 350. - -“I will tell you now,” he replied. “I will not doubt you any more. My -name is Bakula.” - -When the white man had finished his medical work we all sat down for -another talk, and I noticed that Bakula sat very close to his white -friend’s chair, and hesitatingly he put the following question: “You -tell us your country is very beautiful; that there is plenty to eat; -that your parents and brothers and sisters are living there; that you -were not turned out for being a bad man. Why, therefore, have you come -to this country, with its rough roads, its swamps, and its fevers?” - -Then the white man unfolded before Bakula and his companions the -wonderful story of Jesus Christ, from the time He left heaven on His -mission of Redemption, until He returned to heaven the Author of eternal -salvation. The audience listened attentively to this delightfully -strange story, and Bakula, looking up, exclaimed in surprised tones-- - -“Why, Jesus Christ was just like you! He left all for us, the same as -you have done.” - -The white man was strangely and deeply moved as he replied-- - -“No, Jesus Christ did not copy me, but I try day by day to imitate Him. -It is for His sake, Bakula, that I forgave you, and have tried to return -good for evil, love for hate, and am willing to die that you all may -hear and believe in His great salvation.” - -After a little more conversation they separated, Bakula and his friends -returning to their huts solemnized, for a time, by what they had seen -and heard; and the white man, calling a few of his lads, went, with his -medicines and his message of God’s love, to spend a few hours in a -neighbouring village. - - - - - Chapter XII - Native Games and Pastimes - -Make-believe games--“Biti” and needle--Game with canna seeds--Hoop - game--“Mbele,” or Knife game--The story of “The Four Wonders,” or a - puzzle story--Conundrums--“The Adventures of the Twins.” - - -After the first novelty of our visit had passed away the women and girls -went daily, with dull regularity, to the farms; but only those men who -were obliged went to the markets for trading purposes, or to the forests -for building materials for their houses. The men and lads who were able -postponed, out of respect to their visitors, all those occupations that -would not suffer from delay, and gave themselves to games, asking -conundrums, and telling stories to entertain their visitors. - -The children had their make-believe housekeeping, cooking, trading and -marketing; the older ones their mimic wars, their mock hunts and their -pretended palavers. The small girls had their sticks, or pieces of -cassava roots, to represent dolls,[36] and they played with them as -such, carrying them tied by old rags to their backs, or on their hips as -their mothers had carried the children themselves when babies. - -Footnote 36: - - See note 31, p. 350. - -The small boys procured gourds, old tins, reeds and small drums, and -imitated a band, and they made about as much music by their efforts as -their elders discoursed from ivory trumpets and well-made drums. With -bits of sticks, reeds and grass they made toy houses with mud walls; and -with pieces of broken saucepans, old tins and any odds and ends they -could borrow from their mothers’ houses, they furnished themselves with -the necessary articles for their pretend-game of housekeeping, receiving -visits from each other, and inviting one another to their make-believe -feasts. The older and more active lads played at hockey, on which they -expended a great amount of boisterous, if unskilful, energy; and the -quieter ones were very expert in using their fingers and toes in making -cat’s cradles of many and intricate designs. - -Bakula was always selected to find the needle because of his quick ear, -whenever the following game was played with _biti_ and needle: The -players were divided into two sides, which we will call A and B. All the -players had a musical instrument called a _biti_, which is a kind of -_marimba_. Side A sent out one of its men, and secreted a needle in his -absence in full view of side B, which the one sent out had to find -guided only by side B playing simultaneously an agreed-upon note. Side B -decided what the guiding note should be. - -On the return of the needle-seeker, side B began to play their _biti_, -and when the needle-seeker approached near the hiding-place of the -needle, the guiding note was played, and as he receded from it the -guiding note was left out of the tune. - -The needle-seeker had not only to find the needle, but also to name the -guiding note. If he found the needle, it counted one game to his side, -and either he or another on side A went out again. When he failed in his -search then it counted one game to side B, and one on that side went -out. - -Of course the _biti_ players tried to hide the guiding note by playing -rapidly, and covering it with variations on the other metal reeds. A -quick ear to catch the repetition, or the absence of a particular note -was necessary for this game. - -[Illustration: 1. SCHOOLBOYS PLAYING HOCKEY.] - -[Illustration: 2. AT THE GIANT STRIDE.] - -[Illustration: 3. GYMNASTICS.] - -One day Bakula stopped to watch the following game that was being played -by some lads. The beautiful, round, black seeds of the canna plant, -which grows wild in most parts of Congo, are called _loso_, and that is -also the name of the game. These seeds are about the size of peas. - -The players are divided into two sides, which for clearness we will call -A and B, and they form a circle as they sit on the ground. Side A plays -first, and the thrower takes about twenty seeds in each hand. He throws -them out from his hands alternately, counting, as he throws, one, two, -three, and so on up to ten, and the rest he throws helter-skelter over -the cleared space in front of him, yet in such a way as not to -disarrange the positions of the first ten seeds thrown; but he tries to -do it as indifferently as he possibly can. - -Now before beginning to throw the seeds, side A has agreed among -themselves that seed number _five_ shall be the playing seed; so the -seeds having been thrown, one lad on the side A withdraws out of sight -and hearing. Then if side B has spotted the playing seed _five_, they -pick it up and say: “That is the seed, and its number is _five_.” That -counts as one game to them. If, however, they have not spotted the right -seed and pick up the wrong one, then a lad on side A touches the right -seed, and the one who left the circle is called back and picks up the -seed that was touched by the player on his side. That then counts as one -game to them--to side A. Any touching or picking up of the wrong seed by -a player is counted as a game to the other side. - -Supposing that side A says that seed _five_, which side B touched, is -not the playing seed, then side B removes it, and one on side A to carry -on the cheat touches, say, seed _eight_, then the lad who left is -recalled and, of course, he finds seed _five_ is gone, and should he try -to help the cheating by picking up another seed he must declare its -number, and there is every probability that he will not by chance pick -up seed _eight_, and also declare the same number as the boy who touched -it. - -To find out the right seed and number the opponents have to watch the -throwing for any hesitation at a particular number, or to see if a seed -is purposely thrown to one side; they have to listen for any emphasis on -a particular number, and also watch the eyes of their opponents to see -if they are all looking towards one particular seed. - -Again, the lad who leaves the circle must carry away with him a clear -plan of how the seeds lay, so that he may be sure of picking up the -right one, as any blunder made counts as a game to the other side. - -The boys of the town had another game of which they were very fond. It -was played with a hoop, and each player had a string two or three yards -long and weighted at each end. Sides were arranged which had to take -their stand in “towns” from twenty to twenty-five yards apart. The hoop -is trundled from side A towards side B, and as it approaches side B all -the players on that side throw their weighted strings (or toy bolases) -at it so as to entangle it, and the boy whose “bolas” entangles the hoop -picks up one end of his string and swings the hoop round and round his -head as he walks with it towards side A. Should he deposit it in their -town without dropping the hoop from the bolas, it counts one game to -side B. If the hoop is either not entangled, or drops while being -whirled, the game counts to the other side, _i. e._ to side A. Sometimes -the winner is challenged to whirl the hoop near the ground and to jump -over it while spinning without its touching the ground. - -If two or more strings entangle the hoop, then the boys owning those -strings must carry the hoop between them. The hoop must on no -consideration be touched by the hands of those on side B, unless no -string entangles it, when it is thrown back to side A and counts as one -game to them. After a set of twenty games the other side trundles the -hoop. A modification is made in the game by throwing the hoop in the -air. - -The next game that I observed, and the last that I shall describe, is -called _Mbele_ (or Knife). It is played either by the hands and arms, or -feet and legs, or by moving the knees only. The players form a line, and -the first lad in the line is called “King.” The “King” when he begins -the game faces the lad who stood next to him, and throws out both his -hands, draws them back to his breast, waves them in front of himself -parallel with his breast, and after making several feints he shoots out -one hand. If the lad standing in opposition to him is able to meet the -“thrust” three times by throwing out the corresponding hand, the “King” -has to take his place at the bottom of the line. If, however, no one in -the line is able to meet the “thrust” after three tries, then the last -lad in the line is called a “slave,” and stands out of the game. - -The “King,” who is generally an expert player, will sometimes go up and -down the line until all the players are “slaves” and he wins. Should the -“King” be out in going down the line, then when all become “slaves” to -another he has the privilege of winning them back, if he can, from the -last one in by playing him. - -There are many modifications in the game. The movements are very rapid -and cause a great amount of amusement, and help to train the eyes and -render the limbs very supple. - -Among other games played were “touch,” a kind of “hunt the slipper,” -with a palm-nut as the “slipper”; “tipit” was also played by the boys -sitting in a ring and passing a palm-nut from one to another, and the -lad in the centre had to catch the boy who really had the nut and they -changed places. Hopping the longest on one leg, throwing into a hole, -and backgammon were also in vogue at times. A popular game with small -boys was to hide a canna seed in one of five little heaps of dirt, and -the opponent had to sweep away the four heaps that did not contain the -seed and leave untouched the one heap that hid it. Each success counted -as a game to the winner, and every failure as a game to the other side. - -A never-ending source of amusement for dark nights when they gathered -round their fires in the streets, or for cold, rainy nights when they -sat in their houses was to be found in their puzzle stories and -conundrums. In nearly every town and village were expert story-tellers -and propounders of riddles, who were deservedly the recipients of much -local praise and fame for their voluntary efforts to entertain their -neighbours. - -Tonzeka’s town was no exception. Almost every evening, after the meal -was over, one or other of these skilled reciters would be called on for -a story. - -One evening the following wonderful deeds were related, and aroused a -great amount of discussion. I must preface this story by saying: The -Congo natives think that anything wonderful, anything out of the -ordinary injures their social and domestic life, or, as they say, -“spoils their country,” and is consequently to be condemned and -punished. Hence the appeal in this story from one to another to decide -who had performed the most extraordinary feat, and was, therefore, -worthy of the greatest blame. - -The narrator called it - - “The Story of the Four Wonders.” - -"A woman gave birth to a child, who on the day it was born went by -itself down to the river to bathe. While there a hunter arrived, who -fired his gun. - -"‘What are you firing at?’ asked the baby. ‘I am shooting the mosquitoes -that are eating my wife’s cassava,’[37] replied the hunter. - -"‘Whoever heard of such a thing before?’ said the baby. ‘By shooting -mosquitoes you are injuring the country.’ - -"The hunter denied this grave charge, and accused the baby of upsetting -the proper order of things by bathing himself on the very day he was -born. - -"After much discussion they submitted the case to a chief of a -neighbouring town. When he had listened to their wrangling, he said: ‘My -mouth is locked up in that room, and my wives have taken the key with -them to the farms.’ - -"‘Oh,’ they rejoined, ‘you, by talking when your mouth is fastened up in -another room, have destroyed our country, for whoever heard of such a -wonder before?’ - -"After much debate away they went to find some one to settle the matter -for them, and by and by they met a man who climbed palm-trees to tap -them for palm-wine, and they put the case to him, each accusing the -other of disarranging the proper order of earthly ways. - -"When they had finished the palm climber said: ‘I fell one day from the -top of a palm-tree and broke to pieces, and then I went into the town to -procure men to carry all my pieces back to my house.’ They thereupon -fell on him, accusing him of spoiling the country by his wonderful feat. -They are still arguing out the matter and cannot agree as to which is -worthy of the greatest blame." - -Footnote 37: - - Equal to saying: “I am shooting at the gnats that are eating up the - turnips.” - -At the conclusion each actor in this tale of wonders had his staunch -adherents among the little crowd of listeners. Some contended that the -baby had performed the most wonderful feat, and was therefore to be -greatly blamed. Others stood by the hunter, for “whoever before had -heard of shooting mosquitoes?” - -“Did you ever hear of a man talking with his mouth locked up in another -room?” aggressively asked a backer of that wonder. - -“You are all wrong,” shouted a big fellow with a loud voice, “the man -who broke to pieces and yet went for carriers to convey the pieces into -his town did something that surpassed all the other marvellous deeds.” - -Feeling ran high, words were bandied about, innuendoes respecting the -sad lack of sense that some folk exhibited were freely exchanged; but -during a lull in the throwing of wordy missiles, Bakula said: “I heard a -riddle the other day to which you cannot give me the answer.” - -“What is it?” asked several, and the noisy discussion on the wonders -ceased at once, and all eyes turned on Bakula. - -“_Our master sleeps behind the thorns. What is it?_” he asked, and there -was a twinkle of fun in his eye as he propounded the conundrum to them. - -One guessed one thing and another something else, and a poor henpecked -man suggested it was a woman behind her hoes; but he was instantly -annihilated by the remark that if he were bossed by his wives they were -not. - -They at last called on Bakula to give the solution, and he said, “_Our -master sleeps behind the thorns is our tongue behind the teeth_,” and he -saucily continued: “If you don’t let it sleep there you will soon be -fighting.” - -They rated him good-humouredly for his insolence, and pretended to punch -him as a punishment; but promised to let him go if he would state -another riddle. - -Bakula, on recovering his breath, asked the following conundrum: “_There -are three men carrying a dead one in their teeth.[38] What is it?_” To -this a man instantly gave the answer: “_A ridge pole held by three king -posts._” - -Footnote 38: - - The “forks” cut on upright posts to hold the cross poles are called in - Congo _meno_, i. e. teeth. - -The guesser of Bakula’s riddle then gave one as follows: “_The slave my -father bought on the market is always standing out (or away) from him._” -After many guesses had been ventured, Bakula gave the proper one, viz. -“_Pipe_” which always stands out (or away) from the smoker. - -Bakula had now to give another riddle, and propounded the following one: -“_The bird with its head cut off eats up all the food. What is it?_” -After many wild, unsuccessful attempts one of the men guessed the -answer, viz. “_Mortar._”[39] The man who gave this correct solution -belonged to Tonzeka’s town, and as he said he did not know any -conundrums he was asked to give them a story instead, and to this -request, after a little hesitation, he acceded by narrating the -following tale, called - - “The Adventures of the Twins.” - -“Mr. Tungi built some houses and then married. When he had been married -about a year he started on a journey to some distant markets to buy and -trade in peanuts. He had not been gone very long when Mrs. Tungi gave -birth to male twins. - -“When the twins had grown into stout lads their mother told them that -their father had gone to trade at some distant markets, but would be -returning soon to his town. They at once decided to go and meet him. -Their mother prepared some native bread and other food, and in a few -days they set out in search of their father. - -“After travelling a long way they met a palm-wine gatherer sitting in a -palm-frond drinking-shelter, who welcomed them and promised to get them -some fresh palm-wine. He took his climbing-hoop and together they went -to the palm-tree. Before ascending the tree the twins were astonished to -see the man take out all his bones and lay them on one side, and then he -climbed the tree and brought down a small calabash of palm-wine for the -boys, picked up his bones and put them all back again in their places. -The lads asked him why he removed his bones before ascending the -palm-tree. - -“‘Oh,’ he said, ‘if I were to fall I should break them, so I always -leave my bones on the ground, and then, should I fall, nothing will be -broken.’ They drank his palm-wine, thanked him, and after resting a -while started again on their journey. - -“They had not travelled very far when they met two men walking towards -them whose feet were turned backwards. The twins asked them what -accident had twisted their feet in that way. - -“They replied: ‘It is no accident, but we turn our feet round when -travelling to keep our naked toes from knocking against the stones in -the road.’ - -“The twins had hardly recovered from their surprise when they came -across some men whose knees were behind, and others whose arms were at -the back, and others again whose faces were at the back of their heads. - -“They inquired the reason for these strange things, and the first said: -‘We have our knees at the back of our legs so that when we fall they -will not be cut by the stones.’ - -“The next replied: ‘We have our arms behind us so that if we fall -backwards they will hold us up, and we shall not hurt ourselves.’ - -“And the last laughingly said: ‘Oh, we have our faces behind our heads -so that the long grass by the sides of the roads will neither cut them -nor get into our eyes as we push our way through it.’ - -“‘Well, this is a funny country,’ cried the twins in amazement, ‘people -seem to do whatever they like with their bodies.’ - -“On they went again, and during the afternoon they reached the bank of a -river, where they rested under a shady tree. While sitting there they -saw men and women, boys and girls coming down the hill to bathe, and -they noticed that all of them took out their eyes before they entered -the water and left them on the bank with their clothes. They inquired -the reason for this wonderful thing, and one of the men said: ‘You see, -we bathe here with our mothers, wives and sisters--men and women, boys -and girls altogether, hence to retain our self-respect and modesty we -always take out our eyes before bathing.’ The twins were no longer -astonished at anything they saw and heard, so they silently assented to -what the man told them. - -“They camped by the river that night, and early next morning renewed the -search for their father. After three or four hours’ travelling over the -hills, across streams and through dense forests, they arrived at a large -market, where all the people, instead of speaking, were making signs to -one another as they bought and sold their goods. Upon looking at them -more closely they observed that none of them had lower jaws, hence they -were not able to speak. They could not inquire into this wonder, as no -one was able to talk to them. - -“They pushed on across the market, and after walking another hour or two -they reached a large river, where they saw a man, with a very heavy -load, trying to cross it, and seeing he was in great difficulty they -helped him over with his load, and then sat down to have a rest and -chat. They told the man they were twin sons of Tungi, and were looking -for their father, who left his town many years ago to trade in the -distant markets. - -“The man said: ‘Why, I am Tungi, you must be my sons, and I am just -returning to my town.’ - -“The sons rejoiced in this meeting with their father, and were glad they -had helped him over the river, otherwise they would not have known him. -They divided the load between them, and soon started for home. - -“As the twins walked with their father, they told him of all they had -seen and heard during their journey, but they said: ‘In the market we -passed this morning we saw people who did all their trading by signs, -because they had no lower jaws. Why was that?’ - -“Their father replied: ‘On the markets in this country there was so much -rowing, quarrelling and fighting that they made a law that all those who -went to market should leave their lower jaws at home; for if folk cannot -talk they won’t quarrel, and hence they will have no reason for -fighting. It is talking and wrangling that lead to rows, riots and -fights.’ - -“The twins and their father reached their town again safely, where they -were noisily welcomed and feasted; and the twins frequently narrated the -marvellous sights they had seen during their travels.” - -Footnote 39: - - The _mortar_ is used for pounding maize, dried cassava, plantains, - etc. To the native familiar with the whole process it was a good - conundrum. - -[Illustration: _Photo_] BUSY WASHING. [_Rev. F. Aldrieve._] - -[Illustration: _Photo_] RESTING AFTER WASHING. [_Rev. F. -Aldrieve._] - - - - - Chapter XIII - Bakula accompanies an Embassy - -A title reverts to Satu--He sends Old Plaited-Beard to the King with a - present--The embassy arrives at the King’s town--Has an audience in - the King’s house--King promises to send a deputy to install - Satu--King dines with the white man and sees a magic lantern--Bakula - and the white man renew their acquaintance--He sleeps on the mission - station and hears all about the King’s household. - - -Just as Satu’s visit to Tonzeka was drawing to a close, his departure -was hastened by the death of a chief who had bought a life interest in a -title that belonged to Satu’s family. - -It was the custom for a wealthy person to buy of the King the title, we -will say, of Tulante, for one slave and five thousand strings of blue -pipe beads. If, on his death, his heir is not rich enough to support the -title, or for some reason does not want it, he can, with the consent of -the King, sell it to another chief for that chief’s lifetime. When this -second buyer dies his heir cannot take the title unless he has the -permission of the family originally holding it, and for that permission -he must pay, and the King cannot confer it without the consent of the -said family. In fact, the title reverts to the family that _first bought -it of the King_, and the head of that family can resume it, or pass it -on as a life title to any other family. Whenever the title is conferred -either on the proper heir to it or on the life buyer of it, the King -always receives a large present from the recipient. It is one of the -sources of his income. This custom apparently applies only to certain -titles of which there can only be one holder at any given time. - -The title that belonged to Satu’s family was Katendi,[40] and as Satu’s -brother was too poor to take the title when it fell to him, he had sold -a life interest in it to a more wealthy neighbouring chief. - -Footnote 40: - - _Katendi Katendwa nzala o makanda mamene_, i. e. Katendi’s - finger-nails must not be cut, or his clan will die out: in other - words, he must fight to the last, and not submit to humiliations. - -Satu was now ambitious to resume the title, so he sent an embassy to -request the King to confer the title on him, and to commission the -proper court officer to act as his delegate. Satu sent as a present to -the King twenty pieces of very good cloth containing twelve yards each, -three goats, one large pig, and four barrels of gunpowder.[41] Old -Plaited-Beard, who was a man of importance in our town, was deputed to -give the various articles to his majesty, and ten men and lads -accompanied him to carry and guard the goods. - -Footnote 41: - - The whole present was worth about £10 at that time. - -After a few days’ journey we arrived at Congo dia Ngunga, which is -situated on a broad plateau some 450 feet above the surrounding country. -Along one side of the hill winds the Mposo river, on two other sides the -hill falls abruptly to wide valleys, and the fourth side undulates -gradually down to the town, where we spent our last night on the road -and where we “dressed” for our entry into the King’s town. - -We arrived about the middle of the morning, and Old Plaited-Beard sent -at once to beg for an audience with the King. He replied that we might -come in the afternoon, for he undoubtedly heard from the messenger what -a fine present we were bringing him. - -While we were waiting for the call to the King’s house, the elders of -our party rested in a hut belonging to one of the King’s head men, and -exchanged the gossip of the country with him; but Bakula paid a visit to -his friend the white man, who had a station there, and was very -cordially welcomed by him. - -Bakula was shown over the house, the school, the medicine-store and -other places, and made to feel perfectly at home. He visited the boys’ -house, and quickly struck up an acquaintance with two or three lads. He -asked them innumerable questions, pried into every possible nook and -corner, and finally concluded that Tonzeka was right and Old -Plaited-Beard wrong. Before hurrying back to his party he bade good-bye -to the white man, and was asked to come and spend a day or two with him -when his business with the King was completed. This he readily promised -to do. - -About the middle of the afternoon a messenger called us to the King. -Bakula at once picked up the twenty pieces of cloth, which were wrapped -in a blanket, and followed Old Plaited-Beard, who strutted grandly in -front filled with an enormous sense of his own importance. The others -came on behind, and the goats and the pig brought up the rear. - -We made our way towards the middle of the town, where the King’s -_lumbu_, or enclosure, was situated. We passed between fences to the -“judging place,” or _mbaji a Kongo_, in the centre of the town, where a -huge, wide-spreading tree stood, beneath the shadows of which all -important palavers were held. Crossing this “town square,” we came to -the first entrance of the King’s _lumbu_, which was a miniature maze, as -we had to negotiate four fences before arriving at the central space -where the King’s house stood. - -On entering the first opening, we turned to the left, then right, then -right again, and found another opening in the fence; then by turning -again to the right we worked our way back to a position near the first -opening, where we found the third opening in the third fence, then -turning to the left and again to the right, there was the opening -leading into the courtyard immediately in front of the King’s house. -There we waited and sent the messenger to tell the King we had reached -the last entrance. - -After standing there a short time we received permission to advance, and -found ourselves in an open space about fifteen by twenty yards in -extent, with the front door of the “palace” before us. Old Plaited-Beard -and those who were unencumbered with the presents fell upon their knees, -stretched their bodies forward in a profound bow, put their palms -together, rubbed their little fingers in the dust, which they smeared on -their foreheads and temples, and then clapped their hands three -times--not by hitting the palms together, but by arching their hands. - -After this obeisance they arose to their feet and walked to the front of -the house, where they fell again on their knees and repeated the former -ceremony of homage. Again rising they entered the house, and advancing -to within two or three yards of the King they fell on their knees and -performed the third and last act of their homage. - -The King showed his acceptance of the homage by putting the palms of his -hands across each other in such a way that the fingers of the right hand -were placed well above the thumb and index finger of the left, and he -waved the extended fingers up and down. If the King had not received our -homage thus, but had thrust out his foot and wriggled his toes, the -sooner we had retreated from his presence and returned to our town the -better it would have been for us. It would have been a sign that the -King was angry with us, wished to insult us, and was meditating -mischief. - -As native houses go the King’s “palace” was large, being about eighteen -feet wide by twenty-five feet long. The walls were of planks, and the -roof of grass. Along one wall was a high, wide shelf covered with ewers, -basins, decanters, china images of dogs, men, and women gaudily -coloured, jugs, plates, and common vases--the profits of trading and -presents from chiefs and others. Beneath the shelf were various trunks, -undoubtedly full of trade cloth and other treasures. - -I afterwards heard that the King’s bedroom was next to the one we were -in, and beyond that the houses for his twenty-five wives. - -We found the King sitting on a low seat covered with blankets, rugs and -pillows. His full title was Dom Pedro V, Ntotela, Ntinu a Kongo, _i. e._ -Dom Pedro V, Emperor, King of Congo. His personal name was Elelo, and I -afterwards learned that his sobriquet was: Weni w’ezulu, or, The Great -One of Heaven. - -The King received us very graciously and inquired about Satu and the -town, about trade and the number of people. Old Plaited-Beard answered -cautiously, for it was not wise to give too much information to his -majesty. He then told the King that Satu wished to have conferred on him -his family title of Katendi, which his uncle had bought some years -previously of his majesty. Then without waiting for an answer, our -leader beckoned Bakula to come forward with the present. With -considerable nervousness my owner stepped into the space before the -King, fell on his knees and paid homage as he had seen the others do, -and, removing the covering, he presented, on his knees, the cloth piece -by piece to the august personage, who counted the pieces, felt the -texture and commented with satisfaction on the weight and quality of -each piece. - -The powder, pig and goats were next presented, and he was asked with -proper expressions of humility to accept the “poor gift.” This he -deigned to do, and promised that on a certain day he would send his -Kapitau to install Satu officially in his title of Katendi. - -We then retired backward out of the house, kneeling and paying homage at -the right places, and at last found ourselves winding through the maze -of fences into the town, well pleased with our reception and impressed -with the greatness and dignity of the King. - -Soon after our return to our quarters we received a present of some food -from the King, and heard that one head man had been instructed to look -after our welfare during the visit. - -Just before sunset there was a great stir in the town, and Bakula, -running in the direction of the noise, was in time to see the King leave -his _lumbu_. He was about six feet four inches in height, very stout, -being sixty-eight inches[42] round the waist, his face badly pitted with -the small-pox, and he was ungainly and awkward in his movements by -reason of his obesity. He was dressed in a loin-cloth of many yards of -purple velvet, a scarlet waistcoat with bright buttons adorned his -capacious stomach, and a general’s coat covered his back. On his head -was a cockade, and from a belt hung a large and heavy sword, which he -removed and handed to one of his men to carry. - -Footnote 42: - - See note 32, p. 351. - -In the square before his _lumbu_ were six of his head men, with a -hammock gay with bright-coloured cloths. It was rarely now that the King -left his _lumbu_, hence there was a large crowd to witness the unusual -sight. It was with difficulty that he mounted his hammock, and it needed -the combined strength of the six _doms_, or head men, to support him in -it. - -Fortunately they had not far to carry him--about 150 yards, and they -landed him safely but perspiring at the door of the mission-house, to -which Bakula and the crowd followed him. - -The white man, who had invited the King to dine with him that evening, -received his majesty at the door, and after shaking hands with him and -inquiring after his health, led him to a substantial sofa that stood in -the corner of the central room. - -The crowd stood around the door, for the head men allowed only a few in -attendance on the King to enter. To my owner’s eyes it was a large -dining-room, and from the door one commanded a view of the whole of it. - -There in the centre stood a large table with a white cloth spread over -it. On each side a place was laid with knives and forks for one person. -From the roof a lamp was suspended that threw a light over the whole -room and revealed the various things on the table, such as some bread, -biscuits, jugs of water, and a bottle of lime-juice. - -The table being already laid, the boys quickly brought from the kitchen -some soup, sweet potatoes, native greens, a tin of fish, one boiled -fowl, a piece of boiled pork, a sucking pig roasted whole, a rice -pudding and some stewed native fruit. A native likes to know what he is -expected to eat, and the King could not have read a menu if there had -been one. A smile of complacent anticipation covered the King’s broad -face as his eyes and nose were greeted by the appearance of the roasted -sucking pig. - -All being ready, the white man invited the King to take his seat at the -table. The old man waddled over to the chair, and when he had seated -himself, his five favourite wives took up a position on the ground round -the back of his chair, while the head men arranged themselves along the -wall. The white man took his seat opposite the King, and having said -Grace, helped his majesty to soup. - -The old man took a few spoonfuls and handed the rest down to his wives, -who, with suppressed giggling, finished it. Fish followed, and what the -King did not eat he passed on to his wives. - -The white man said: “In England when boys and girls are going to a feast -they eat very little during the day, so as to do full justice to the -feast provided for them.” - -“Is that so?” replied the King. “I did not know that was your custom, -for,” he laughingly continued, “I have eaten nothing all day in order to -have plenty of room for your dinner.” And the old man chuckled because -he was ’cuter than the white boys, for he had eaten _nothing_. - -A plate piled with boiled pork, fowl and vegetables was next handed to -the visitor. He worked his way through about half of it, and passed down -the remainder to his waiting wives, who finished it with gusto. - -Then came that roasted sucking pig. Generous slices of it were laid on a -plate--no, he did not want vegetables. The meat soon disappeared, and -there was nothing but a bone or two this time to hand down to the women. - -The white man, sympathizing with their disappointment, asked the King to -have some more. Another large portion was placed upon his plate--yes, he -would have some vegetables this time. The meat vanished again--it was -quite true, the King had eaten nothing surely for a Congo week. The -plate was loaded a third time with the tasty pork, and the King was at -last beaten, for with a sigh he handed more than half a plateful down to -his expectant wives, among whom it was quickly shared and eaten. - -“Would the King have some rice pudding and stewed guavas?” was the next -question. A look of reproach passed across his majesty’s face, as much -as to say: “Why do you have such common things on such an important -occasion?” But he was too courteous to give expression to his thoughts, -and asked for “a little, very little.” - -One of the wives, however, lifted her head and formed her mouth into the -word “Plenty,” and plenty it was that found its way to the King’s plate. -He toyed with it a few moments, and his wives cleared the remainder. - -The feast was over. The white man told his boys to share the remnants -with the head men and the King’s wives, “for it is not every day that -the King dines with us,” and to clear the table as quickly as possible. - -While the boys were busy clearing away in a double sense, the King -informed his host of the prowess of his early years, when he was lithe -and active, and was feared throughout all the district for his fighting -qualities. It was then that he won the nickname of Weni w’ezulu, _i. e_. -the Great One of Heaven. - -No sooner were the remains of the feast removed than the white man put a -black thing on the table and lit it. It was a magic lantern. A white -sheet was lowered from the roof, and the light from the lantern turned -upon it, while the lamp that illuminated the room was put out. - -This caused the King to express some nervous fears, but a few quiet -words from the white man pacified him. It appeared that the white man -had often given lantern exhibitions in the open air, because there was -no building large enough to contain the crowds that came to see the -wonderful pictures; and as the sheet was put for convenience of erection -over the front of one of the houses, and the breezes caused the sheet to -gently move, the natives said: “The spirits came out of the house and -moved about on the sheet.” - -The King had heard of these suspicious rumours, and as he could not -mingle with the crowds, he had asked the white man for a show all to -himself. Hence the invitation to dinner and the magic lantern display. - -Before exhibiting the pictures the white man referred to this silly -talk, and excused it because the people did not know any better. He -raised the sheet and showed the King the solid stone wall, explained the -working of the lantern, gave the King one of the slides, and told him -how the picture was thrown by the strong light on to the sheet. - -After much persuasion the King put his fingers in front of the lens and -saw them magnified on the sheet. He snapped his fingers and saw the -movements imitated and enlarged, and at last was quite sure there was no -wickedness or witchcraft about the whole affair. - -The white man now threw some pictures of London on the sheet and -explained them, and they needed a lot of explanation. The tall -houses--room above room; the Queen’s palace and her soldiers; the big -houses where the judges sat day after day--“It must be a wicked country -where so many judges have to hear cases every day”; the horses and -vehicles, and the people--“The people! Why, they are as numerous in your -roads as driver-ants!”[43] - -Footnote 43: - - See note 33, p. 351. - -The white man then showed a few pictures of the life of Christ, and with -a few words of prayer brought the visit to a close. - -The King, somewhat solemnized by what he had last seen and heard, -thanked the white man for the dinner and the pictures, and, getting into -his hammock, was carried by his six stalwart head men back to his house. - -Bakula, my owner, had received, by permission of the white man, an -invitation from one of the elder school lads to sleep in the mission -dormitory. Consequently, after the King’s departure, he made his way to -the boys’ house and was vociferously greeted by his new friends, some of -whom were with the white man when he was driven from Satu’s town. The -house he entered was about twenty feet long by fifteen feet wide. It -possessed several luxuries, such as a door and windows that moved on -hinges, an oil lantern hanging from the roof, and beds raised about two -feet above the ground. - -Bakula had been greatly impressed by his visit to the King, of whom he -had heard much, but had never seen until that day. After the first -greetings were over he began to ply his new friends with many questions -about the King, and as a son and a nephew of the King were among the -school-lads, he had his curiosity more than satisfied by what he was -able to learn from them. He was told that many chiefs sent their sons to -be brought up at the court of the King, and thus they were able to learn -the ceremonies of the court etiquette in receiving visitors, and how to -settle palavers. These lads waited on the King, were his errand boys on -small occasions, and finished the food he left after they had served him -at table. - -Attached to the King’s court were several functionaries, as follows: -_Kapitau_ was a noble whose function it was to confer titles on others -as the representative of the King, who, being too old and obese to -travel with comfort the long, hilly roads, sent this officer in his -stead, as the chiefs could only be ennobled in their own towns. - -_Nelumbu_ was the title of another court officer, who was supposed never -to leave the King’s _lumbu_, or enclosure. He was a kind of master of -ceremonies, or a chamberlain, and instructed the ignorant how to -approach the King. After him came _Nempangu_, who carried the staff of -the King (from _mpangu_, staff). This officer went on embassies for his -master to chiefs and towns, taking the King’s staff with him as a token -of his authority, and a proof that he had come from the King. Then there -was _Nembila_ (from _mbila_, summons, call), who was the King’s -messenger, and was sent to summon chiefs and others to the King’s -presence and to inform the people of his majesty’s wishes and commands. -_Nejinguzioka_ (or “one who walks about”) was an officer who always -stayed by the King, to wait on him and carry out those important orders -that could not be entrusted to the lads or pages who served the King. -_Neloto_ (from _loto_, spoon) was lowest in rank about the court, and -was simply the spoon-bearer--probably a taster of the food before it was -given to his master. - -Attached to the court, but outside of it, was a head man, whose special -duty it was to assess the tax on all trading caravans travelling through -the town or passing through the near district. He was also to some -extent responsible for the safe-conduct of caravans through that part of -the country of which the King was overlord. Of course the larger portion -of the amounts in kind received found their way to the King, otherwise -his life would have been of little worth. And, lastly, there was -_Nemfilantu_ (from _fila ntu_, to place the head), the noble best liked -by the King, the most trusted of his councillors, the one in whose “lap -he could rest his head.” - -During his stay in the King’s town Bakula had all these high personages -shown to him. It was necessary to have them pointed out, as on ordinary -occasions they were dressed worse[44] than slaves and dependants, so as -to avoid arousing envy, jealousy, and accusations of witchcraft. - -Footnote 44: - - See note 34, p. 352. - - - - - Chapter XIV - Bakula stays with the White Man - -The working of a mission station--Buying food--The school--Bakula is - afraid to enter the school--Repairing the station--Boys work in the - gardens--A quarrel, and how it was settled--An evening’s chat with - the white man--Rubbing evil spirits out of a man--Sunday - service--Congregation--Sermon--Visit to a near town--Religious talk - with the King--Boys pray for their white teacher--Witch-doctor’s - trick exposed. - - -Next morning, at sunrise, Bakula was aroused by the sonorous tones of a -large bell, and running out of the house he found the white man pacing -slowly up and down the yard of the mission station, waiting for the -workmen to arrive. Bakula greeted his friend with a smile, and an -inquiry as to whether he had “slept well,”[45] and then stood on one -side to observe all that happened. Soon the workmen came, rubbing the -sleep out of their eyes, and the white man, checking them by his -note-book, sent some to cut and carry in bundles of thatching-grass, -others for fence sticks, and others for posts; three were sent for -papyrus[46] reeds from which to make native string for repairing the -fences running round the mission ground, and some were set to work on -the station. - -Footnote 45: - - See note 35, p. 352. - -Footnote 46: - - See note 36, p. 352. - -Having started the men at their work, the white man sat down to his -breakfast. It was not like the dinner to which the King had been -invited, for it consisted of porridge, coffee, roasted plantain[47] and -eggs. During this time women and men were gathering with various -articles for sale, and as soon as the white man had finished his -breakfast he went out to barter for the different articles he needed. -Women with large baskets of _mfumfu_, or cassava flour, and peanuts went -with their goods to the door of a store directly the price was agreed -upon. Eggs were tested, and a string of a hundred blue pipe beads (worth -a farthing) was paid for each, fowls were bought at from ten to twenty -strings of beads each, according to size. Yams, sweet potatoes, greens, -and small native tomatoes were also purchased with either the ordinary -blue beads, which were the currency, or with red, olive, opal or any -other coloured beads that happened to be in stock and took the fancy of -the seller. Men with bamboos, mats, and planks bartered them for -different kinds of trade cloth; and those with goats sold them for -cloth, blankets, knives, cast-off soldiers’ coats, or large, -bright-coloured handkerchiefs. Then the white man hurried over to the -store, measured out the cassava flour and peanuts, and paid the women -according to quantity. - -Footnote 47: - - See note 37, p. 352. - -On our markets a great amount of time is wasted by haggling over -prices--the seller asking a ridiculous sum at first, and gradually -bringing it down to a half or third of the original demand. But I -noticed that the white man looked keenly at the article for sale, asked -the price, carefully considered for a few moments and then stated the -amount he would give, and the vender either assented to it at once, or -picked up his goods and left. - -There was one man, a stranger, who had a goat for sale. The white man -examined it. - -“How much?” he asked. - -“Twenty-four fathoms of cloth,” replied the man. - -The white man whistled, smiled, and said: “I will give you nine fathoms -for it, and that is a fair price.” - -“Give me twenty fathoms. I can get that on the market,” avowed the man. - -“Take it to the market, then,” advised the white man. “Let me see,” he -continued, “to-day is Nkenge market. You will not have far to go.” And -with that he walked on to the next. - -A man standing by said to the goat-seller: "If you stay here all day he -won’t change his price. He has only ‘one mouth.’ On the market you may -get seven fathoms for the goat, but not more. You should accept the -offer." - -He wisely acted on the advice, received his nine fathoms, and went away -with a truer conception of white men’s knowledge of the prices of native -goods, and delighted that he had sold his goat before the sun was very -high in the sky. - -Just now I heard the big bell ring, and shortly after it was again rung -loudly, and the boys on the station and others from various parts of the -town went hurrying by into the school-house--a long building of mats, -posts, and thatch, built along one side of the courtyard. There were -about sixty boys of various ages present when the white man entered. He -led them in the singing of a hymn, talked to them a short time about -God’s palaver, and then they all bowed their heads in prayer. - -After this he called out the names of the boys from his book, and -divided them into four lots: one group he set to write in books, another -received slates and pencils and wrote down and worked the sums that were -written on a blackboard, another set of boys sat round their white -teacher and read from books, and over in the corner was a class being -taught their letters by a native teacher. - -Bakula was asked by the white man to enter the school, but my owner was -too fearful of what might happen to him--if he did--to accept the -invitation, and at the same time was so interested in all that he saw -and heard that he could not drag himself away from the door. He asked -and received permission to remain at his place of observation. - -At intervals the white man walked round the station to see that the -workmen had not gone to sleep, or over to some young men who were -learning carpentry under the verandah of his house, and needed some -further instruction. Occasionally men came to the door of the school to -talk with the white man on matters of business or to seek his advice on -native palavers. - -About the middle of the morning the white man gave a sign, and the boys -left the school helter-skelter for a short time of play. Hockey-sticks -were quickly brought out, and the station resounded with peals of -laughter and the shouts of those at play. Another sign and the boys -skurried back to the school-house, and were soon engaged in other -lessons. During the second school the white teacher gave a short talk on -physiology, and the boys listened to it with much attention, and asked -many questions. It surprised them to hear the number of bones in their -body, and the wonderful way in which they were made. - -I noticed that the teacher spoke of the foolishness of believing that -witchcraft could affect the body, and showed how the witch-doctors -tricked, deceived and robbed them. They sang another hymn, and repeated -together what I afterwards learned to be the Lord’s Prayer, and the -school was concluded. The midday bell rang, the workmen stopped work, -the boys went to their house or to the town, and the white man had his -dinner and rested during the heat of the day. - -In due time (2 p.m.) the bell sounded, and Bakula, full of curiosity and -interest, went to see what next the white man would do. He found him -standing at the door telling the workmen to continue with the repairs of -the fence, and allotting to the boys their work in the garden. At this -time about twenty boys lived on the station, some of whom came from -distant towns. All of them had their own work allotted to them: thus two -boys swept, cleaned, and did all the necessary work in the white man’s -house; one boy did the washing and ironing, another did the cooking; one -boy fetched firewood and water for the cook-house; two boys looked after -the goats, cut grass and fed them in the dry season; and one boy fetched -the water for the house from the beautiful spring that gurgled out of -the ground half-way down the hill-side. The rest of the boys worked on -the garden. - -Bakula could understand boys working about the house, kitchen, and goats -of the white man; but he could not understand boys working on the land -like women and girls; and when he went to look at them, and found them -digging with hoes, he asked: “Why do you do this woman’s work? Are you -girls?” - -“No,” they answered, “we are not girls. At one time we refused to work -in the garden, and told the white man that this kind of work was only -fit for women; but he came and worked with us day after day, and we -thought that the work a white man was not ashamed to do we black boys -should not be ashamed of. Since then we have worked as you see us.” - -Bakula returned to the courtyard, and found the white man very busy -dressing sores, and dispensing medicine to the sick, after which he -accompanied him on a visit to various patients about the town who were -too ill to come to the dispensary. The rest of the afternoon the white -man spent with the carpenter lads, by whose aid he was building a large -store. - -By sunset the white man looked fagged, and I think it was with a sigh of -relief that he drove the last nail for the day, and gave the order to -ring the stop-work bell. Just then loud shouts were heard, angry, -passionate words came on the air, and the white man, hurrying in the -direction of the sounds, found a big boy fighting a small one. He -instantly separated them, and turning on the big fellow upbraided him -for cowardice in striking a little boy, and charged him with breaking -one of the station laws in hitting one smaller than himself. - -“He cursed me and was insolent,” aggressively answered the law-breaker -in defence of his action. - -“Yes, I dare say he was cheeky,” said the judge; “but you know the rule -of this place is: All big boys that hit little boys must be punished -with the cane, and all small boys who curse and are insolent to their -elders must be brought to the white man for him to cane. There is only -one who punishes on this station, and that is myself. Is it not so?” - -“Yes, that is the law,” they unanimously assented. - -“I have told you repeatedly,” continued the white man, “that without -such a rule you cannot live happily here. The big ones among you would -constantly harry and make drudges of the little ones, and their lives -would become unbearable; and the younger ones, too, would irritate you -older ones with their curses and impudence. It is a good law, is it -not?” - -“Yes, it is a good law,” they all agreed. - -Thereupon the white man picked up a cane, and gave the law-breaker six -good strokes with it on his hands, and turning to the small boy, he -said: “If you get cursing or cheeking the other lads I will give you a -thrashing that you will not quickly forget.” - -The boys trooped off to their house. And Bakula, as he accompanied the -lads, was surprised to hear no angry exclamations against the white man. -The majority acknowledged the rule to be a good one, and that the white -man was absolutely impartial in enforcing it. - -During the evening my owner, together with eight or ten other lads, went -to have a chat with their white man. On entering his house we found him -reading a book and eating roasted peanuts. His evening meal was over, -and he was just reading and resting. On our arrival he smiled, and -putting down his book, at once began to chat with us. There had been a -discussion in the boys’ house as to which was the greatest country: -Portugal, Holland, or England,[48] and as the supporters of each were -about equally divided they had come to the white man to settle the -palaver for them. He listened to our questions, and taking down one of -his books, told us the size of each country, the number of people in -each, and the different kinds of articles made in each place. He then -told us a story he had just read, and asked us to tell him one of our -stories, which the oldest lad amongst us at once did, to our amusement. -It was now late, but before wishing our white friend “to sleep well,” we -all knelt in prayer and thanked the great God for His goodness, and -especially for the loving gift of His Son Jesus Christ. - -Footnote 48: - - See note 38, p. 353. - -The next day was Saturday, so the boys swept up the courtyard, and all -the various paths about the station, those also leading to the station -and the “town square.” Bakula entered heartily into the work of tidying -up the place, and by midday all the rubbish had been carried away and -burnt. The boys had the rest of the day for themselves--some visited -friends in the neighbourhood, others played hockey, one group went off -to the forest in search of wild fruits, and another went rat-hunting in -the farms and bush. - -While Bakula was walking this afternoon through the town he saw a man -stretched on a mat with a fowl tied to his leg, and a witch-doctor -vigorously rubbing him. He was a sick man, and the “medicine man” had -told him to bring a fowl before he could attempt to cure him. The fowl -had been brought and a string had been tied from a leg of the fowl to a -leg of the outstretched patient. - -The witch-doctor was now kneeling by the side of the sick man, rubbing -the evil spirit out of his arms into his body; then he chased it out of -the body over towards the leg to which the fowl was tied; he thereupon -worked it out of the other leg into that to which the fowl was connected -by the string, and thus he followed it until he had cornered it near to -the string, when suddenly he gave a tremendous push and away it went -through the rest of the leg and through the string into the fowl. The -witch-doctor cut the connecting string, wrung the neck of the fowl, and -threw it over to his wife to cook for his next meal, for he was not -afraid of any number of evil spirits that might be in the fowl. The -practice was that if a patient did not recover after this rubbing out of -the malignant spirits, he had to take another and another fowl until he -was either cured or his fowls were finished. - -There was no bell at sunrise the next morning calling the men to work; -but before the sun was far above the distant tree-tops a bugle sounded -out over the town. - -“What is that?” asked Bakula of a companion, for he had never heard a -bugle before. - -“To-day is Sunday,” his friend replied, “and that is Petelo blowing his -bugle to remind the people that it is the rest day, and those who want -to attend the service to hear God’s palaver must not go to the farms.” - -“I know what God’s palaver means,” said Bakula. “But what do Sunday and -service mean? I never heard of them before.” - -His informant explained the meaning of the day, and also of the word -service. He said that ever since the white teachers had come to live in -their town many of the folk observed the day and attended the service, -but others laughed at both and went off to their farms as usual. - -By and by my owner went with the other lads to the school-house, where -we found some boys from the town already assembled. The white man came -in and greeted us, sat down among us and conducted what I afterwards -learned was a Sunday-school class. He talked to us about God’s mercy and -justice, and we asked him all kinds of questions. If we started any -inquiry that did not belong to the lesson he told us to remind him of it -one evening when we went for a chat with him and he would try to answer -it then. - -When the sun was well up the bell was rung for God’s palaver. All the -boys picked up two or three mats and carried them to the “town square,” -where they spread them along three sides and placed two of them in the -middle. These preparations being completed, the bell was again loudly -rung, and the white man, locking up his house, went to the square, -followed by a boy carrying his chair. - -By this time the people had gathered--the women and girls sat on the -mats along one side, the men and boys on the mats extending along two -sides. The school-boys arranged themselves on the mats that had been put -in the middle, against which the white man’s chair had been placed, and -finally the King sat on a chair with a few head men about him at the -entrance to his _lumbu_, or enclosure, which occupied the whole of the -fourth side. He was gorgeously arrayed in a bright red coat and -waistcoat, with a large, bright blue cloth round his loins and a gaudy -smoking-cap on his head. Most of the people were dressed in gay-coloured -cloths and bright beads, and had oily faces. Here and there were young -dandies who, to enhance their charms, had polished their faces with -black lead, or streaked them with lines of scarlet, blue, or yellow -pigments. - -It was a strange, grotesque, pathetic gathering upon which the eyes of -the pale-face teacher rested that radiant Sunday morning. The faces of -the old women portrayed their greed, jealousy, hatred and vice. From the -very youngest girl to the oldest woman there was not a pure, virgin soul -to be found. Among the older men there was not one but had broken the -whole ten commandments, and the younger men and boys who had not broken -them all had failed not from lack of inclination, but of opportunities. -There at the back sat in scarlet and blue the man who had murdered the -very mother who had nursed him and cared for him in infancy and -childhood. What message had the teacher for these men and women? - -The white man gave out a hymn, and the schoolboys sang it heartily. -Bakula recognized it as the one he heard in Tonzeka’s town on the night -of the drunken riot--“God loved the world of sinners lost.” - -Then a strange thing happened: the teacher knelt in prayer, and the men -and women, boys and girls turned over from their squatting postures on -the mats, and bowed their heads while in reverent tones they repeated -the prayers phrase by phrase--a confession of guilt, a petition for -strength to do right, a note of thankfulness for God’s mercy, and, for -His great gift of Jesus Christ, and a request that they might all -receive His pardon and salvation. Then came another hymn, and the white -man spoke to us on God’s readiness to forgive, if we will but repent and -turn to Him, and he illustrated what he meant by telling us a story out -of God’s book called “The Prodigal Son.” Another hymn and prayer and the -strange meeting was over. The teacher went and spoke to the King and -greeted all whom he passed on his way to his empty house. - -Soon after dinner the white man called three or four of his boys, and, -taking his long walking-stick, started for Mputu, to hold a service in -that town. Bakula met the little party and received permission to join -it. - -Passing through the town, we descended a steep side of the hill, and -came to the river Mposo, which we crossed by means of a rickety bridge, -and a long walk up and down low-lying hills brought us to Mbumba’s town -of Mputu. Apparently the white man was expected, for the folk gathered -before the greetings between the chief and the teacher were concluded. - -A service was conducted similar to the morning one, the chief and people -joining in the hymns and prayer, and listening attentively to God’s -palaver. The sun by now was fast sinking, so the white man bade the -chief and his people good-bye and hurried back to Congo dia Ngunga. On -the way out our white companion had chatted freely with us, but now he -asked us not to talk to him, as he had to think over what teaching he -should give the King on his return. - -In our small party was a lad belonging to the town we had just left, so -Bakula asked him if all the rumours of cruelty and murder he had heard -about Mbumba were true, for he was notorious throughout the whole -district for cutting off ears on the slightest provocation, murdering -folk for the smallest offences, and stirring up quarrels and war between -towns for the most trivial causes. “Yes,” admitted the lad, “it is all -true. He cut off my brother’s ear, because, while sitting in front of -him one day, he happened to stretch out his legs;[49] and I was present -on another occasion when he ordered a slave to be killed for the same -small offence.” - -Footnote 49: - - See note 39, p. 353. - -Mbumba’s record was that of one “whose feet were swift to shed blood.” -He had listened quietly to the teaching that afternoon, and had begged -the teacher to “come again quickly.” - -It was almost sunset by the time we had climbed the hill and reached the -town. On arriving at the entrance to the King’s enclosure the white man -turned in, we following at his heels. The King, hearing us, called to us -to enter without ceremony, and we found his majesty squatting on a low -stool with an empty chair opposite him. He shook hands cordially with -the white man and, pointing to the chair, invited him to be seated. And -sitting there face to face, with only a few boys about them, the white -man said-- - -“The white teachers who first came to live in your town visited you -every Sunday evening to explain God’s palaver to you, and for many -months now I have been coming, when well, every Sunday evening for the -same purpose. What is it that keeps your heart closed so tightly against -our message?” Then he pleaded with him to repent of his many great sins -and seek help and salvation in God. The shadows deepened as the -conversation proceeded, but it was not too dark to see the tears -trickling down the pock-marked cheeks of the old man. - -At last the quiet talk was ended, and the white man, promising to see -him again soon, bade the King “sleep well,” and returned to the lonely -stone house that echoed with the voices of those who had lived and -worked there before him. - -Soon after dark the white man’s personal boy came and informed us that -his master had taken some tea and gone to bed with a bad fever, and he -had sent to say that he could not talk with any of the lads that night, -and begged them not to make much noise, as his head ached severely. A -quietness fell upon us all, and although the stone house was some -distance off, the boys spoke in whispers for fear of disturbing their -teacher. When the light was put out that night, one of the elder boys -timidly suggested we might pray to God on behalf of their teacher. As no -one dissented he falteringly prayed: “O God, we do not know much about -you, for we are foolish and do not learn quickly what our white man -tells us about you; but we beg you to cure him of his fever, so that he -may teach us every day. O God, take a sharp hoe, dig into our hearts, -pull up all the weeds and sow Thy good seed there. In the name of Jesus -we beg it. Amen.” - -Two or three days after the above events Bakula heard some shouting in -the town, and hurried in the direction of the voices. There, in the -centre of a crowd, was a witch-doctor, dancing and prancing about in the -most ridiculous, though approved, fashion. - -In his hand was a bunch of feathers, which he flourished in the air and -then darted at the grass wall of a hut near by. Every time he threw it -the bunch of feathers stuck in the wall, and everybody shouted with -admiration because they thought it was a great charm, as otherwise -simple feathers would not fly with such accuracy and stick tightly on a -wall. The witch-doctor danced in triumph, and the crowd of onlookers -shouted and clapped. - -Again the feathers are thrown, and, wonder of wonders, they stick; but -before the witch-doctor has finished his fandango of exultation, a -school-lad darts from the crowd and, grasping the feathers, he drags -them from the wall. - -A scream of horror arises from the men and women, for they expect him to -fall dead or paralyzed on the ground as a punishment for touching -another’s fetish. - -But, no, there he stands nervously pulling at the feathers; and before -the witch-doctor can reach him he extracts from amid the feathers a -sharp iron prong, and throws it and the feathers at the feet of their -maddened owner. - -Then the people see the trick that has been played upon them and, -turning on the witch-doctor, drive him from the town amid hooting, -hisses and laughter. - -[Illustration: A SCENE IN THE CATARACT REGION OF THE CONGO.] - -[Illustration: A WITCH DOCTOR.] - - - - - Chapter XV - Satu receives a Title - -The King sends for medicine--He is told to apply to St. Catherine--The - King’s promise--Bakula bids farewell to his white friend--King’s - deputy goes with us to Satu’s town--Ceremony of conferring the - title--Killing a leopard--Satu redeems his brother--Releases his - niece from a hateful marriage--A story: "Appearances are sometimes - Deceptive"--A chief asks for Satu’s niece in marriage--Marriage - money is paid--The wedding--Satu gains a new slave. - - -One day Bakula was chatting with the white man in his house when a head -man arrived from his majesty, saying: “The King has many pains in his -stomach, and he wants some medicine to stop them. Will you send some?” - -“No,” replied the white man, “I will not send him any. For several weeks -I attended the King during his severe illness, and immediately on his -recovery he, at the request of the padres, went to their church and -thanked St. Catherine for his restoration to health. Go and tell him -that as he thanked St. Catherine for his recovery, he must now ask St. -Catherine for medicine to stop the pains in his stomach.” - -The messenger could hardly repress a smile as he said: “That is only -fair,” and hurried off to deliver his message. - -“Will you not send some medicine?” asked the King’s nephew, who was -standing by. - -“Yes, perhaps by and by, but not just yet,” replied the white man. “He -has eaten too much, and colic is the result. It will not hurt him to -bear the gripings for a time; and then I will send him some medicine and -advice. You know,” continued the speaker, “that I went at sunrise every -morning for five weeks to wash his foul, sloughing sore, and bind it in -clean bandages; and he was grateful for all that was done for him, and -often said that I had saved his life, and now I want to teach him that -these saints who have rotted away to dust generations ago cannot help -him.” - -By now the messenger returned to say that the King will not go to St. -Catherine again if the white man will send him some medicine at once. - -To him the missionary replied: “Tell the King he had better wait a -little longer before making such a conditional promise. St. Catherine -may be busy somewhere else, and cannot come to Congo just now, even for -a King. You see, she must have a lot to do in all parts of the world, -and as she is only a saint, and not God, she cannot be everywhere at -once.” - -Off went the man with the message, and this time he could not suppress -his laughter. - -“Tell the cook-boy to make some hot water quickly,” said the white man -to a boy who was squatting near the door. - -The King’s nephew, in apologetic tones, said: "The King’s position is a -very difficult one. He loves Vianga, Yoani, Bentele, Alli[50] and you -very much. You English were the first to bring God’s palaver to him and -his people, every day you cure them of their diseases with your -medicines, and you teach them all kinds of good ways; but the padres -give him bales and bales of cloth and many boxes of beads. You know he -is always greedy for trade goods and fine clothes; and these he receives -in abundance from the Roman Catholic padres, hence when they asked him -to go to their church to thank St. Catherine for his recovery, he was -afraid to refuse them, although he believes in his heart what you -frequently told him: that God blessed your medicine to his restoration. -To show how he loves you English teachers, listen to what happened about -a month ago. All the padres went to the King and told him that he was to -order all his people to attend their church, and never again to go to -your services. They were angry because their church was nearly empty -every Sunday. They threatened to leave the town immediately, and that -would mean a stoppage of all their presents, if he did not issue the -order they requested. The King absolutely refused to command his people -to attend either service, and said: ‘They shall be free to go wherever -they like.’" - -Footnote 50: - - Revs. T. J. Comber, John Hartland, W. H. Bentley, and H. E. - Crudgington. - -“I have always felt sorry for the trying position of the King,” said the -white man, “and fully sympathize with him in his difficulties; but he -is, as we say in English, trying to sit on two stools, and that is -always very uncomfortable to the sitter, and most irritating to the -stools.” - -Just then three head men came hurrying into the house to beg again for -some medicine, and to promise on behalf of the King that he would never -again thank St. Catherine for what she did not, and could not -accomplish. So the white man called for the hot water, and, mixing a -glass of physic, sent it to the King. - -In a short time the man returned with the report that the King felt -better directly he drank the medicine. - -“What was it you gave him?” he asked of the white man. - -“Only some peppermint, hot water and sugar,” replied the missionary. -“You tell the King from me,” he continued, “that he is not to eat so -much.” - -Bakula informed his white friend that he had come to bid him good-bye, -for at “cock-crow” in the morning he and his party would be starting -back for their town. - -“Will you not come and live with me, and let me teach you God’s -palaver?” asked the white man of the lad. - -“For many reasons,” replied Bakula, “I would like to come and learn to -read, write, do carpentry and hear more about God; but this station is a -long way from my home, and my family will not let me come so far. My -uncle lives in the Ngombe district, and perhaps they will let me go to -the mission school there.” - -“Well, you can learn there as well as here; but I should have liked you -to live with me,” and there was a note of tenderness in the teacher’s -voice, and tears were not far from his eyes as he spoke to the lad. And -after a quiet talk with my owner about what he had heard at the -services, and expressing the hope that they would see each other again -soon, the white man and Bakula separated, never to meet again on earth. - -Bakula had frequently tried to induce Old Plaited-Beard to have some -conversation with the white man, but had failed every time, not through -lack of earnestness and persistency on Bakula’s part; but because of the -old man’s superstitious fear and hatred of white men. The discussions on -the subject had been long and often loud, and when Old Plaited-Beard was -unsuccessful in proving his charges of witchcraft against the white man, -or failed in proving that the white man bought up dead bodies and sent -them to Mputu, he then fell back on another accusation: that the white -men had come to steal their country from them. - -On one occasion Bakula led the white man towards the place where Old -Plaited-Beard was sitting; but no sooner did the superstitious old man -see him coming in the distance than he ran into the inner room of the -nearest house, and would not come out until he was assured that the -white man had gone. - -Early next morning Bakula and his party, accompanied by Kapitau and some -followers, started on their return journey. On the road Old -Plaited-Beard and the Kapitau had long talks, and although the -prejudiced views of the old man were received with coldness by the -King’s deputy, yet in one point they agreed, and that was “that the -white man would rob them of their country and make them all slaves.”[51] - -Footnote 51: - - See note 40, p. 353. - -Wherever we stayed for a night the people paid most humble homage to -Kapitau, as representing the King, and supplied him with plenty of food -and palm-wine; consequently every evening was spent in feasting and -drinking, and there was scarcely a night that the elders of the party -went to bed sober. - -On arriving at Satu’s town Kapitau and his companions received a great -ovation. The people crowded the road to set eyes on the man who had been -sent by the great King of Congo to confer a title on their own chief. -They vied with each other in shouting, clapping, and beating their -mouths. Drums were thumped, ivory horns blown, and guns fired; and the -din was such that it seemed more like pandemonium let loose for a riot -than a friendly welcome to an honoured visitor and guest. To show due -respect to the King’s deputy a good house was given him, and an abundant -supply of food. In two or three days the party was rested and the -necessary preparations for the ceremony were completed. - -On the appointed day a large crowd gathered, composed of Satu’s mother’s -clan, who were especially called. Those members of his father’s clan who -desired to be present were welcomed, but all other clans were carefully -excluded. The assembly formed a large circle, in the centre of which a -leopard’s skin was spread and a seat placed on it. - -The Kapitau went up to Satu, who was sitting among his people, and -hooking his index finger in the little finger of Satu’s left hand, led -him up to the leopard’s skin, and walking him round it as far as the -tail, told him to step over it. Then, leading him to the front of the -chair, he seated him in it, whereupon the crowd of onlookers slapped the -loosely closed fists of their left hands with the palms of their right -hands. - -The Kapitau put on the new noble’s head some _lemba-lemba_ leaves, and -wetting his hands with palm-wine, pressed them to Satu’s temples, to the -back and front of his head, to his shoulders and to his knees. This was -to make him throb with life, wise in the head, strong in body and legs. -This ceremony was repeated three times, and a blessing was pronounced in -the following words: May you be happy and lucky, and when you speak may -your words be heard (_i. e._ obeyed) by the people. And again the crowd -shouted and clapped. - -When the folk had exhausted themselves into quietness the Kapitau asked -loudly three times: “Do you know this man’s name?” and the people -replied each time: “No, we do not know his name!” Then the King’s deputy -exclaimed loudly: “It is _Ngudi a nkama Katendi_.” The men and women, -hearing this, rounded their mouths with pursed lips, and beat them with -the extended fingers of their right hands, making thereby a long series -of _Wo! Wo! Wo!_ and again the drums were beaten, guns fired, and ivory -trumpets sounded until the very air seemed to quiver with discordant -noises. - -The Kapitau then instructed the new noble how he was to deport himself -as a man of high rank. In future he must not, when walking, visiting, -hunting or trading, carry anything except his walking-stick or gun. In -fact, he was never again to carry anything like a boy or an ordinary -man. Should any person meet him bearing any article, save his stick or -gun, such a person may take away the said article and either keep it for -himself or sell it. Should he shoot any game he must send some one for -it, for if he attempted to bring it into the town himself, the first to -meet him may deprive him of his spoils. He must never, under any -circumstances, gather firewood or fetch water; and, lastly, the new -noble must never beat his wives, and should he so far forget himself as -to do so, he may be mulcted in a fine of several fowls or one goat. -These instructions completed, a bracelet was put on his arm as a sign of -his new and important rank. - -Satu gave the Kapitau four pieces of cloth and a pig to compensate him -for his trouble; and a great feast of pigs, goats and palm-wine was -prepared for the people in honour of the occasion. The night was -occupied with gluttony, dancing, immorality and drunkenness, for men and -women, boys and girls were reeling about in maudlin intoxication all -over the town. Fortunately they had nothing but palm-wine to drink, -which never makes the drinkers quarrelsome, like the fiery waters -supplied by traders. - -Only chiefs are permitted to own and use leopards’ skins, and when one -of these animals is slain there is considerable local excitement as to -which chief will gain possession of the skin by his largesse to the -fortunate slayer of the brute. - -The other week a leopard was killed in our neighbourhood, and the lucky -man who shot it had it carried from chief to chief in the district. The -front and back paws were tied, and a pole was passed through the legs -and hoisted on to the shoulders of some men. In this ignominious -fashion--dangling from a pole--the prize was hawked from place to place. -One chief gave four kegs of gunpowder (worth 16_s_.); another gave seven -blankets (worth 21_s_.); another, who already owned a leopard skin, and -could not afford a second, presented eight looking-glasses (worth -5_s_.); and thus each gave, not knowing what the others had given. Satu -gave four blankets, three kegs of powder, and two rugs (worth in all -30_s_.), and thus exceeded the others in generous presents. Directly it -was known who gave the largest sum to the leopard slayer, Satu went and -put his foot on the beast, and thus established his claim to it. The -animal was removed and in due time skinned. It could not be flayed until -it was trodden on by its future owner. - -The leopard after it is killed is always referred to with great respect -as _Mfumu_, or chief; and after the carcass has made the circuit of the -chiefs it is carried back to the hunter’s town, and two or three days -are given wholly to festivities. Guns are fired, drums are beaten, the -people dance and sing songs in honour of the slayer of _Mfumu_, and much -palm-wine is drunk. The leopard is then flayed and eaten. Some ate the -flesh believing they would become lithe, cunning and strong like the -leopard, but others refused to eat it from a superstitious fear of -spots--like the leopard’s--breaking out on their own skins. - -The gifts presented by the various chiefs paid the expenses of the -festivities, and Satu sat on this skin when he was invested with the -high rank of a noble. If the skin had been given to a chief out of the -district in which the hunter killed the animal it would have been -resented as an insult, and the towns and villages would have combined to -fight the hunter’s town or enforced the payment of a heavy fine. - -Satu’s deceased brother was a very poor trader, and had such frequent -losses on his trading journeys that on one occasion he was compelled to -“pawn” one of his younger brothers to a neighbouring chief to pay his -many debts. He had borrowed fifty pieces of cloth on his brother, and -although he frequently afterwards possessed more than that number, and -in fact died worth more than three hundred pieces, yet he never troubled -to redeem his brother, but left him in servitude. As a “pledge in pawn” -the brother received no pay from the one who held him, no matter how -hard he laboured. - -Satu, on the other hand, was a keen, successful trader, and had -accumulated a great amount of native wealth. Consequently, as a rich man -and a noble, he was expected by public opinion to redeem his brother out -of bondage. One of Satu’s first acts after his dignity was conferred on -him was to take the fifty pieces of cloth, a calabash of palm-wine and a -_white_ goat; and, calling Bakula and others to carry the goods and -accompany him as witnesses, went to the town where his brother was held -in slavery. - -On reaching the town he sent for the pawnbroker or holder, who came at -once followed by a few friends, who all paid homage to Satu as a great -noble. The natives bowed to the King and rendered homage three times at -each of the three places as they approached; but to Satu they bowed only -once at each place as they drew near. - -When all were seated, the calabash of wine was handed round and solemnly -drunk by the two principal men and their witnesses. The fifty pieces of -cloth were counted out and handed over, and the _white_ goat was -presented. This _white gift_ was called _nkusw’ a mpemba_, or a being -rubbed white. On receiving this _white_ goat the man who held the pawn -in pledge arose to his feet and rubbed some chalk with his fingers by -the side of the right ear of the pawn. The ceremony is complete, the -pawn is redeemed, and the chalk is a sign that he is _clean_ from his -bondage, and there is nothing more against him. Satu and his brother -embraced each other and returned together to their town. The slur of -slavery now being wiped out of the family, no one would again taunt them -with it. - -Satu now turned his attention to help his only niece. It appears that -when she was a baby only one or two days old, a man of middle age -entered her mother’s house, and dropped a bead into the saucepan that -stood by the fire, and from which the hot water was taken to wash the -baby. The dropping in of the bead gave the man a claim on the girl to -become his wife when old enough. No one else could marry her unless the -girl were released by the payment of a heavy sum for breach of custom. - -When the child, Sono, reached the age of seven, her deceased uncle had -acknowledged the claims of the “bead dropper” to his niece’s hand by -asking him to pay ten pieces of cloth as marriage money. He could and -should have asked more, but he was in difficulty, and glad to accept any -sum he could get. As Sono came to realize the small amount that was -given for her, she became angry with her uncle and with the man who -regarded her as his cheaply bought wife; and this feeling was increased -by the girls and boys in her town jeering at her for not being worth -more than the price of two pigs. - -When she arrived at a marriageable age she refused to marry the old man, -and had repeatedly begged her uncle to release her by returning the -marriage money and another ten pieces as interest for the use of the -money for the past ten years. Her deceased uncle, who was then the head -of her family, had refused to part with so much cloth merely to gratify -the whim of a girl, and, besides, he always pleaded poverty. - -There seemed no prospect of release for her from a very hateful marriage -with an old man who already possessed twelve wives--most of whom had -bad, quarrelsome tempers, and would make her life miserable. She had -determined to kill herself[52] as her only means of escape; but now that -another and richer uncle was head of the family she renewed her appeal -with success. - -Footnote 52: - - See note 41, p. 354. - -The bridegroom-elect was a crafty old man who thoroughly recognized the -advantage of an alliance with so great a family if he could coerce the -girl into marrying him, or the possibility of making some money out of -the breaking of the covenant should her uncle support her in her -continued refusal of him. - -He therefore feigned surprise when he was requested to release Sono from -her betrothal to him, and asked in anger: “Was he not great enough to -become a member of Satu’s family! Was he not a great man himself, and -owned twelve wives! What objection had lord Satu to him?” - -Satu did not attempt to argue these matters with the old man, but went -straight to the point by asking how much he wanted before he would -release his niece. - -“Well,” replied the man, “I paid ten pieces of cloth, besides palm-wine, -and various odds and ends of trade goods, worth in all fifteen pieces, -as marriage money, and your family has had the use of that amount for -ten years; so I shall not take less than one hundred pieces of cloth to -release her from the betrothal.” - -“That is a ridiculous price to put on her,” retorted Satu angrily. “I -will give you twenty-five pieces, one pig, one keg of gunpowder, one -calabash of palm-wine, and one soldier’s coat.” - -“But you are now a great chief, and a noble of high rank,” contended the -old man, “and any one will give sixty pieces of cloth for your niece as -marriage money in order to marry into so grand a family. I will not take -a fathom less than ninety pieces. Let me tell you a story of a girl who -refused her betrothed for frivolous reasons, and was badly treated by -her chosen husband.” The old man then related this story, called - -“Appearances are Sometimes Deceptive.” - -“Once upon a time a girl was betrothed by her parents to a Mr. Hawk, and -for a time she was satisfied with her sweetheart; but by and by she -complained that his face was too black. Her parents tried to teach her -that a man was not to be accepted simply because he had a beautiful -face, nor rejected for only possessing a very plain, black one; but she -would not listen to them. - -“One day she put on her ornaments and best cloths, and went to the -market, where she met a young man whose name was Oily-face,[53] because -it was polished so brightly with palm-oil. - -Footnote 53: - - See note 42, p. 354. - -“Mr. Oily-face’s country was a long way off, and when he left home he -had a nasty body covered with pimples and scabs, and his eyes bulged -out. As he passed through the towns he borrowed a face, some hair, new -teeth and a nice skin; consequently when he reached the market he looked -a very pleasant young man. - -“This Mr. Oily-face saw the girl standing in the market, and said to -her: ‘I would like to marry you.’ She looked at him, and seeing he had a -beautiful light skin, well-plaited hair, and nice white teeth, she said: -‘All right, come and see my parents.’ - -“When they reached her town she said to her family: ‘Here is a young man -who wants to marry me.’ Oily-face looked so bashful, and showed such -respect to the girl’s mother, that they were all pleased with him. Very -soon they were married, and shortly after started for Oily-face’s -country. - -“They had not gone very far on the road when some one called out: -‘Oily-face, return my hair.’ Another shouted: ‘Give me back my teeth.’ -In another town a man requested Oily-face to return the face that he had -lent him; and another said: ‘Give me back my stomach and take your own; -it eats too much.’ Thus at last he was reduced to his own nasty body, -pimply skin and bulging, ugly eyes. - -“After walking many days they reached their town, and the people came -round asking Oily-face where he had procured his wife. He told them that -she had come from a far country which was ten days’ journey away. They -welcomed her, but next morning they surrounded the house wishing to eat -her. - -“She came outside and said: ‘Wait, don’t eat me yet; but beat your drums -and I will dance.’ - -“So she danced all day to amuse them, and sang a song about a Mr. Hawk -being very good, with beautiful, curving feathers; and how sorry she was -for not accepting him as her husband. Every morning they wanted to kill -and eat her; but she danced and sang to please them. - -“One day Mr. Hawk passed that way, and, looking down, saw the woman, -heard her song, and felt full of pity for her. He told her parents of -their daughter’s danger, and promised to save her. Next day, therefore, -he flew off, swooped down, and carried her back to her own family, who -were glad to receive her amongst them again. After a time she married -Mr. Hawk, and never any more found fault with the colour of his face.” - -“There,” continued the narrator, “your niece will be sorry she did not -marry me when she is badly treated by some dandy who has borrowed his -beauty from other people. Give me eighty pieces of cloth and I will -release her.” - -To him Satu replied, with a laugh: “I will take care that no such dandy -marries my niece and carries her off to a distant country. Besides, my -niece is not so foolish as to make friends with any swells (_etoko dia -fioti_) on the market.” Satu offered twenty-eight pieces and the other -articles, and asserted that he would not put another fathom on the -price. - -They argued about the affair all that afternoon and for the two -succeeding days, and at last it was agreed that Satu should pay -thirty-five pieces of cloth to the old man, one pig, one keg of -gunpowder, one soldier’s coat, one gun, and a calabash of palm-wine, and -thus the palaver was settled to every one’s satisfaction. - -A month or two after the release of Sono, a young chief of a -neighbouring village arrived, followed by a man carrying a large -calabash of palm-wine. Bakula greeted him, and walked with him to Satu’s -house. There the young man asked for Satu, who, on appearing, received -homage from the chief and inquired his business. - -“I very much wish to marry your niece, Sono,” replied the young man, -“and I have brought a calabash of palm-wine to start the negotiations. -Will you drink it?” - -If Satu had refused to drink the wine the young chief would have taken -it away, knowing that there was not the smallest hope of him ever -marrying into Satu’s family; but Satu did not refuse the wine; he -accepted it, and sat down and drank it with the suitor for his niece’s -hand. - -Having drunk the wine, Satu sent for some food, so that the young chief -might refresh himself for his return journey; and without giving him a -decided answer he told his niece’s admirer to come back in four days. So -far Satu had not pledged himself, but had simply listened favourably to -the suit. - -On the appointed day the chief, carrying more palm-wine, returned to -Satu, who, having drunk the wine, informed the aspirant to his niece’s -hand that he was quite willing to regard him as a suitable husband for -Sono if all other matters could be arranged; and that the marriage money -would be fifty pieces of cloth, two blankets, one pig, fifty brass rods, -and five round looking-glasses. - -This large sum was asked on the ground that Satu wanted a guarantee that -the suitor for his niece was wealthy before he would admit him into so -great a family. - -The young man was staggered at the price demanded; and tried to reduce -it, without success. He was, however, enamoured of the lady, and at last -promised to collect the various goods. But it required repeated trading -expeditions about the country and to the coast before the young chief -had added sufficient to his savings to pay the marriage money and meet -the expenses of the wedding. - -A few months passed, and Satu received word that the young chief had -gathered the cloth and other articles; and requesting him to come and -inspect them. This Satu did, and being satisfied with the quality of the -cloth and the size of the pig, he arranged to return for the goods on a -certain day and to bring the girl’s father[54] to be introduced to him. - -Footnote 54: - - See note 43, p. 354. - -The day arrived, and with it Satu and the girl’s father, accompanied by -a man carrying their calabashes of palm-wine. The young man called some -of his friends to help him drink the wine, and to act as witnesses. The -uncle’s wine was drunk first, as he is always of more importance in -these marriage transactions than the father, mother, or even the girl -herself. After the uncle’s calabash was finished the father’s wine was -drunk. The “money” was then counted, and the two blankets and one or two -pieces of cloth were given to the father, but the rest was claimed[55] -by the uncle. - -Footnote 55: - - See note 44, p. 355. - -Up to the present neither the girl nor her mother are supposed to have -been consulted; but he would be indeed a foolish swain who went far in -the “palaver” without knowing something of the girl’s feelings towards -him, or sending presents to the girl’s mother. - -This young man was well acquainted with the girl’s favourable regard for -him, for had she not received little presents[56] from him? He knew, -too, that his future mother-in-law was on his side, for he had acted -generously towards her; hence, when questioned on the matter, she -readily agreed[57] that the marriage could take place at once. - -Footnote 56: - - See note 45, p. 355. - -Footnote 57: - - See note 46, p. 356. - -The young chief had seven wives already, consequently he was well versed -in the rites and ceremonies of marriage. At these affairs there is -generally a pretence at carrying off the bride; hence on the wedding-day -the bridegroom, accompanied by many friends, went to the bride’s town, -and as they drew near they beat their drums, shouted loudly, fired guns, -and made as much noise as possible, as though they were attacking the -town. There was a sham struggle, and at last the girl was carried off. -This great ado was regarded as an honour to the girl, and a proof of the -bridegroom’s position. - -On returning to his own village the bridegroom told his friends to bring -the drums and plenty of palm-wine, and on that and the succeeding three -days goats and pigs were killed and eaten, palm-wine was drunk, and guns -fired. The bride went without food the day before the wedding, and as a -new wife she was not allowed to eat in sight of her husband for three -months. - -When the crowd had gone the elders met and gave the girl into the hands -of the young chief, and they taught them both in the presence of -witnesses. To the young woman they said: “You are to respect your -husband and his family; and you are to behave yourself properly in your -house. You have never had thieving or witchcraft palavers in the past; -continue without them, and conduct yourselves properly towards each -other.” - -To the young man they said: “You are to respect your wife and her -family; you must not speak harshly to her, nor treat her as a slave, nor -stamp on her things, nor tread her beneath your feet.” - -Then the young man went to one of the witnesses, and taking him by the -wrist, rubbed a bullet on the palm of the witness’s hand, and said: “I -have heard all the words spoken, and if I destroy the marriage may I die -by this bullet.” - -The young woman then stepped forward and shyly took the same oath. This -ceremony completed, the witnesses went into Sono’s house and arranged -the hearthstones, and instructed the bride in the duties of a wife. - -The young chief, in anticipation of his marriage, had built a house for -his new wife, because every wife had her own house in which to live and -be mistress. The Congo man is too ’cute to put two women in one house; -perhaps he has learned by bitter experience the unwisdom of it, and no -matter how many wives he may be fortunate enough to marry, he builds a -house for each, and one for himself. - -Sono, coming as she did from a town which was half a day’s journey from -her new home, had no farm from which she could draw her supplies of food -for herself and husband, in supporting whom she had now to take an -eighth share. So a few days after the marriage she went with the other -women, her fellow-wives, and they helped her to clear a patch of ground, -hoe it, and plant it with seasonable seeds and roots. In return for -their kindness she assisted them in weeding their farms. - -It was the custom for the bridegroom to supply his bride with all the -necessary food until her farm was matured and yielding; and from that -time to give her meat and fish as frequently as possible, while she -found her own vegetable food and a share of his. It was also the man’s -duty to present each of his wives with at least one good cloth every -year, and more if he were a wealthy man. - -Sono settled down fairly comfortably with her husband and seven -fellow-wives. She had her farm to cultivate, a house of her own, an -occasional bit of meat or fish sent her from her husband; what more -could she want? - -One morning our town was aroused by the firing of guns and shouts of -_Nkombo! Nkombo!_ (Goat! Goat!) - -Bakula ran out of the house and joined most vigorously in the shouting. - -We saw a man covered with perspiration and panting with running. He -hurried by to the chief’s _lumbu_ or enclosure, and fell at the feet of -Satu, where he paid most humble homage, covering his face with dirt. - -As soon as he gained his breath he said: “I have been badly treated by -my master Dimbula, who frequently beat me severely with his whip. See, -here are the marks!” and he showed some deep wales across his back, legs -and chest. “He not only thrashed me,” he continued, “but he robbed me of -the small earnings to which by right of custom I am entitled. I have -therefore run away from him to you. Will you accept of me?” and he -looked beseechingly at Satu, for now his very life depended on the -answer. If Satu refused him, and handed him back to Dimbula as a runaway -slave, it was most probable that his master, in his rage and shame, -would kill him. - -Satu considered the matter, and at last, to the relief of the poor -wretch, called for a piece of goat’s flesh, and giving half to the -slave, ate the other half himself. - -The crowd that had gathered, directly they saw the piece of goat’s meat -eaten, shouted: _Nkombo! Nkombo!_ (Goat! Goat!) and fired off a salvo -with their guns. - -The slave was practically now a free man. The piece of goat eaten by -Satu was a pledge that he would protect the man who had eaten with him -from ever falling again into the hands of his old master, even though he -had to use the last brass rod, or shed the last drop of blood he -possessed, in so doing. And the slave, by the eating of his piece of -goat, was bound, as long as life lasted, to Satu as _a free man_. - -On the next market day Satu took the whilom slave and showed him on the -market as one who had “eaten his goat,” and was now no longer a slave. -Dimbula was present, and was chagrined to witness the whole affair; but -he was compelled by custom to accept from Satu the merely nominal price -of a slave. In selling a slave ordinarily the seller gets as much as he -can, and generally makes a good profit on the exchange; but in a -transaction of this kind he must take what is offered as the equivalent -of a slave, and be satisfied. - -Dimbula was a man of ungovernable passions, and it was not the first -time that his slaves had escaped from his cruelty by “eating goat” with -neighbouring chiefs; while, on the other hand, no slaves had ever run to -him for protection or to “eat goat” with him. His fierce, hasty temper -was well known and feared. - -Slaves free in this way take the name of _Nkombo_, or Goat; and these -“goats” are very highly prized by chiefs, as they become very faithful -followers of those with whom they have “eaten the goat.” - - - - - Chapter XVI - Hunting and Bush-burning - -Manner of bush-burning--Witch-doctor makes a hunting-charm--Ceremony is - carefully performed--Blazing bush and rushing animals--Satu arranges - with another chief to burn the bush--Dimbula breaks the law and - insults Satu--War is declared--Old Plaited-Beard being unsuccessful - accuses Bakula of bewitching him--He tries to restore his luck. - - -As the hunting season was drawing near, Satu and his people decided to -engage a _ngang’ a nkongo_, or the “medicine man” of the hunting fetish, -to make for them a powerful charm that would endow them with good luck -in all kinds of hunting. The time for bush-burning had arrived, when the -tall grass in their district would be thoroughly dry by reason of the -long drought, and would burn like prepared tinder. It is during the bush -fires and the two succeeding months that systematic hunts are organized. -It was therefore needful to prepare the charm as quickly as possible. - -The first thing that Satu and his people had to do was to burn carefully -a belt of grass, a hundred yards wide, right round their town, lest the -great, uncontrollable bush fires should come roaring up before the wind, -and reducing their dwellings to ashes, destroy also their treasures and -savings at the same time. For the purpose of burning this belt a damp -morning, heavy with dew, was chosen; then the men and women went with -sticks and knives, and cut or pushed down the grass all round the -town--when the stems of grass are damp they are very pliable and are -easily pressed down and will remain down as they dry in the morning sun. - -The bush grass is anything from six feet to fifteen feet high, with -stems as thick as a person’s fingers. When they are burning the steam -generated in the stems causes them to explode with loud, gun-like -reports, and the force of the explosions sends the burning grass -hurtling through the air like rockets; hence Satu’s people took care to -push down the grass so that the stalks pointed away from the houses. - -After pressing down the grass round the town the wind was watched, and -when it was favourable the broken-down grass was burnt. The men and -lads, armed with branches, controlled and directed the flames; Bakula -and the other lads just delighted in this bush-burning season, and -looked forward to it with eager anticipation of the sport they would -enjoy and the game they would secure. In dreams and talk they killed -many an animal long before the first grass was fired. - -Satu sent Bakula and two other lads to call the _nganga_, who made the -hunting charms. On reaching his town they found him engaged in -refreshing and reinvigorating his fetish. He took a large fowl at -sunset, and, turning his face towards the setting sun, cut the throat of -the fowl and let the running blood fall on the fetish, covering it with -the life-blood of the sacrifice. This renewed the strength of the -fetish, and, refreshing it, enabled it to impart power to various -charms. - -He then stood his fetish on the ground and surrounded it with several -small heaps of gunpowder--laying a train from one heap to another. When -all was ready he exploded the powder, and blew vigorously on his -whistle--this aroused the fetish, made it alert and active in performing -its work. The _nganga_ had the fowl cooked, and ate the whole of it -himself, for to sell it or to share it with another would nullify its -effect on the fetish as a sacrifice. - -Bakula and his companions stood on one side keenly interested in these -ceremonies, for was not their future success in hunting dependent in -some way on these mysterious rites? Bakula, however, since his close -intercourse with the white man, had begun to doubt the pretended powers -of these _ngangas_, so turning to his fellow-messengers he asked: “How -can that wooden image, that has to be refreshed with fowl’s blood and -aroused with explosions of gunpowder, cause us to shoot straight in our -bush lands? And again, how can it make the antelopes and bush pigs come -our way, instead of going off in another direction?” - -He then told the lads what he had seen in the King’s town respecting the -_nganga_ with his charm of feathers, and the iron prong hidden in them. -And he concluded by saying: “I begin to think they trick us, take our -money and laugh at us.” The lads could not reply to Bakula’s reasoning, -but they had no doubt that the _nganga_ possessed powerful “medicines,” -and could do anything he liked; and they told Bakula in a friendly way -not to let Old Plaited-Beard hear him talk in this manner, or he would -quickly accuse him of witchcraft. - -Early next morning they returned with the “medicine man” to their town; -and immediately on arrival the _nganga_ set to work to make the -necessary charms. It was a busy time with him, and he would not have -come so promptly, but Satu was a great noble and could pay well. The -_nganga_ procured some red camwood powder, some leaves of the -_lupemba-mpemba_-tree, some young spikes of new _nianga_ grass, some -parrot feathers, cowry shells, wood ashes, a fore-leg of a bat, some -small shot, and some native _peppers_. These he thoroughly cut up and -well mixed, and each hunter filled his small horn with the mixture, and -sealed the opening with a little rubber. He then received his fee and -went. - -The hunters being now in possession of their charms, went to visit the -grave of a renowned hunter who had died some years previously. It was -the custom that when a great hunter was dying he should draw a thread -from his _mbadi_[58] cloth, and tie it round the forehead or arms of a -young man chosen for the purpose. This person then became the -_Kimpovela_, or the one who speaks on behalf of others, _i. e._ an -advocate; and this advocate was not allowed to marry more than one wife, -and he must never beat her or he would lose his power as an advocate. -Only the man thus selected by the dying hunter could perform the -ceremonies at this grave. When the great hunter died, his hair was cut -off and buried beneath a large stone near his place of burial, that the -natives of the district might always know where the grave was situated. - -Satu and his party took with them a calabash of palm-wine and, calling -the _Kimpovela_, passed on to the grave of the renowned hunter. The - -Footnote 58: - - Cloth made from pine-apple or palm fibre. - -advocate went first and kneeled with his back to the grave and his face -towards the hunters, who approached him slowly, stopping every few steps -to clap their hands. When they reached the kneeling man they spread out -and sat round the grave, putting the wine and their guns on the ground -near by. The _Kimpovela_ then turned towards the grave, and shaking his -rattle repeatedly, he thus prayed to the deceased hunter: “You are -blind, but your ears are not deaf. Oh, ears, hear well! we have come to -you, we come kneeling. When you lived in the town you ate and you drank, -now we who are left die of hunger; give us male and female animals.” -When this prayer was finished a man put the calabash of wine on his -shoulder, and the _Kimpovela_, making the sign of the cross,[59] took a -cup of the wine and poured it as an offering on the grave of the great -hunter. The rest of the wine was drunk by the hunters sitting around the -grave. - -Footnote 59: - - See note 47, p. 356. - -After drinking the wine the _Kimpovela_ rubbed a little of the earth wet -with the oblatory wine on the forehead, temples, fore-arms, wrists, -knees and insteps of each hunter; then he took each gun and drew his -fingers up the butt, and reaching the barrel he snapped his fingers and -handed the gun to its owner, who on taking it clapped his hands, sprang -in the air, and holding the gun in front of him walked backwards a -little way, facing the grave, and sat down to wait for the others. When -all had finished they fired a salute and sang a song in praise of the -great hunter to the rubbing, grating noise of the antelope drum. More -palm-wine was drunk, and I am sure that by the time they had exhausted -their wine, if they had seen an antelope not one of them was sober -enough to have fired straight at it. - -After these ceremonies were concluded whenever Satu and his people went -hunting they either took their horns of medicine with them, each -carrying his own under his belt, or they wetted the rubber stopper and -rubbed the butt of their guns with a little of the moisture. This gave -them accuracy of aim, or they thought so. By burning the belt of grass -round their town they had secured their houses against fire, and by -their charms and the visit to the grave of the renowned hunter they had -ensured their future success as sportsmen; they were now consequently -able to turn their attention to those parts of the bush where -animals--antelopes, wild pigs and gazelles--were likely to be found. - -A breezy day was chosen, and the hunters, taking their places along the -portion of bush to be burned, fired the grass as soon as the night dews -were dried off. Animals browsing were startled by the roar of flames, -rushed bewildered before the oncoming fire, and as they ran past were -shot at by the waiting hunters. While the fire was burning hawks and -fish-eagles circled above the burning bush, not “to drink in the smoke,” -as the natives say, but in search of any hapless rats and snakes cut off -from escape by the raging fire. These birds could be seen swooping down -and carrying off to their lairs such reptiles and rats as their keen, -hungry eyes detected. - -These bush fires have taken place annually for generations, and -undoubtedly account for the scarcity of wild game on the Lower Congo, -the absence of large reptiles, the shabby appearance of the trees on the -open veldt--they scarcely recover from one scorching before the dries -are on them and another scorching is due--and the luxuriant grass, for -the burnt remains of one crop enrich the soil to bear another as -stalwart as the first. - -During this season it is very weird to see, night after night, great -bush fires blazing in different directions. The sky is aglow with them, -and you smell and breathe a smoky atmosphere for days. Bits of charred -grass are carried by the winds in all directions, and the country looks -dressed in black as though it were mourning with a great sorrow, and the -sun, as though in sympathy with the earth, hides for days behind the -clouds of ascended smoke. - -During the hunts men are often wounded, and sometimes killed, by being -mistaken for animals as they push through the rustling grass. Then -follow recriminations, charges of intent to murder, and long law-suits -that ruin the unfortunate family of the man who did not stop to look -before he fired his gun. Sometimes, when a line of men is crawling -through the grass tracking an animal, the trigger of a gun will catch in -the stalks, the gun will explode, there will be a scream of a man in the -agony of death, and the scared owner of the gun will be charged with -murder, for there are no accidents in native law. - -The culprit will be fortunate if the deceased is a member of a poor -family, or a slave, for then he will get off with a heavy fine; but if -the dead man is a person of importance his life will be forfeited, or he -will be sold far away into slavery. He will be lucky if he is not -shipped to St. Thomé or to Principe to work on the plantations. - -During the bush-burning Satu and his men killed only three wild pigs and -four gazelles; but they had a very serious quarrel with a neighbouring -chief that developed into a war after the hunting season was over. - -[Illustration: NATIVE ROPE BRIDGE.] - -[Illustration: NATIVE BRIDGE.] - -A part of Satu’s land ran by the side of ground belonging to a -neighbouring chief named Dimbula; and according to custom Satu sent to -Dimbula asking what day would be convenient for burning that part of the -bush where their properties joined each other. After much palavering the -day was fixed; but when Satu and his hunters reached the spot they found -none of Dimbula’s people there. - -It was against the law of custom for either party to fire the grass -before the arrival of the other side; consequently Satu and his men sat -waiting all through the long morning, and about noon they decided to -return home--vexed with having wasted a whole morning. They had not gone -very far when they heard shouts, and looking round saw the bush blazing. -On hurrying back to the place they had so recently left, they found -Dimbula and his men there. - -Satu said: “We arrived here early this morning according to agreement, -and we waited until midday, but as you and your people did not come, we -did not burn the grass, and were just returning home intending to make a -new appointment with you. Why have you broken the custom by firing the -grass in our absence?” - -“You think that because you are _Ngudi a nkama Katendi_ that you can do -and say what you like,” replied Dimbula, with ill-suppressed anger and -bad logic. - -“No,” retorted Satu, “that is not so, or I would have lighted the bush -early this morning, and not have sat here half the day waiting for you.” - -“Let me tell you,” shouted Dimbula, “that my family had the title when -your family was too poor to assume it, and was glad to sell the use of -it.” - -“Yes, that is true,” said Satu, “but that is no reason why you should -burn the grass by yourself when you know my land runs by the side of -yours.” - -“You think that because you drove a white man out of your town and -retained my runaway slave, that you can lord it over us,” said Dimbula, -who by now was choking with unreasonable rage. In fact, we heard -afterwards that Dimbula had planned the whole affair as an insult to -Satu, of whom he was jealous, both as a rich man and as a noble of rank; -and he also felt hurt because Satu had kept the “goat” that ran to him -for protection. - -Satu put down his gun, and with calmness and dignity went up to Dimbula -and said: “I drove the white man away because I did not know him, and I -accepted your slave according to native custom; but they are no excuses -for insulting me. Listen, I swear by my mother,[60] that if you do not -apologize and pay homage to me by the end of the hunting season I will -fight you”; and turning his back on Dimbula he picked up his gun and -walked away. - -Footnote 60: - - See note 48, p. 356. - -Just as Satu’s party reached the brow of the next hill, Dimbula sprang -forward and shouted in contemptuous and boastful derision: “O mighty -chief Satu, can I lend you twenty kegs of powder for the coming fight?” - -The town was all excitement when they heard of the insults that had been -heaped on their chief, and many of the more fiery ones wished to begin -the fight at once; but Satu would not give his consent, and told them to -wait until the hunting was finished. - -A few weeks after the fires were over a fine grass covered the -hill-sides and plateaus with such delicious fresh verdure that the -antelopes and gazelles were enticed from the forests where they had fled -from the devouring flames, to browse on it, and so delighted were they -with the new sweet crop that they forgot all dangers, and were easily -surrounded by hunters and shot down. - -In these hunts native dogs were used, and a “medicine man” was usually -called to endow them with good tracking powers. The _nganga_ took some -chalk, some different leaves and the head of a viper. These he mixed -thoroughly together and made into a bundle. He then took a small portion -of the bundle and put it in a funnel-twisted leaf, caught a wasp and -pressed its juice into the funnel, put in a little palm-wine, and -squeezed the juice of this mixture into each dog’s nose. They then -became good trackers and hunters. The chalk gave them wisdom, the leaves -gave good health, the portion of viper imparted stealthiness, and just -as a wasp makes straight for its nest, so the dogs would make straight -for the game. - -Some of Satu’s people went one day with their dogs to hunt, and had been -gone most of the day when an antelope was seen by Bakula on the side of -a distant hill. They instantly spread, worked to leeward and gradually -bore down on the unsuspecting creature. The nearest man fired[61] and -the poor animal fell mortally wounded. Directly it fell some grass was -cut and spread out, and the antelope was laid on it. - -Footnote 61: - - See note 49, p. 357. - -The hunter who killed it put the butt of his gun to his shoulder and the -muzzle on the carcass. A cross cut was made on the stomach, and the -hunter put his fingers three times to the cut and to his upper lip, then -again three times to the cut, and rubbed his fingers each time on his -gun. The antelope was then removed, and the hunter put the muzzle of his -gun under the grass and turned it over. The animal could not be cut up -until this ceremony was performed, or the hunter would have lost his -“hunting skill,” and, besides, it established beyond a doubt the -ownership of the antelope. - -The flesh of the animals killed in the hunts is always divided, -according to certain well-recognized rules: the kidneys and strips of -meat from the back were sent to Satu as chief of the town; one hind-leg -was given to the men who were left in the town, and they shared it with -their wives; one fore-quarter was given to the hunters, the heart was -given to the father of the successful hunter, certain portions were sent -to his mother and aunt, and the rest belonged to the man who killed it. - -When the antelope was being divided, the bladder was emptied and filled -with blood, and in a day or two it was carried to the _Kimpovela_, or -advocate, in charge of the renowned hunter’s grave. The _Kimpovela_ -brought from his house a small wooden cross and fixed it in the grave. -He then put the successful bullet in the prepared hole in the cross and -poured the blood over the cross and the grave as an offering, saying as -he did so: “We thank you for sending us such a fine animal, and hope you -will repeat the favour.” Only the blood of antelopes is given in this -way. Some of the blood was rubbed on their fetish charms, and the end of -the antelope’s tail was stuck in the wall over the doorway of the -successful hunter. - -During the hunting season Old Plaited-Beard was unsuccessful in his -hunting--not a single animal fell to his gun, although he had several -fine opportunities. He was exasperated at his failure, and looked around -for the reason why his charms were ineffective. He now recalled to mind -what the boys who accompanied Bakula told him on their return about -their companion’s disparaging remarks concerning the “medicine man,” his -fetish, and his trickery. He also remembered his admiration for the -white man, and the attempts he made to bring about a meeting between -them. Putting all these things together, he came to the conclusion that -Bakula had bewitched him and his charms, and that consequently he was -unable to kill any game. - -Old Plaited-Beard sent for Bakula and accused him of destroying the -power in his charms; and when the lad strenuously denied the accusation, -he told him what he had sneeringly said in the _nganga’s_ town about -“medicine men” and their tricks; of his companionship with the white man -in the King’s town; and how he who used to wear so many charms had -thrown nearly all of them away. It seemed a very black indictment. - -Bakula admitted that he had lost faith in _ngangas_, and told with -dramatic force of the _nganga’s_ exposed trickery in the King’s town; he -did not deny his liking for the white man, for had he not shown kindness -to him in forgiving him and healing his wound? He assented to the charge -of throwing his charms away, for he could not see that the messes the -witch-doctors put into horns and shells could help them in sickness, -hunting, trading, or anything else. - -“Besides,” he said, "if I had power to affect the charms made by the -‘medicine man’ for the town, how is it our people have killed pigs, -gazelles and an antelope?" - -“You let them shoot the animals, and took the spirit from my charms, so -that I could not kill any,” unreasonably argued the superstitious old -man. - -“I am sorry no game fell to your gun,” soothingly replied the lad, “but -it was through no fault of mine.” - -Old Plaited-Beard looked at the apologetic lad suspiciously, and he -thought that his very conciliatory attitude was a sign of his guilt. He -would have understood him better if the spirited boy had burst into -loud, angry abuse, recriminations and counter-charges. However, he only -said: "Don’t do it again. Leave my charms alone and do not laugh at -‘medicine men’ and their fetishes, for you have put me to the expense of -engaging a _nganga_ to renew the power in my hunting charm." - -Old Plaited-Beard went next day to the _nganga nkongo_, who made three -plaits of nine pieces of grass in each plait. He then asked for a piece -of the last bird or animal his client had killed. The old man took from -his shoulder-bag the tail of a gazelle that he had brought for the -purpose and handed it over to the “medicine man.” - -A hunter always saves a feather or a claw of the last bird he killed, or -the tail or hoof of the last animal he shot, and that is why all these -odds and ends are stuck in the front walls of the houses. At any time he -may repeatedly miss, and may require a piece of the last thing he killed -to restore his luck. The _nganga_ took the gazelle’s tail from Old -Plaited-Beard and put it on the ground; he then made three little heaps -of loose gunpowder round it, and chalked a cross near the powder, and on -the butt of the hunter’s gun. The _nganga_ exploded the powder; a little -gunpowder was then put in the gun, and the hunter, standing a few feet -away, fired at the gazelle’s tail, and blew it from the spot on which it -was resting, thus proving that his hunting skill had returned to him. If -the tail had not been blown out of its position the “medicine man” would -have repeated his ceremonies. - -After the old man had knocked the tail away, the _nganga_ took the gun -from him, and put his finger in the dirt where the tail had been, and -rubbed a little of the earth three times on the hunter’s upper lip; the -fourth time he put his fingers on the butt of the gun, and ran them up -the barrel and snapped them in the air. He then loosened the plaits, and -shook the grass about the gun. Old Plaited-Beard stepped forward, -solemnly clapped his hands, took his gun, sprang into the air, and -returned home satisfied that in future he would be more successful. He -had never been a good shot, and this season he failed utterly, and put -all the blame on Bakula, on whom he determined to avenge himself on the -first good opportunity. - - - - - Chapter XVII - Satu and his People go to War - -Satu as the insulted party makes the first move--He sends an embassy to - Dimbula--He asks for an apology or offers a bullet--The apology is - refused, but the bullet is accepted--The witch-doctor makes a new - charm--Mode of fighting--The ridge-pole of chief’s house is - captured--Dimbula sues for peace with a white goat--Pays homage to - Satu--Blood brotherhood is made. - - -The hunting season had ended, and Dimbula had neither come to pay homage -to Satu, nor sent an apology for the insults he had heaped on him. -Dimbula’s attitude, his insolence, his breaking the bush-burning custom, -and “What would Satu do?” were the general topics of conversation on the -markets and around the evening fires. The people belonging to both towns -swaggered, boasted of their prowess, and insulted each other whenever -they met. There was no hope either of Dimbula humbling himself, or of -Satu relinquishing his claims to homage, or at least his rights to -courteous treatment. - -As Satu was the aggrieved party he was consequently the one to make the -first move. Bakula and another lad were chosen to carry a message and a -bullet to Dimbula’s town. - -It was with much nervous trepidation that they went on their errand. On -arriving at the town they found the chief and his head men engaged in a -drinking bout. Bakula delivered his message: “Would Dimbula apologize -for his insults and pay homage to Satu as a noble of high rank, or would -he accept of the bullet Satu had sent him?” Bakula and his comrade then -withdrew out of hearing while the men consulted about the answer that -should be returned. - -When the messengers were recalled, Dimbula said: “We will accept the -bullet, as we never intend either to apologize or to pay homage to Satu. -Tell him,” angrily boasted the excited chief, “that I can let him have -fifty kegs of gunpowder if he is short of it,” and then followed a -string of abusive epithets that I do not care to place on record. The -two lads were glad eventually to find themselves outside the town in -safety; and, on reaching home, delivered their message faithfully to the -waiting people. - -Upon the return of the messengers Satu sent to call in all the -neighbouring chiefs, except Dimbula, and on their arrival he laid -clearly before them the reasons of his quarrel with Dimbula, and his -wish to fight him. After full consideration of the matter the chiefs -gave their consent to the fight taking place; and thereupon Satu killed -a pig and distributed it among the chiefs. The acceptance of this pig’s -flesh assured their neutrality, and was a proof of their consent. It was -now the business of the chiefs to see that no one went to the assistance -of either of the towns at war; and thus Satu had gained an open field, -and feared no interference while he was fighting his enemy. - -The next thing to be done was to send for the _nganga_ who made the war -charms. On his arrival Satu and all the men who were to take part in the -fighting assembled to greet and fête him, for their success, and perhaps -their lives, depended on his good-humour and his care in making their -charms. They told the _nganga_ that they were willing to pay for the -most powerful charms he could make. - -The “medicine man” took a frog and killed it, then he procured some -twigs from three different trees--the “lembanzau,” the “lolo,” and the -“mfilu”; these four things were carefully burnt together, and the ashes -made into a paste by the addition of some water. A little of this paste -was put into a large number of snail shells, one of which was given as a -charm to each fighting man. Then the men walked round one of the above -trees, and on returning to the town some palm-wine was mixed with the -paste remaining in the saucepan, and all drank of it. After each one had -drunk a little of this mess, the _nganga_ took the saucepan down to the -road that led to Dimbula’s town, and placed it right in the middle of -the path. Each man had then to jump over the pot, and if one had -stumbled or touched the pot with his foot while jumping he would not -have been allowed to go to the fight. The coming war was a popular one, -so every man jumped carefully and lifted his feet well when he came to -the saucepan. - -The twigs used in making this charm were from “strong medicine trees,” -and the frog was put in the mixture because they had noticed that the -frog’s heart pulsates, or, as they say, “lives,” for some time after it -is taken from the body. This tenacity of life was what the fighters -needed. - -Early next morning the warriors assembled in front of the chief’s home, -and he served out the powder to them. Then the _nganga_ came with a bowl -of palm-wine, and dipping his fingers in the wine touched the lips of -the fighters three times with the front and back of his fingers, and -told them not to look back, nor enter a house, but go right away to the -fight. This he did each morning during the war, for this charm put them -under a spell that removed all possibility of harm or danger. And the -warriors being now secured from bullets, knives, etc., went off in high -spirits to the fight. - -The lads, girls and women who were not permitted to go to the fight -brought out their most powerful fetish, and placing it in the middle of -a cleared space, danced round it, and as they circled about the ugly -image they sang: “You fetish, you must kill any one who is bewitching -our fighting men.” Hour after hour, through all the long morning and -afternoon they assiduously danced and repeated their wearisome and -monotonous injunction to their fetish. - -Meanwhile, Satu led his men towards his insulter’s town; but in a valley -that skirted the hill upon which his enemy’s town was built he saw -Dimbula and his followers drawn up in fighting array. They were arranged -in a long line behind trees, stones, ants’ nests, hillocks and any other -cover they could find. Satu took his men to within sixty yards of the -enemy, and then spread them in a long line. Abusive expressions of -defiance were hurled at each other, each side ridiculing the bravery of -the other, and asking if they had enough powder for the fight. - -When they became tired of shouting, they began to fire their guns at one -another across the open bush. One man would load, run out and fire his -gun, and return to cover; then another did the same, and sometimes there -was simply a flash in the pan and no report at all. Through the whole of -the day they fired at one another in this desultory manner, and not a -single person on either side was hit. Their guns carried only about -thirty yards with any effect, but they generally fired at a distance of -about fifty yards. Again, as the butts of their guns were not pressed -against their shoulders to steady them while taking aim, but held -against the palms of the hands, or against nothing at all, they had free -play, and the kick of the guns sent the slugs anywhere but in a straight -line. In fact Tumbu, a lad, one day was standing well up the hill some -distance above the combatants when a spent slug struck him on the leg, -scratching the skin. You see it was not steady, calm aiming that caused -a bullet to go straight; but the concoction the “medicine man” put in -their charms, and if the bullets went in any direction but the right one -it was not their fault, but their charms were not properly compounded, -or their enemies had more powerful “medicine.” - -The fighting had lasted some ten days when it was noticed by Satu’s -party that their enemy’s firing was neither so frequent nor so loud, an -evident proof that Dimbula’s boasted supply of gunpowder was running -short. - -It was now that a slave belonging to one of Satu’s head men ran forward -in reckless bravado to fire at the enemy, and was himself struck by a -bullet in the stomach. A fight with knives and clubbed guns took place -over the fallen man. - -Dimbula’s men wanted to secure the body, and Satu’s men resisted the -attempt for the following reason: If the corpse fell into the hands of -the enemy they would cut off the head, and soak it in water until the -skull was freed of all flesh. Then the victor would either put it in a -prominent place on a pole as a reproach to the conquered, or he would -use it as a drinking-cup. The spirit of a man thus mutilated haunts and -kills by witchcraft, not the man who slew him, but the members of his -own family. Thus, on the one hand they fight to preserve the body intact -so as not to have the vengeance of the spirit falling on them as a -family; and on the other hand they fight to mutilate the enemy’s body so -that his family may be done to death by the angry spirit. Hence the -fight now raged over the body of the fallen man. - -But Satu’s men were too strong, and, at really close quarters, too -brave[62] to give way to the insulter of their popular chief, and after -a short, sharp scuffle, in which several were wounded on both sides, -Dimbula’s men took to their heels and bolted towards their town, -shouting loudly to the women and children to fly to the forest. - -Footnote 62: - - See note 50, p. 357. - -Satu, calling his men about him, gave chase up the hill and into the -town, simply to find it deserted. They raided the houses, taking the -little treasures that had been overlooked in the hurried flight of their -owners, gathered fowls, goats and pigs, and drove them off to their -town; but before leaving they pulled out the ridge-pole of Dimbula’s -house, and carried it away in triumph--for to take the ridge-pole of a -chief’s house against whom you are fighting is like capturing a royal -standard in an English battle. - -Satu and his fighters returned with their loot in great jubilation; but -on arriving in their town their victorious ardour was somewhat damped by -hearing that the slave had died from his wound, and several others had -severe cuts and gashes gained in the _mêlée_ over the fallen man. The -owner of the slave was very much annoyed at the destruction of his -property, and said: “How is it my slave was killed and no one else? -Surely he was bewitched!” He accused Satu of bewitching him, and the -chief would have had to take the ordeal to clear himself of the charge; -but the slain man was a slave, and no free man or chief ever takes the -ordeal on account of a slave. Satu, however, soothed the vexed man by -promising to make Dimbula pay for the slave, or give another in his -place. - -Next morning Satu led his men out again; but no sooner had they begun to -fire than Dimbula’s voice could be heard shouting: “Luve! luve! luve!” -or “Peace! peace! peace!” - -Instantly upon hearing this cry for peace all fighting, according to -custom, must cease; consequently Satu told his men to stop firing. Then -a small company of men coming across the valley could be seen, the -foremost of whom was Dimbula, and behind him came a neighbouring chief -carrying on his shoulders a _white_ goat. Dimbula took the _white_ goat, -and kneeling in front of Satu, said: “I do not want any more fighting, -and in token of my submission I offer you this _white_ goat.” - -Satu accepted the goat, and said: “I am glad to receive your _white_ -goat of submission; but I cannot promise you a lasting peace until you -have: First, paid homage to me as a noble of rank; secondly, compensated -my head man for a slave killed in the fight; and lastly, paid one -hundred kegs of gunpowder and fifty pieces of cloth to compensate us.” - -Dimbula begged for better terms, and pleaded poverty, stating truly that -he had not the powder and cloth. All the swaggering arrogance of the -bully had gone out of his tone and demeanour as he cringed on the ground -before his conqueror; and as he crouched there he was seen in his true -character--a coward. - -To him Satu replied: “The homage you can pay now while you are kneeling -before me; the slave you can also repay at once to my head man, for I -know you have slaves; and for the rest you can hand over one of your -brothers and two of your nephews for me to hold in pawn until you have -paid the agreed price. This is fair, and I have only one mouth.” - -Dimbula knew that it would be waste of time to plead further, and in his -heart he was surprised that the conditions were so generous; so -swallowing his pride he paid homage to his victor as _N gudi a nkama -Katendi_. He then called one of his slaves and offered him to Satu’s -head man, who, being satisfied with his healthy appearance, accepted him -with alacrity. He then called his young brother and two nephews, and, -promising to redeem them as soon as possible, put their hands in Satu’s, -thus completing the conditions of peace. - -In the meantime, a _nganga_ was called who came with some stalks, leaves -and palm-wine. He pressed the juice out of the stalks into the wine, and -well mixing them he dipped the leaves in the liquid, touched the chiefs -with the leaves and sprinkled the rest of the mixture indiscriminately -over the fighters and people of both sides. Thus peace was established. -To ensure this peace for all time, so far as these two men were -concerned, the _nganga_ let a little blood from them, and gave each to -drink the blood taken from the other; then two needles were solemnly -buried and the whilom enemies became henceforth staunch friends and -blood brothers. - -Down somewhere in Dimbula’s cruel, bullying, arrogant nature was a soft -place for his nephews and brother, for at once he began to trade, nor -did he rest until he had gained sufficient to redeem his relatives by -taking the hundred kegs of powder, the fifty pieces of cloth, and the -necessary three _white_ goats to cleanse them from all taint of slavery. -Besides, he was eager to reinstate himself with the neighbouring chiefs, -among whom he had lost his position as a defeated man too poor to meet -the terms of peace. And Satu, as a proof of his increasing friendship -for Dimbula, gave him back the ridge-pole that had been torn from his -house. - - - - - Chapter XVIII - Governing, Marketing, and Trading Customs - -The making and enforcing of laws--Fines imposed--Division of - fines--Congo week of four days probably named after their - markets--Raids and robberies--Preparing a caravan for the - road--Rules of the road--Arriving at a trading-station--Mode of - trading--Goods given and received. - - -From this time Satu could not engage in trading expeditions, but devoted -himself to governing the country by helping to make new laws or -administering old ones. As a noble of exalted rank he presided over the -chiefs of his district at the big palavers when difficult cases were -judged, or called them together to give their sanction to new -regulations. - -Recently there had been much quarrelling on the markets, resulting in -severe wounds and a few deaths. After much thought and many talks with -his head men, Satu determined to stop these fatal fights by making a law -that in future no guns should be carried on a market-place nor force -used during market-time. He therefore sent for all the chiefs of the -district, and on their arrival laid clearly and forcibly before them the -new law and the reasons for it. He also suggested that for every breach -of the law a fine of three pieces of good cloth should be inflicted. - -This was discussed, and it was finally settled that for taking a gun on -the market the fine should be two pieces of cloth, and for originating a -quarrel the fine should be five pieces, and the defaulter to pay all the -damages of the disturbance. - -As soon as this was settled Old Plaited-Beard was nominated as the _N -enkondo_, or enforcer of the new law; and Satu divided the flesh of -three pigs among the assembled chiefs; and they accepted it as a proof -of their assent to the new law, and their promised aid in enforcing it. -After this the witnessing chiefs went to a cross-road and one of their -number proclaimed the new law. Lying on the ground he rubbed his mouth -in the dirt, and then striking his knees with his hands he called down a -bitter curse on any one who dared to break this edict. - -This ceremony has often a very terrifying effect on the people, and he -will be a bold fellow who risks the curse. - -Each chief returned to his village or town, and told all his people of -the new law and its penalties; thus, a day or two after the new rule was -made and promulgated at the cross-roads, every one affected by it had -heard of it. - -It was now the duty of Old Plaited-Beard to follow up quickly any -infringement of the new command, no matter who the culprit might be; and -it was not long before a slave of a neighbouring chief carried a gun on -to a market and in a drunken quarrel severely wounded a man. Old -Plaited-Beard, the _N enkondo_, had to bestir himself at once to follow -up the man who had broken the law. - -This activity was necessitated by a curious view taken by the natives of -laws in general. From the time a law was broken until the breaker of it -was punished, that particular law did not exist, it was broken, dead; -hence, for instance, any man could take a gun on a market and shoot -another person and go unpunished, because the law against that crime was -dead and could not be mended or brought again to life until the first -breaker of it was punished by paying the penalty. This ensured quick -dealing with culprits, and impartial administration of the law, for if a -chief broke the law he was judged immediately like an ordinary man and -paid the penalty, otherwise anarchy reigned until the law was vindicated -by the infliction of the fine on the law-breaker. To neglect to punish -the chief would mean that any one could repeat the crime with impunity, -for the law was dead. - -The slave was quickly caught and brought before the chiefs; but as a -master is responsible for the actions of his slave, it was really the -owner who was on his trial and had to pay the fine of five pieces of -cloth and compensate the wounded man. On meeting all the demands the -master received his slave again, and did with him as he liked. The slave -was his property in the same sense as his goats, fowls or pigs, and -after cruelly punishing the man he sold him away from his wife and -children to a distant tribe of people, and we never saw nor heard of him -again. - -The fines imposed on law-breakers are periodically divided among the -chiefs of the district. They are one source of their income, and repay -them for the trouble of administering the laws and governing the people. -Satu, of course, took a larger share of the fines than the other chiefs. -He not only presided over the palavers, but he also acted as treasurer -and stored the fines until the time of division, and if he had failed to -give the other chiefs their proper share at stated intervals, they would -have refused to judge cases with him, and the country would have quickly -become unmanageable and disorderly. - -A share of the fines, however, would not support Satu as a chief and -noble; consequently he had to turn his attention to trading on the -markets and with the white men down at the coast. Bakula on account of -his smartness was often employed by his chief to sell pigs, cloth, -goats, gunpowder and other goods on the markets. - -There are four days in a Congo week--_Konzo_, _N kenge_, _N sona_ and _N -kandu_, and these are also the names of the markets held on those days. -All the markets on a certain day all over our part of the Congo are -called _Konzo_, and all the markets next day are called _N kenge_, and -so on. These markets are all held in different places, _e. g._ all the -_Konzo_ markets are held in different places from all the rest of the -markets on the other three successive days; and these markets are so -arranged that one in four comes within two to five miles of every town -or village on the Lower Congo. - -Thus one of the _Konzo_ markets was only four miles from our town; the -nearest _N kenge_ one was nine miles away from us, but near some other -towns, the nearest _N sona_ market was sixteen miles away, and the _N -kandu_ market was nearly twenty miles distant from us, but not far from -some other villages. Again, some of these markets were famous for -certain articles that were always to be found on sale at them. For -instance, at one _N kenge_ a person could always find pigs, and buyers -and sellers of pigs consequently travelled to that particular _N kenge_; -another _N kenge_ was noted for pots, calabashes and sauce-pans. One _N -sona_ would be noted for cloth and another for palm-wine. At all the -markets cassava roots, _kwanga_, or native bread, peanuts, beans and -various other food-stuffs were on sale, besides the speciality of the -market. - -There are also five important markets that are held every eight days, -not on the same but on the successive eighth days. These are called _N -kenge_ _Elembelo_, held not far from the King’s town; _Konzo Kinsuka_, -about two days north of the previous one; two days farther north is -_Konzo Kikandikila_; three days north of that is _Konzo Makwekwe_, and -about another two days north, but on the other side of the great river, -is the _N kenge N kila_. Perhaps these great markets are to be found -well established much farther north and south of the points I have -named, and are only limited by the boundaries of the old kingdom of -Congo, which formerly included Landana on the north and Bihe on the -south. - -While there were stringent laws against fighting, raiding, quarrelling -and capturing people on the markets, no law could be enforced to guard -small, unprotected parties on the way to or from the markets. Rowdy -rascals would lie in wait and pounce on any defenceless child or adult, -and, hurrying them away to some distant place, sell them into slavery, -to the intense grief of their relatives. - -I heard Bakula once tell how his young sister was sent by her mother to -buy a saucepan at a market only four miles from home. She had bought the -vessel and was returning to her town in the company of some neighbours, -when, in a forest, she strayed from the path and was never heard of -again, although the whole town turned out to search the forest. - -Now and again some of these daring, reckless scamps were caught, and the -whole countryside would wreak its vengeance on them, for there was -scarcely a family but had lost one or more of its members or some of its -goods by these kidnappings and robberies. - -Bakula and some of the men were sent to the various markets far and near -to buy up rubber and tusks of ivory. Sometimes they would take pigs and -goats to sell, and having sold them would then buy what rubber and ivory -there were for sale on the market. At other times they would take cloth -and gunpowder to give in exchange for those products that white men -bought at the coast--rubber and ivory. Occasionally they had to go to -distant markets to buy pigs for cloth, and then travel to another market -to exchange the pigs for rubber, peanuts and tusks. - -Thus the rubber and ivory were gradually accumulated by the richer -natives, and when enough were gathered a large caravan of men, from -eighty to a hundred and twenty in number, was dispatched to the trading -houses at the coast. As the natives could neither read nor write, it -needed a clear head and a complicated system of knots and notches to -keep a record of what was spent in pigs, goats, cloth and gunpowder in -buying up the little stores of rubber and ivory on the markets. A man -would tie a knot in a string for every pig sold, another string was used -for every goat, another for every keg of gunpowder, and a notch was cut -in a stick for every piece of cloth. By counting the knots and notches -he knew just how much the ivory, rubber and peanuts had cost him; he -also knew how much each man would “eat” on the road, and therefore he -was quite able to ask of, and only accept from, the white traders a -price that would pay for his stuff, meet the expenses of his carriers, -and leave him a fair margin of profit for his risk of capital and -trouble. - -After months of petty trading on the markets, sufficient rubber, peanuts -and ivory were collected to warrant a journey to the coast. Satu himself -could not go, so he sent one of his head men, and told him how much he -wanted for the produce he was sending, which would require forty men to -carry it. Satu’s agent had ten loads, and neighbouring chiefs and head -men joined the caravan with their porters, so that when all were ready -to start there were nearly one hundred and forty men and lads in the -party, and as most had knives, guns or spears they were well able to -protect themselves on the long, wearisome road. - -When all was arranged for the journey a “medicine man,” named _N gang’ a -mpungu_, or the Luck-giver, was called. He came with his bag, containing -pieces of leopard’s skin, hyæna’s skin, lion’s skin, and, in fact, a -piece of the skin of every strong animal he could procure, and also some -albino’s hair; and he carried with him his wooden fetish image with -grass tied round its neck, knotted back and front. - -The “medicine man” sat in the middle of the caravan, which stood round -him with their bundles tied ready for the journey, and put the fetish -image in front of him. The _nganga_ spoke to the image, telling it to -give the traders good luck on the road and at the trading-station. A man -then held a fowl by the head and the “medicine man” took it by the body -and cut its head off and let the blood drop on the image. After this the -fowl was cooked and eaten outside the houses; and during and after this -ceremony no one could enter a house or turn back from the road. - -The fowl having been eaten, a shell was brought containing very small -pieces of everything that was in the fetish bag of charms, and this -shell was placed on the road by which the men had to travel to the -coast. Every one in the caravan had then to step carefully over the -shell, for if any one had touched it he would not have been allowed to -proceed or he would die on the journey. Having passed safely over the -shell of charms, we were not to look back or our luck would have been -destroyed. Bakula performed these various rites in a very half-hearted -manner, for he was losing faith in them. - -As we were starting the members of our party shouted to the people left -in the town: “Good health to you, and let no one follow us to give us -bad luck in trading”; and those left behind said: “Good journey to you, -and do not any of you return to bewitch us, or carry us to sell to the -white traders.” The idea behind these requests was that any living -person who is a _ndoki_, or witch, can visit a place by his _nkwiya_, or -evil spirit, and take a person away, or work them great harm by his -witchcraft. Hence they live in constant fear of each other, and all -their charms, fetishes, and witch-doctors are employed in protecting -them from one another. Before Bakula reached the shell his mother came -hurrying towards him, and, pretending to spit on his face, said: “May -you have all that you desire, may you have happiness and good luck, and -may your words find favour with the people.” It was her mode of saying -farewell to her son. - -We were now fairly started on the road, and as all the omens were in our -favour and the _nganga_ had performed his ceremonies without the -slightest hitch, everybody was in good spirits, and more ready to laugh -and sing than grumble at the weight of the loads. Many points of -etiquette had to be remembered as we passed through the numerous towns -and villages on our road to the coast. - -On passing through a village we were not allowed to let our sticks touch -the ground or we should destroy the luck of that place and that would -mean a heavy fine. While in the open country or bush many of the men -hitched up their cloths (exposing their thighs) to give greater freedom -to their legs; but on passing through a town they dropped their cloths -out of respect to the town, or otherwise they would have been taken to -the chief’s house and well beaten. In passing through any town every -carrier was careful not to put his load on his head, as that was -regarded as an exhibition of insolent pride, and would have aroused the -anger of the towns-people, and a fight, with heavy fines, would have -resulted. If we sat resting on the ground in any town we had to be -careful not to shake off the dust from our cloths until we got outside -the town, as such an action was regarded as putting a curse on the -place. - -Tolls had to be paid for using all bridges and canoes in crossing the -larger rivers in our path; and a tax, according to the number of -carriers and the value of their loads, was demanded by the overlords of -the districts through which we passed. The non-observance of these -customs and points of etiquette led sometimes to quarrels and fights -between insolent travellers and insulted townsfolk. - -On our arrival at the coast we were met by a native interpreter, who had -visited our town and given Satu twenty pieces of cloth on the -understanding that he was to have the privilege of selling our chief’s -“trade produce” to one of the white traders. This interpreter showed us -much hospitality, hoping thereby to be seller for the whole caravan. - -The morning after our arrival we sorted Satu’s stuff into three -lots--ten loads of ivory, eight loads of peanuts, and twenty-two loads -of rubber. It was decided to sell the rubber first, so the men carried -their loads to the trader’s store accompanied by the interpreter. The -following conversation then took place, the white man and the -interpreter talking Portuguese, and the native trader and the -interpreter talking the vernacular-- - -Interpreter to white man: “How much for this rubber?” - -The rubber was carefully examined and weighed. - -White man: “I will give 200 pieces of cloth.” - -Interpreter to native trader: “He will give you 80 pieces of cloth.” - -Native trader: “That is not enough, I want 170 pieces.” - -Interpreter to white man: “They want 250 pieces of cloth.” - -White man: “That is too much; I will give 210 pieces.” - -Interpreter to native trader: “He will give you 90 pieces.” - -After much haggling the white man reached his limit of 220 pieces; and -after much talking, lasting nearly the whole day, the native trader -brought his price down to 150 pieces, and the interpreter worked his up -gradually to that amount. Being now agreed, the interpreter told the -white man to take the rubber, and pay 150 pieces to Satu’s agent. Satu -had instructed his agent not to take less than 135 pieces of cloth, and -had also informed him what goods he was to select from the store. Having -received fifteen pieces more than they anticipated, they reckoned that -they had sold to great advantage. - -Having settled the price, we went over to the store to draw the goods. -Arranged round the store were the trade goods: cloths of various -colours, lengths and qualities; plates, dishes, basins, ewers, mugs, -cups, glasses, looking-glasses of different sizes, bright beads of -gorgeous colours, machets, knives and guns. In another store was a huge -pile of bags of salt, and isolated from the other houses was a store -full of gunpowder. - -Satu’s agent, according to his instructions, picked out fifty pieces of -cloth; gunpowder to the value of fifty pieces, and fifty pieces worth of -beads, mugs, trinkets, rum and gin. - -All these articles were carried over to the shed in which we were living -while transacting our business with the trader. Then the ivory was sold -in the same manner, and, the price having been settled, guns, powder, -liquor, blankets, cloth, etc., were selected up to the agreed amount. -The sale of the peanuts was a very simple matter. We put the nuts on the -scale, and salt was weighed against them, and when they balanced a gaudy -coloured plate was put on top and the sale was completed, _i. e._ we -received weight for weight in salt for our peanuts and a make-weight of -a plate on top of each load. - -[Illustration: WHITE TRADER AND NATIVE TRADERS AND THEIR PRODUCE.] - -Every article in the white man’s store had a price on it. It was either -equivalent to one piece of cloth, or to two or more pieces, or so many -of it equalled the value of one piece. The first kind of cloth taken to -Congo was probably of a common quality worth about 2_s_. for a piece of -twelve yards. By and by other qualities were taken, and they were -reckoned as equal to one and a half, two, or three pieces of the -original quality. Then the natives wanted other things besides cloth, -and as they were introduced the traders put a cloth value on them, _e. -g._ six knives were equal to one piece of cloth, eight looking-glasses -ditto, four strings of one kind of beads, or twenty strings of another -sort, were priced at one piece; and thus through the whole list of goods -stocked by the traders. - -If a trader priced his goods high it was quickly known, and his store -was avoided by the natives. They always went to that store where they -received the best prices for their produce, where the articles in the -store were cheapest, and where they were treated properly. - -We remained ten days at the coast, selling the rubber, peanuts and ivory -our caravan had brought from the interior. Some of the native traders -were dissatisfied with the prices offered by the white trader, or were -suspicious that the interpreter was retaining too much for himself, and -for these reasons went to other white men and employed other -interpreters; others of our party thought the prices of the store goods -were too high, and went to those traders whom they thought sold their -barter goods at reasonable rates. - -It took us, as I have already stated, ten long, wearisome days of -haggling, bargaining and chaffering to dispose of our produce to the -best advantage. During this time our food supply was running low, and we -often had not half enough to eat. Food at the coast was very dear, and -we were all glad when our business was concluded and we could turn our -faces homeward. - -The return journey was accomplished without any incident more serious -than the breaking of a few china ornaments belonging to Old -Plaited-Beard, who had seen such things in the King’s house and had -instructed his men to buy him similar ones with some of the produce he -had sent for sale. The man, however, who carried them slipped on some -huge boulders while crossing a river, and down he fell, cutting his own -knees and smashing the fragile contents of his load. The old man, when -he saw the results of the accident, did not blame his carrier of -carelessness, but rather accused some one of bewitching him and thus -causing the destruction of the goods. And with a look of hate in his -eyes and a curse on his lips he threatened to punish the witch. - -All the men and lads of our party were glad to be again among their own -families. During the whole journey to and from the coast, and while at -the trading centre, they had eaten very sparingly, as food was heavy to -carry and very dear on the road; but now that they had returned they -made amends for lost time and hungry days. Huge dishes of food quickly -disappeared, and those who had become thin during the twenty-five days -of short rations began to fill out again, and those who were feeling -exhausted by the heavy loads they carried up and down hill and along -rugged, narrow tracks began, after some refreshing, restful sleeps, to -feel strong and active again and ready for the next trading expedition. - - - - - Chapter XIX - An Accusation and the Ordeal - -Old Plaited-Beard charges Bakula with stealing--The accusation is - denied--Bakula declares his disbelief in charms and - witch-doctors--Satu saves him from immediate death--The missing - cloth is found in Bakula’s house--Tumbu exposes the accuser’s - trickery--He is ridiculed--Bakula submits to the ordeal of the - boiling oil--His arm is badly scalded--During the night Bakula - escapes to the mission station. - - -A few days after the return of the trading caravan, the whole town was -startled to hear that some one had stolen two pieces of cloth from Old -Plaited-Beard’s house. He was most emphatic and circumstantial as to -when and where he had left the cloth, and the disappearance of the -pieces. He borrowed a strong fetish from a friend, beat it soundly to -arouse it to action, held it three times above his head that its spirit -might rush through the air in pursuit of the thief, held it also three -times head downwards near the ground to enable the fetish spirit to run -along the earth after the robber, and then hung it by the neck to the -roof of his house. Then the old man waited a day or two, but the cloth -was not returned. - -Old Plaited-Beard fumed in pretended rage about the loss of his cloth, -and at last accused Bakula of stealing it. The lad indignantly denied -the charge. - -The old man said: “Ever since you met that white man in Tonzeka’s town -you have been a different lad. You do not enter into our fetish -palavers, you laugh at the witch-doctors, you destroyed the power of my -charms so that I did not kill a single animal through the whole of the -hunting season, you bewitched my carrier, thus causing the breaking of -all my crockery ornaments, and now you have stolen my cloth.” - -“I am not guilty of any of these charges,” stoutly maintained the lad. -"I have not stolen your cloth! Search my house if you like, for since -our return from the trading journey to the coast I have not been to a -market, nor have I been out of the town except to bathe in the river, so -I have had no opportunity of disposing of the cloth. It is true that -since the white man put medicine on my wound, and talked to me about -God’s palaver I have lost my faith in charms and ‘medicine men.’" - -A great crowd by now was surging round the two principal persons in this -strange scene, and a howl of derision went up from scores of throats -when the brave lad daringly avowed his disbelief in charms and -witch-doctors. - -“He is a witch! Give him the ordeal!” shouted some. “Kill him!” screamed -others, “or he will bewitch all of us.” - -And women held their children tightly to their bosoms, and begged them -not to follow the example of “that wicked boy.” - -Satu came hurrying up to learn the cause of all the excitement, and when -the whole case was laid before him he felt a great pity for the lad, and -determined that he should have fair play; for he liked him, and had -admired his smartness in trade, and alertness in games, dancing and -hunting. Besides, he knew that his accuser, Old Plaited-Beard, hated the -boy for some unknown reason. - -When, therefore, the mob again demanded either the ordeal or death for -the undaunted boy, the chief at once said: “No, let us search his house -as he desires, and if we find the cloth in it, then we will have a -palaver and punish him according to our laws.” - -A rush was instantly made for Bakula’s house, where he lived with his -mother; but no one entered until the chief actors arrived, and then -Satu, Old Plaited-Beard, Bakula, and one or two others entered the -house; and after searching about the hut for a very short time Old -Plaited-Beard pulled the two pieces of cloth from a corner of the roof, -in the dark inner room, where they were concealed by some grass. - -The discovery of the cloth was hailed with screams of laughter, shouts -of derision, and whistles of contempt. And if Satu had not been there, -my poor owner, Bakula, would have been torn to pieces by the infuriated -crowd, not because stealing was such a heinous crime in their -eyes--there was not an honest man, woman or youth among the whole mob of -screamers and shouters; but the discovery of the cloth in the house was -taken as a proof of his witchcraft and utter stupidity. - -In a very short time Satu was seated with his head men ready to judge -the case. Old Plaited-Beard sat there with a snigger of triumph on his -evil face, and Bakula, crestfallen, confused, but undaunted, stood, the -centre of all eyes, the object of ridicule and contempt. - -“Why did he not hide the cloth in the bush? Why was he such a fool as to -leave the cloth in his own house?” were questions everybody was asking. -The crowd derided Bakula for being a fool, rather than blamed him as a -thief. - -The court was held on an open space in the centre of the town, beneath -the wide-spreading branches of a wild fig-tree. In a simple case like -this there were no advocates, and no sides taken as in a big law-suit. -Old Plaited-Beard told of the loss of the cloth, of his charging Bakula -with the theft, and the discovery of the cloth by himself in the accused -person’s house. - -Bakula strenuously denied the theft, and gave a very clear account of -all that he had done and the people with whom he had been since his -return a few days ago. He appealed to Satu to state how he had accounted -for every yard of cloth he had used when trading on the markets for him, -and finished by saying that for some reason the _Nenkondo_ (the new -title of Old Plaited-Beard) hated him, and had more than once threatened -to do him some harm. - -Old Plaited-Beard scornfully asked: “Do you think I should steal my own -cloth and put it in your house?” - -Just then a lad, by name Tumbu, asked Satu for permission to speak, and, -trembling with excitement, said: “The other day, when the town was -nearly empty of people, I was lying down in my house, being too ill to -go with Bakula and the other lads to bathe in the river; and while I was -lying there I saw Nenkondo come along, and, after looking around on -every side, enter Bakula’s house, which is right opposite mine. I -watched him, and saw that he had something under his cloth; but when he -came out the something was gone, for his cloth was flat on his thighs. -Why did he go into Bakula’s house? and what did he leave there?” - -Old Plaited-Beard was furious, and, choking with rage, he snapped out -the question: “Is Bakula a friend of yours?” - -“Yes,” bravely answered the lad. “I am, as you know, a slave, and Bakula -has always been kind to me. He has given me food when I have been -hungry, and defended me from the taunts of the other boys and girls of -the town.” - -Bakula, as soon as his friend had finished speaking, instantly sprang -forward, and said: “I accuse Nenkondo of stealing his own cloth and -putting it in my house. Tumbu is my witness to that; but there is no -witness to show that I have been in his house. He is the thief, not I!” - -Satu consulted his head men for a considerable time; but at last said: -“There are two persons before us who accuse each other of thieving, and -it is difficult for us to decide. We will therefore call the _nganga_, -and will try the case to-morrow by the ordeal of the boiling oil; and -whichever one is proved guilty must pay a fine of five pieces of cloth.” - -After this decision the crowd at once broke up, and that night around -the fires there was much speculation as to which of the two would prove -the guilty one. - -Early the next afternoon a _nganga_ arrived with a deep vessel filled -with palm-oil. This was placed on a fire and attended to, while the -_nganga’s_ assistants walked about the town. One of these assistants -called to Bakula and asked him to show the way to the stream. When they -were a little out of the town the assistant turned, and said to Bakula: -“If you will give me fifty brass rods my master will put something on -your hand and arm so that the boiling oil will not burn you, and you -will be proved innocent. Will you pay me the money?” - -“No; I am perfectly innocent of the charge,” replied Bakula, “and if -there is any truth in the ordeal, it will show all the people that I am -guiltless. For many moons now I have doubted witch-doctors, and believed -that they tricked us, laughed at us and robbed us.” - -“You had better pay the money,” sneeringly retorted the _nganga’s_ -assistant, “otherwise you will have to pay the five pieces of cloth.” - -“Yes, I know your way,” replied the lad. “It is like this: I promise you -fifty rods, then you go to the other and he promises you sixty, and -after that you come to me and I promise seventy rods, and he offers -eighty, and it is the one who eventually gives you the largest amount -that wins the case by ordeal. No, I will not promise a single brass rod, -for I know I am innocent, and if the ordeal does not prove it I shall -know for a certainty that your _ngangas_ are liars and cheats, and your -ordeals trickeries and swindles.” - -The assistant, heaping on him much abuse, and throwing at him many -epithets of reproach, called him an utter fool, and returned to the -town. - -Later in the afternoon the drum sounded, and the people hurried to the -judging-place. Women had not been to the farms that day or had returned -very early; the men had not been to either market, forest or bush; and -people had come in from the surrounding villages, for everybody who -could be there was present, because no one wanted to miss so sensational -a sight as the ordeal by boiling oil. - -Satu and his head men sat by themselves a few yards from the saucepan of -oil. Bakula and Old Plaited-Beard were at opposite sides of the circle -of people that watched the proceedings intently. Old Plaited-Beard was -called first, and approached the saucepan with a jaunty air, smirking -face, and anticipated triumph in every movement. He submitted his right -hand and arm to be rubbed with some decoction[63] by the _nganga_; a -piece of _kwanga_, or native bread, was dropped in the oil, and then, -with an insolent flourish, Old Plaited-Beard dipped in his hand and arm -and brought out the piece of _kwanga_. His skin was not scalded, he had -passed the ordeal successfully, and was thus proved innocent of the -charge. - -Footnote 63: - - See note 51, p. 357. - -On the plea that the first ceremonial use of the oil had cooled it too -much to be a proper test, the _nganga_ and his assistants heaped fire -about the pot, and it was not until the oil began to bubble that the -“medicine man” pronounced it ready for the other accused person. - -My owner, Bakula, now went forward with set face and steady step to -where the saucepan of oil was sending up jets of steam. I could feel his -chest heaving, his breath coming and going in quick, short gasps, his -body trembling with the excitement of the hour, and his heart pulsating -turbulently. - -The tension was great, the sea of faces seemed to crowd about and press -in upon him; and as he drew near the saucepan he could see the glint of -hatred and triumph in the _nganga’s_ eyes, but he answered them with a -look of defiance. - -The _nganga_ rubbed something on the lad’s arm and hand, and dropped the -piece of _kwanga_ in the bubbling oil. - -Every head in that great crowd was bent forward, and, as a hush fell on -the assembly, every eye was fixed on the lonely, slim, young figure -standing before that saucepan of fiery oil. - -Without hesitation, for he was absolutely sure of his guiltlessness, -Bakula boldly dipped his hand in the boiling liquid, but before he could -reach the _kwanga_ at the bottom of the saucepan, a paroxysm of pain -seized him and, with a scream of agony, he fell fainting to the ground. - -His friend Tumbu and the chief hurried to him and warded off, by their -bodies, any intended blows upon the prostrate, unconscious lad; and -between them they carried him to his hut. - -When Bakula returned to consciousness he was lying on his rough bamboo -bed, and his mother, with unskilled kindness, was trying to bind up that -burning arm in poultices of leaves, and Tumbu was weeping by his side. - -Tumbu told his suffering friend that Satu had paid the five pieces of -cloth and the _nganga’s_ fee, and the matter was therefore settled. - -“And,” continued he, “although everybody in the town thinks you stole -the cloth, I know you did not.” - -Bakula then told his faithful companion how the _nganga’s_ assistant had -come to him before the ordeal, and had asked for money; that there was -no doubt the Nenkondo had given a bribe, and so had passed the ordeal -without a burn; and, emphatically asserted the lad, “After this I will -never again believe in _ngangas_, nor in charms, nor in ordeals. I am -innocent, but look at my arm.” - -The two friends sat talking all the evening, and at last Bakula said: -“To-night I am going to escape to the white man’s station. He will heal -my scalded arm, and teach me God’s palaver.” - -“Wait until the morning,” pleaded Tumbu. “Don’t travel in the dark, or -the evil spirits will throttle and squeeze the life out of you.” - -“Who talks about evil spirits?” asked Bakula. "Only the ‘medicine men,’ -and perhaps what they tell us about them is as great a lie as their -charms, fetishes and ordeals. I will test that to-night as I have tested -their other teaching to-day." And a look of undaunted determination came -into the brave fellow’s face, which, being seen by Tumbu in the -flickering firelight, stopped his further arguments. - -It was towards midnight that Bakula took farewell of his mother, and -creeping from his house with stealthy steps, passed through the sleeping -town and into the darkness of the silent, tangled, spirit-haunted bush. -What lay before him? Would it always be the darkness, the tangled paths -environed with fearful spirits? Or would he come into the light, that -would show him the straight, clear road, and, chasing away the evil -spirits of darkness, reveal the ministering angels of the white man’s -God? - - - - - Chapter XX - Bakula at School - -After much nursing Bakula recovers--He becomes a school-boy--He - struggles with the alphabet--He learns to understand - pictures--Routine life--Bakula itinerates with his white man--He - does not relish sleeping in the wet bush--He is convicted of sin--He - inquires the way of salvation--The lads play a trick on a - witch-doctor--Bakula is received into the Church--He returns to his - town. - - -After a long, weary walk Bakula reached his uncle’s town, and, staying -only to tell him the news, and show him his scalded arm, continued his -journey to the mission station. By the time he arrived he was feverish -and his arm very painful. The missionary in charge of the medical work -at once dressed the inflamed arm and put the exhausted lad to bed. - -For many days Bakula was delirious, repeating with monotonous -reiteration his innocence and the dipping of his arm in the boiling oil. -At times the missionaries feared he would die; that the strain, the -scalding, and the fatiguing walk would prove too much for him; but at -last he began to recover--skilled treatment, regular food, and careful -attention triumphed; and the lad was in due time walking about, little -the worse, except for the scars on his arm, for the ordeal through which -he had passed. - -[Illustration: _Photo_] THE REV. JOHN H. WEEKS AND HIS -BOYS. [_Rev. J. H. Weeks._] - -Bakula, on his recovery, found himself in a new world. When asked if he -would like to stay on the station and be taught, he, immediately and -gladly, accepted the invitation, and was handed over to the white man in -whose district[64] his town happened to be. - -Footnote 64: - - See note 52, p. 357. - -Bakula had always thought that “books talked” to the white men. In -common with other natives he had said, when he saw a white man looking -at a book and laughing: “The book is saying something funny to him.” He -was therefore disappointed to find that the white teacher gave him no -“medicine” to cause him to understand “book language,” and performed no -magic over him to open his ears to the “whispers of book talk”; but that -it was a matter of learning properly those curiously twisted and -contorted marks called a, b, d, e; and he also found that so many of -them changed their appearance when _written_, and again altered “their -legs and arms” when they grew into _big_ letters that he was puzzled, -and sometimes feared that he would never know them. - -How elusive those letters were! Just as he had mastered them on the -printed sheet they changed themselves on the blackboard; and when he -wanted to write the “full-grown ones,” and drew them as he remembered -them on the sheet, he was told they were wrong, and had to train his -hand to all kinds of curves and scrolls. It was like learning four -alphabets; but by perseverance and attention he conquered them, so that, -no matter what their disguises might be, he recognized them, and would -say: “Oh yes, Mr. S; you can curve your back like this, S, or lean half -yourself on a stick thus, [cursive s], but I know you.” - -Meanwhile he had learned to put two letters together and make syllables, -and from that accomplishment he was led on to connect the syllables and -form words; and from that point the school work became more interesting. -Now that the building was showing above the ground he could see the -reason for all the foundation work. By the time he had been in the -school about two years he was nearing the top classes, and, laughing at -the mistakes of newer boys, encouraged them, by his own example, to -conquer their difficulties. - -Bakula also found there was another language to learn--that of pictures. -He had seen pictures at a distance in the houses of the traders, and -they had simply been a blurred whole, like the pages of a book written -in unknown characters. In the house of the white man, where he spent -many a pleasant evening, he saw some copies of the _Graphic_. - -At first he was unable to take in a picture as a whole. He held the -illustrations upside down, or sideways, and more often the wrong way -than the right one. In time, order seemed to emerge out of the chaos of -marks and lines, then he would pick out a feature and say: “That is a -nose, or a mouth, or an eye,” as the case might be, and thus he traced -out a man or a woman and said: “Why, it is a person!” He did the same -with a house, picking out the details, as a door or window, etc., and -the same with scenery. - -Later he could take in all the details at once. He had to learn to -understand pictures by the same method that he learned to read--first -the a, b, d, then the _t a t a_ = tata (or father), and lastly the whole -word or sentence at a glance. Sometimes he had to appeal to the white -man to explain a difficult detail, as a railway, a ship, or a horse; but -gradually the pictures opened up a mine of information, and introduced -him to new worlds of wonder. - -A white man laughingly joked him one day about the pain and -inconvenience Congo women suffered in wearing heavy brass collars round -their necks, and on their legs anklets of great weight in order to be in -the fashion; but Bakula quickly turned over the pictures, and finding a -fashion plate that depicted a woman with a very tiny waist, he seriously -asked: “Which is the more ridiculous--to wear a brass collar round the -neck, or to have a waist like a wasp’s?” - -During all these months Bakula had worked each day for four hours either -on the farm or in the brick-field--puddling clay, fetching water, -carrying the clay, or, as he became more expert, making bricks. - -The life on the station was very regular. At 6 a.m. the boys rose to the -clanging of a bell, and went to work either on the farm, the -brick-field, or in the houses of the missionaries; from 8 to 9.30 was -taken for breakfast and a short service, and then each gang of boys -arranged themselves outside the house of the white man who was working -the district from which they came. They stood in lines according to -ages. At these parades the white man listened to all complaints, settled -all palavers, instructed his group of boys in station matters, taught -them, when necessary, on points of behaviour, and gave them the tickets -for the day’s rations. The hours from 10 to 12 were spent in school, and -from then until 2 p.m. at dinner and play. - -Then came two more hours of schooling, and from four o’clock until -sunset at six[65] the boys engaged in farming, brick-making, or working -in their masters’ houses. Thus each day there were four hours for work, -four hours for school, three hours for eating and playing, and one hour -for religious instruction. - -Footnote 65: - - See note 53, p. 358. - -On Saturdays there was no school, but the boys worked at their various -employments or tidied up the station, except from 8 to 10 a.m., when the -lads had their breakfasts, religious service, and the usual daily parade -outside the houses of their respective white men. At one o’clock the -stop bell rang, and every boy received a piece of soap and went off -after dinner to do his washing and have a swim in a neighbouring river. - -Besides the employments already mentioned there were others, as -printing, bookbinding, composing, carpentry, bricklaying, washing and -ironing, cutting out and sewing jackets for the boys on the station, -cooking, and house-cleaning. For these occupations special lads who -showed aptitude were selected and taught, and they received small -rewards according to their skill and industry. - -On Sundays there were services, and a Sunday-school on the station, and -all scholars, unless ill, attended them. The missionaries, according to -opportunity, health and weather, visited the neighbouring towns, both on -week-days and Sundays, to hold services in them. - -Bakula sometimes accompanied his white man on these preaching journeys -to help in the singing at the services, and to carry a small load. At -one place the people were so hostile that they would not allow the -little party to remain in their village. They were not sufficiently -courageous to demonstrate against the visitors with guns and knives, but -were superstitious enough to drive them out with abuse, the shaking of -their fetishes, and threats of what they would do if the white man and -his boys tried to enter their village. It was a cold, wet evening, and -the party was anything but cheerful sitting there in the bush with the -rain falling in a continuous, monotonous patter about them. - -Bakula now knew what it was to be misunderstood, and did not relish the -experience. His intentions were friendly. Why were the people so -foolish! He resented the treatment meted out to him and his white man, -and, turning to the missionary, he said: “God is very strong, ask Him to -punish these people severely for their conduct to us.” - -[Illustration: CLOTH WEAVING.] - -[Illustration: BLACKSMITHS.] - -To him the teacher replied: “Supposing the white man had asked God to -punish you and your people for driving him out of your town. Where would -you be now? Not sitting there, but dead, without an opportunity of -hearing of His great love. We will not ask God to punish them; but we -will pray that He may do for these people what He has done for you, -Satu, and your towns-folk: so change their hearts and superstitious -thoughts about us that another day they will gladly invite us to stay in -their town.” - -Before very long the rain had ceased, some grass and wood were -collected, and the white man, soaking a paper with kerosene, and putting -the grass and wood over it, soon had a blazing fire that thawed the -hearts and tongues of the lads. In a few minutes they were laughing and -joking as though they were in their cosy houses on the station, instead -of being in the wet bush outside a hostile, inhospitable village with a -very superstitious people shaking their charms at them not fifty yards -away. Bakula never forgot this incident, and his constant prayer was: “O -God, open the hearts of the people to understand Thy messengers and to -receive Thy message.” - -Bakula was a great acquisition to the other boys on the station. He -entered heartily into all their games, was a leader in many of their -sports, and told them many a story around their evening fires. His -humorous, merry ways, his amusing manner in telling a story, his -cheerful, obliging disposition, his common-sense way of looking at -things, his marked ability in school, and his genuine earnestness made -him the favourite of all on the station, both white and black. He had -discarded all his charms and had learned that a lad’s position was not -due to them, but to his own disposition and willingness to oblige -others. - -One morning, when Bakula had been on the station about three years, he -heard one of the white men give an address on the Parable of the Ten -Virgins, and the narrative and teaching so stirred his heart with the -fear that he would be left in the outer darkness, that all through the -day he was unusually quiet, and at meal-times scarcely ate anything. - -At night he started up more than once from horrid dreams with the awful -words ringing in his ears: “I know you not.” For several days he bore -this soul agony, and at last resolved to lay the whole matter before his -white friend. - -It was easy to converse with the white man about pictures, _Mputu_, and -many other palavers when other boys were about, or even alone; but -Bakula shrank from talking about the inmost feelings of his heart, -although he knew he would be listened to kindly and sympathetically. -With much shyness, therefore, he went one evening to his teacher and -asked for a talk with him. He was received with a smile of welcome and -taken into the white man’s room, and the door was shut upon them. The -white man had noticed Bakula’s quietness, had partly surmised the -reason, and was not surprised at the request for a talk on God’s -palaver. - -Now that Bakula was sitting there he found it difficult to begin. When -he opened his mouth no sound issued, for a lump seemed to rise in his -throat and block the passage. His friend chatted to him until he felt -more at ease, and then he poured out all the pent-up feelings of his -heart, and gave expression to the thoughts of his long broodings. He -told the white man of the address he had heard, of his dreams, of his -fears that Christ would not know him, and of the many sins of adultery, -robbery, cheating, lying and false accusation of which he had been -guilty. He laid bare his whole previous life in all its ghastly -wickedness until the white man felt it crowding on and pressing down his -own soul. - -Tears rolled down the lad’s cheeks as he asked if God’s Son would know -such a guilty one as he, and could He forgive so many sins? The teacher -spoke to him quietly and earnestly, read to him various passages from -God’s own Word, and, after praying with him, dismissed him to his bed -comforted and happy. - -It was very late when Bakula left the white man’s house, but it was -quite early when he arose next morning from a refreshing sleep. The sun -was shining not only on the hills and valleys around him, but also into -his heart, and he could not repress one hymn he had learned in school, -though he had never fully realized its beauty and meaning until now: -“Jesus loves me, this I know; for the Bible tells me so.” - -The boys who occupied the dormitory with him turned and asked: “What is -the matter with you?” - -“Oh, I had a long talk with the white man last night about God’s -palaver,” he answered cheerfully, “and I feel very happy now.” And at -once he told them of the address, and pleaded with them to prepare for -the coming of Christ, so that He might know them on His arrival. - -Several months passed, during which time Bakula took part in the prayer -meetings, and at the services of the Christian Band he often gave a -short address. He was eager to accompany the teacher to the various -towns in the neighbourhood, and frequently used the scars on his arm as -a text. He then, with soul-earnestness and much eloquence, declaimed -against the trickery and lies of the witch-doctors, the uselessness of -their charms, and the deception of their ordeals. - -On one occasion the white man, Bakula, and some other lads were spending -the evening in a town. The service was over, the teacher had retired to -his hut, and Bakula and his companions had stretched themselves upon -their mats in another hut that had been lent to them. During the night -they were disturbed by the entrance of a witch-doctor, who hid something -in a saucepan. Thinking he was up to one of his tricks, Bakula removed -the thing and put it in another place. - -In the morning the _nganga_, who was employed to destroy the power of an -evil spirit that was troubling a family in the town, was up early -shouting at the spirit to desist. He threatened it, fired his gun -repeatedly at it, and after much rushing about and wild gesticulations, -he declared at last that he had caught the evil spirit. He led the -suffering family to the hut he had visited during the previous night, -and entering it triumphantly, prepared his clients, by his boastful -talk, for a great _dénouement_; but, behold, the entrapped spirit was -gone. - -When the lads, later in the day, brought out the “something,” they found -it was tied up in imitation of a corpse, and on opening it, discovered -inside a piece of _kwanga_, or native bread, and inside that a fowl’s -bladder full of blood. The lads had a hearty laugh over the incident, -and their disbelief in _ngangas_ was greatly strengthened by this -exposure of their trickery. - -If the witch-doctor had found the bundle where he had placed it, he -would, after much incantation and dancing, have pierced it with his -knife, and as the blood flowed from it he would have claimed to have -trapped and killed the evil spirit. The deluded family would have paid -him a large fee, and after a time, feeling no better, would have sent -for another _nganga_ and been deceived in another way. They were saved -at least the payment of one large fee by the lads to whom they had lent -the house. - -The white men on the station watched Bakula very carefully, and often -spoke about him to each other as one whose life and conduct showed that -he was fully fit to be a member of the Church that had recently been -formed there. But no pressure was put on him, as it was felt desirable, -on account of the persecution all native Christians then suffered, that -the request for baptism and Church membership should be entirely -spontaneous. - -After many months Bakula applied for baptism and entrance to the Church. -He was told of all it might mean to him--persecution, ridicule, and -perhaps death. But his answers were such that he was duly received into -the little Church, and with quivering heart and tears of joyous -amazement in his eyes he partook for the first time of the Lord’s -Supper. - -During these years he had paid more than one visit to his home. His -mother had received him with hearty welcomes, Satu had had long and -frequent talks with him about the white men and their teaching, and the -lads and lasses in the town had regarded his accomplishments in reading -and writing with awe, envy, and superstitious fear. - -Old Plaited-Beard always looked at him askant, with eyes full of hatred -and malignity; but Tumbu, his slave friend, never left his side during -those visits except to sleep. He followed him like a faithful dog, with -eyes full of admiration and humble love. - -The time came at last for Bakula to return to his town and live there. -He asked his white friend for a few slates, pencils, reading-sheets and -spelling-books, as he had decided to start, if possible, a school among -his own people. These were gladly given to him, and, taking farewell of -his many friends, both black and white, he commenced his return journey. - -How different was this last going from his first coming! The darkness -had given place to the light, the tangled, crooked path had become -straight, though narrow and rough, and the evil spirits of fetishism no -longer haunted his life with terror and horror, for they had been -displaced by the ministering angels of God. - - - - - Chapter XXI - Bakula’s Work checked - -The conservatism of the Congo people--Bakula and his scholars build a - school-house--A missionary visits his town--He encourages Bakula in - his work--A “luck fowl” dies--Its death is put to the credit of the - missionary’s visit and teaching--The school-house is pulled - down--Satu is afraid to interfere--Native way of punishing an - unpopular chief. - - -Bakula had not been back many days before he asked Satu for permission -to open a school for the boys in the town. The chief gave his consent, -but was very doubtful how the townsfolk would regard the innovation. - -For untold generations they, their fathers, and their forefathers had -gone on in the same way. They had built their huts with either grass, -mud, or rough plank walls; they had scratched the ground on their farms -with little hoes; and when ill in health, unlucky in fighting, trading, -hunting or in domestic affairs, they had nearly sixty wizards, or -“medicine men,” to reverse their luck by their ceremonies, charms, -fetishes and magical decoctions. They had kept their accounts with knots -tied in strings, or notches cut on tallies; they had always hunted in -the same way, fished in the same way, traded, travelled, lived and died -in the same way. What, therefore, was the use of changing now? - -They were a very conservative people that had always killed off the -progressives--those troublesome fellows who wanted to introduce new -methods of building, new articles of trade, new ideas, and new ways of -using old materials. Men who in other countries were called inventive -geniuses were accounted horrible witches in Satu’s town. The man who -discovered the method of tapping palm-trees for palm-wine was killed as -a witch; the men who first traded in rubber and ivory were regarded with -suspicion, and treated as folk full of witchcraft; and the man who took -the first load of gum copal to the traders was told never to take -another, or he “would see plenty trouble.” - -It was in the midst of such a people that Bakula started his school. -Tumbu, of course, attended it. Many other boys came out of curiosity, -and finding no magic in it, no short-cut to book learning, their ardour -cooled, and they dropped away; and there were no school inspectors to -inflict fines and penalties for non-attendance. A few had sufficient -courage and perseverance to attend regularly, and these made some -progress in the mastery of their letters and syllables. - -Bakula so enthused his few scholars that at the end of the dry season -they decided to band together and build a grass hut in which to hold -their school during the coming rains. It was no small bit of work for a -few lads, with poor tools, to undertake. Rafters, king posts, -stanchions, and wall plates had to be cut in the forests and conveyed -into the town on their heads or shoulders; grass must be cut, dried, -combed and carried from the bush to the site; and string had to be -prepared from forest vines and swamp reeds. - -Then there was a floor to be raised and beaten, holes to be dug, and all -the materials fitted and tied together to form the hut. It was a simple -structure with no windows, but a large door that answered all purposes, -and the boys were proud of it. If you had seen it you might have laughed -at it; but could you have built a better one with the same tools and -materials? - -Every morning the school was opened with prayer, singing, and the -reading of a portion from the Gospel of Matthew--the only Gospel then -translated into the language of the people. Occasionally men and women -came, and, standing about the door, listened to the simple service. Many -ridiculed the whole palaver; a few, however, were impressed, and came -repeatedly; and, encouraged by them, Bakula started a Sunday service; -but out of more than 1,500 people in the town, only from ten to twenty -attended it. - -One day Bakula’s heart was gladdened by the arrival of one of the -missionaries on his way from the Ngombe district to the King’s town. He -was trying to open up the country, visiting the towns and preaching in -them as opportunity offered. Satu welcomed him heartily, and Bakula and -his small class of scholars were delighted to see him. The missionary -examined the school, and by his presence and words of praise encouraged -the teacher and his pupils to continue their efforts. - -The white man had long talks with Satu, and suggested that the next day -a crier should be sent through the town to invite the people to come and -hear God’s palaver. The time, however, was not ripe for such a service, -for only a few responded, and they came more to ingratiate themselves -with their chief than to listen to the white man. - -This white man was a zealous teacher, thoroughly in earnest and well -acquainted with the people’s language. No opportunity was missed by him -of speaking to the twos and threes. Here he was to be found in -conversation with some swaggering young men, there talking to a few old -men, and again in another place arguing with some of the head men. He -was a man of great attainments and wide knowledge, yet he exhibited no -annoyance as he dealt with their puny reasoning, and unfolded the weak -places in their arguments. He was like a giant handling pigmies, -tenderly and persuasively. Bakula was sorry when his visitor had to pass -on his way to other towns, and to open up the road across country upon -which his heart was set; but the young teacher never forgot the words of -encouragement he received from the white man in their private talks. - -A short time after this visit the “luck fowl” (or _nsusu a zumbi_) -belonging to one of the head men died without any apparent reason. It -had probably eaten unwisely, or had been bitten by a snake; but the -owner put it to the credit of the white men who had just visited their -town. Everybody remembered that, immediately after the promised visit of -the white man whom they had previously driven out of the town, a pig -died. - -They argued thus: "A white man came to us with God’s palaver, and a pig -died soon after he left; another white man came on the same errand, and -before many days had passed a ‘luck fowl’ died, therefore it was most -foolish to have anything to do with God’s palaver." They conveniently -forgot all the pigs and “luck fowls” that had died before the white men -ever came near them, and only remembered these two that had died after -their visits. - -There was a great to-do in the town over the unfortunate death of this -“luck fowl.” The owner raved against the school that had been opened by -Bakula, against the visits of the white men, and against the -introduction of new ideas of any kind. The more superstitious folk in -the place combined to close the school and pull down the school-house. -Many were indifferent to the whole matter, and a few were for letting -the boys alone. There was much discussion; but the party for the -“medicine men,” the fetishes, the charms, and for maintaining the -_status quo_ being the larger, the noisier, and more dominant faction, -gained their point, and, while demolishing the school, destroyed as many -books and slates as fell into their possession. - -Poor Bakula was nonplussed by this calamity, and the other boys for a -time were disheartened; but there is a great amount of grit and -determination in the Congo character, and before long the lads were -meeting in Bakula’s house for their lessons and for such teaching as -their young tutor could give them. - -Satu, the chief, tried to stem the current of popular feeling and turn -it away from Bakula, but he failed even to save the school-house. Native -chiefs have power only to make the people do what they want to do; and -they generally have to bow their heads before the whirlwinds of popular -sentiment and feeling. This was Satu’s case. Neither his heart nor his -intellect had been awakened by the new teaching, consequently he was not -yet prepared to suffer either abuse or unpopularity for the sake of -God’s palaver and all that it meant. - -The natives have a way of their own in punishing an unpopular chief, as -the following incident will show, which I heard a man relate one day to -Bakula with much laughter: There was a chief of a neighbouring village -who treated his people very contemptuously, and was always, on one -pretext or another, exacting fowls, cloth or other goods from them. They -bore patiently with him as long as possible, but at last his -unreasonable demands became too excessive; so one day they bound him -securely, placed him on a shelf in his own house, made a fire under him, -and having sprinkled a quantity of red pepper on the fire, went out and -shut the door. - -The chief sneezed tremendously, and would have died if sufficient pepper -had been put on the fire. After a time they took him out of the smoke -and tied his extended arms to a cross-stick, and would have punished him -further; but he paid a heavy fine, and has been much better since the -sneezing cure was tried on him. - - - - - Chapter XXII - Bakula Falsely Accused and Murdered - -Failure of various remedies--Witch-doctor engaged--Diagnosing a - case--Different “medicine men” are called in--Bakula denounces their - trickery--Suspicion of witchcraft falls on Bakula--Native attempts - to rid themselves of death, sickness, etc.--Preparing a corpse for - the grave--Bakula is accused of bewitching his mother to death--He - is guarded by Old Plaited-Beard through the night--He is taken to - the hill-top.--He falls and is done to death--Tumbu buries the - mangled body of his friend. - - -A few weeks after the closing of the school, as narrated in the -preceding chapter, Bakula’s mother fell seriously ill of a chest -complaint. Many remedies were tried, but failed to relieve her. Some -neighbourly women sat with her by day and attended her at night, and -numberless were the sure cures they recommended; but although applied -they proved utterly futile. Her family at last decided, much against the -wish of Bakula, to send for the “medicine man” who cures by herbs, -fetishes and charms. He was called _ngang’a wuka_. - -As already stated,[66] each of these various _ngangas_ (and there are -nearly sixty different kinds) must find his way to the village and to -the house of his client without either guidance or instruction, and he -must also discover the disease from which his patient is suffering or -the cause of death without asking a single direct question. - -Footnote 66: - - See Chapter VII. - -In due time the “medicine man” arrived in front of his patient’s house, -having reached it by the usual stratagem of his assistant dropping -leaves and twigs to indicate the road. He was a stout man with shrewd, -quick, shifty eyes, and was dressed in the usual fantastic style, and -carried a bag of charms slung from his shoulder. He seated himself -outside the sick woman’s house, and a crowd quickly formed a circle -round him. - -The native “doctor” in diagnosing the case could not ask any direct -questions of his patient--in fact she was in the house and he sat -outside; but he met that difficulty thus: He asked a series of indirect -questions, and when those present said “Ndungu” he knew he was on the -wrong tack, and when they replied “Otuama” he knew at once he was -guessing rightly, and the more excitedly they called out the latter word -the nearer he knew he was to the truth, and the more indifferently they -uttered “Ndungu” the farther he understood he was from the real -complaint. Hence he started in this way-- - -“There are such things as backaches and headaches.” “Ndungu,” quietly -said the folk. - -“Sometimes there are pains in the legs.” “Ndungu,” was very coldly -uttered by the crowd. The _nganga_ recognized that he was on the wrong -scent; but still he had managed to narrow the circle of affected parts, -so he began again. - -“There are such things as pains in the arms and thighs.” “Ndungu,” -indifferently replied the people. - -“Sometimes there are pains in the chest and stomach.” “Otuama,” uttered -the poor folk. - -He now knew his patient was suffering either from a bad stomach or -chest, and he continued to narrow it down in this manner until at last -he said: “Ah! her chest is very bad.” The people excitedly shouted, -“Otuama,” snapped their fingers, and looked at the _nganga_ with -awe-filled eyes. - -The “doctor” now knew that his patient’s chest was the seat of the -trouble. What are the most common complaints of the chest? Hacking -coughs, asthma, bronchitis, pleurisy, and pneumonia. So he started off -to discover the particular disease from which the woman was suffering -and the part affected. The people coldly said “Ndungu” when he missed -his guess, or frantically called out “Otuama”; by this cunning process -he narrowed the circle smaller and smaller, until at last, to their -astonishment, he said: “The woman is suffering from pleurisy (_ntulu_) -on the right side of the chest.” - -The people thought that such a clever man, who had found out all about -the disease without being told and without seeing the patient, was just -the person to cure the complaint. He was consequently engaged at once -and well paid. He made no proper examination of the patient, but took -out some of his herbs and charms, and beating them into a paste told -them to rub the woman’s chest with the preparation. - -After two or three days, Bakula’s mother feeling no better, the family -sent to _ngang’ a moko_. The messenger who went to her, for this -witch-doctor is generally a woman, took with him a red bead which he -gave to the _nganga_, who put it under her pillow that she might in a -dream discover the cause of her patient’s complaint--whether it is a -mere ailment, or a bewitchment by some evil spirit. - -The _nganga_ received her fee of one good fowl and fifty brass rods, and -that night placed the bead beneath her pillow; but whether she dreamed -or not I do not know. However, in the morning she told the messenger -that the first “doctor” was unable to effect a cure because some one was -bewitching the sick woman, and the family must send for a wizard to kill -the evil spirit that was troubling her, and then she would soon recover -from her complaint. - -When the message was delivered Bakula, who was standing by, at once -denounced the cheating trickery of the _ngangas_, and told how he, with -others, had exposed one of these spirit-killing wizards in a certain -town. He explained the whole process even to the piece of _kwanga_ -wrapped up to imitate a corpse, with the fowl’s bladder of blood inside. -The people looked at him with horror-stricken eyes, recoiled from him in -terror, and with raised fingers accused him of being a _ndoki_, or evil -spirit, as otherwise he could not have meddled with the _nganga_ and his -things and not have suffered for it. - -Bakula denied the cruel charge; but from that day he was regarded by the -people with unfriendly suspicion, and was shunned by them. But for his -slave friend, Tumbu, and his former scholars he would have led a very -lonely life. - -The spirit-killing witch-doctor was called, and made the night hideous -with his shouts, threats, screams and gun-firing. He worked hard at his -craft, received his fee and went; but the poor woman still continued -ill, and, in fact, became much worse--the pain at her right side was -acute, the breathing difficult, and the fever high. Her moaning was -continuous, and the women who attended her knew not what to do for her -relief. They were unskilled nurses and lacked knowledge rather than the -feminine qualities of caring for the sick. There were no foods for -invalids, no dainties to tempt a patient’s appetite--the sick had either -to eat what the robust and healthy ate or go without. Many patients have -died of hunger rather than of the diseases from which they suffered. - -The practice of the witch-doctor was sheer quackery, and rested more on -the exorcism of evil spirits by magical charms, incantations and -concoctions, than on a knowledge of physiology, disease and medicine. -The wonder was that any one survived the various treatments, and, in -fact, only the fittest and strongest did recover from serious illnesses. - -Bakula’s mother continued to grow worse. How he wished they were near -the mission station, where she could have the help of those who cured -his oil-scalded arm and nursed him so carefully; but the station was too -far away! He attended his mother assiduously, and would have done more -for her, but the women drove him out of the hut with jeers and curses, -after his denouncement of the witch-doctor and their tricks. Poor -creatures! they knew no better, they were doing their very best for the -patient. They were simply safeguarding her from one whom they thought -was full of witchcraft. - -Another “doctor” was called, among whose outfit were several traps -especially made for catching evil spirits. Having put a little fowl’s -blood into each of the traps, he placed them around the doors of the -house in which the sick woman was tossing in her efforts to breathe -freely. He then pounded some herbs and chalk together, mixed them in -palm-wine, and giving the patient this decoction to drink, sat down to -watch the entrance of any evil spirit into his traps, disguised as -cockroaches or spiders. Although he caught and killed several of the -supposed evil spirits, _i. e._ several spiders and cockroaches, and -therefore, according to his statements, the woman would now recover -quickly, yet she grew worse. - -In their desperation the family sent for yet another wizard who had the -power to converse with spirits, and consequently was able to ask them -why they were inflicting so bad an illness on the suffering woman! He -came with his fetish, and, before locking himself in a house, told the -people that they would see the house shake as he talked with the -spirits. The family sat around the place listening and watching -intently. - -In a short time they saw the hut quivering and heard the _bitodi_ fetish -speaking and the spirits talking, and the answering voices were male and -female, old and young. - -After a long consultation between the _nganga’s_ _bitodi_ fetish and the -spirits (_nkwiya_), the wizard came out, and said: “Some member of the -family is guilty of breaking the country customs, laughing at _ngangas_, -and throwing his (or her) charms away, consequently this sickness has -come as a punishment. This same member has also a _ndoki_ (or evil -spirit), and whoever it is must bless the patient so as to remove the -evil influence from her.” - -Suspicion instantly fell on my owner, Bakula, for who else had broken -the country customs but he! Had he not learned to read! Had he not -accepted the white man’s palaver, and renounced his charms! Had he not -laughed at _ngangas_ and denounced their rites and ceremonies as -cheating tricks! - -Bakula was dragged into the hut to bless his mother. He solemnly took -her right hand and, pretending to spit on it, said: “May you have -blessing and good fortune.” Then he was hurried out of the room of his -dying mother. - -This particular “doctor,” to prove his _bona fides_, had heated a machet -red hot three times, and had drawn it each time across his tongue. What -better proof did the natives need than this of the _nganga’s_ magical -power to converse with spirits? He received a large fee of more than ten -shillings’ worth of trade goods, and went his way, leaving his victim to -bear the brunt of the family’s vengeance. - -The _nganga_ had not been gone many hours when the woman breathed her -last, and poor Bakula was left motherless. His neighbours and relatives -eyed his sorrow with contemptuous suspicion, and already began to -whisper among themselves that he was the _ndoki_ (or evil spirit) who -had caused his own mother’s death. They thoughtlessly disregarded the -true affection that the young man had always shown for his mother, his -readiness to help her, and his sincere grief now that she was gone. They -only considered and repeated to each other what the witch-doctor had -said about breaking the country customs, laughing at wizards, and -neglecting his charms. They could regard him in no other light than as -the real cause of his mother’s illness and death. - -For generations they and their forefathers had believed that disease and -death were unnatural, and would not exist on the earth for a single day -if there were no wickedly-disposed persons who used evil spirits to kill -their relatives by incurable diseases. They did not know that their -“medicine men” covered their ignorance, quackeries and failures by these -charges of witchcraft. If a patient recovered, then they inflated -themselves with pride and took all the credit of the cure; but if the -patient died, then witchcraft was at work, a _ndoki_ was “eating” up the -patient, or by his evil spirit was throttling the spirit of the sick -one. Rich men had bought expensive charms, had sacrificed goats and -sheep to costly fetishes to keep them strong and alert, to protect their -owners from the evil influences of the _ndoki_, and yet they had died. - -Such deaths did not shake their faith in charms and fetishes, but rather -stimulated them to more careful observance of all the rites and -ceremonies connected with them. They knew no better system than that in -which they had been nurtured. - -One night when Bakula was sitting around the fire I heard that two men -many years ago had started a crusade against fetishes and charms. They -preached throughout the Lower Congo that if all fetishes and charms of -every kind were destroyed there would be no more disease and death. So -effective was their condemnation of witchcraft, charms, and fetishes -that whole towns and villages made bonfires of their images and charms, -and children were shaken over the fires to purge them from any charms -concealed about their person. - -The deluded natives expected a golden day would now dawn upon them -wherein there would be no sighing, no tears, no weeping, for disease and -death would be banished from their huts; but, alas! sickness soon came -and death quickly followed to disillusion them of their bright hopes. - -The only folk who profited by this crusade were the _ngangas_, as they -received large orders for charms and fetishes to replace those that had -been burned. But the preachers were sure of the soundness of their -panacea for the country’s woes, and they could only account for its -failure by charging some of the people with hiding their charms and -fetishes instead of destroying them. - -Later still, two other men who were _ngangas_, calling themselves by -some high-sounding titles, started another crusade; this time not -against charms and fetishes, but against evil desires and murderous -thoughts harboured in the hearts of the people. They proclaimed that -every one should confess to them all the witchcraft, hatred, and bad -thoughts they had in their hearts against others, and those thus -confessing should receive a peanut and a sip of palm-wine, and thus -disease and death would pass away from their country. - -[Illustration: CAT’S CRADLES.] - -[Illustration: A PROTECTIVE FETISH.] - -Large numbers flocked to them, paid their fees--five strings of beads -for an adult, and two for a child--confessed their hatred, witchcraft, -and evil thoughts, and received from the hands of the new cult of -“medicine men” the peanut and palm-wine, and yearningly hoped that -sickness had been banished from their district and death destroyed. But -again they were quickly undeceived, for disease continued rampant and -death entered hut after hut. The “medicine men” reaped a great harvest -of beads, swaggered in wealth, and excused the failure of their system -by saying “that the people had not confessed _all_ their witchcraft and -hatred, and consequently, not being cleansed from _all_, the old state -of things had continued, and people suffered and died as before.” - -Thus the people had had their hopes again and again dashed to the -ground, and they had been flung back on their old “medicine men” and -their fetishes. It has always been a tenet of their religion that -sickness and death were and are caused by witchcraft, and the most hated -person in all the country is he (or she) who, by the ordeal, is proved -to practise witchcraft. Hold their views, and the tenderest heart will -hate and kill the witch as mercilessly as they did. - -There is no doubt but that the _ngangas_ received bribes to render the -ordeal non-effective; that the big men of the town incited the ordinary -folk to bring charges of witchcraft against their enemies, or those whom -they wanted removed from their path; and the witch-doctors themselves, -by the aid of their assistants, fostered and turned suspicion against -those who desired to introduce a new and better state of things into the -country. Their position and gains depended on killing off all such -dangerous people. Hence the ordeal and the charge of witchcraft were -often simply acts of murder, according to the customs of the country if -you like, but nevertheless murder. - -The whole of the morning following the death of Bakula’s mother was -spent in decorating the corpse for burial. Beads were twisted round the -toes, feet, legs, body, arms, hands, fingers and neck, thus enswathing -the whole of the deceased in a casing of glass beads. Fold after fold of -trade cloths of different colours and qualities were wound round and -round the body until it was nearly twice its original bulk. At sunset -the corpse was carried to the grave, just outside the town, and laid to -rest with the hum of town life on one side, and the weird, uncanny -noises of the eternal bush on the other; but the soul had gone to that -mysterious spirit town in the great forest where it would utilize all -the cloth and beads in which it had been wrapped. - -All through the day women had wailed and chanted mournful dirges, men -had fired off guns amid much laughter and many jokes, and Bakula, with -tearful eyes, had talked in subdued tones to his slave friend. - -He had often, in the days gone by, conversed with his mother about the -white man’s palaver concerning God and His great gift of Jesus Christ. -He had poured out his heart to her, had instructed her in all that he -had learned on the station, and had repeated to her portions of God’s -Word. - -He now recalled the eagerness with which she had heard the words: “God -so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son”; and, “In My -Father’s house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you”; and -he was hopeful of meeting her, not in the mysterious forest town that -had so many terrors for them, and which was simply a repetition of their -earthly life and its sorrows, but in the Father’s house where all tears -would be wiped away from their eyes, all sin banished from their lives, -and all sorrow from their hearts. He grieved not as one without hope. - -Not many days after the funeral the witch-finder arrived, dressed in his -fantastic garb, his body decorated with gaudy paints and pigments, and -his bells tinkling at every movement. A crowd quickly gathered and -formed itself into a long oval, up and down the centre of which he -danced. The whole town, with few exceptions, regarded Bakula as a witch, -and the prancing figure there in the middle knew it. Still, he must give -his employers something for their money, so through the whole long hours -of the afternoon he gyrated perspiringly, threw his arms and legs about -in the most approved fashion, put question after question and elicited -such answers as confirmed his opinion that it would be extremely popular -and safe to charge this ridiculer of witch-doctors, this scorner of -fetishes and charms, this believer in the new religion with the death of -his mother--the woman who had just died. - -Bakula was present throughout the whole performance. Hour after hour he -stood calmly there. As a member of the family he was compelled to be -present; but he took no part in answering the crafty questions put by -the grotesque figure dancing before him. - -Towards the latter part of the afternoon he noticed that the people were -withdrawing from him; they seemed to shun the spot where he stood, all -except his faithful slave friend. He trembled as he observed these signs -of popular resentment, for he fully recognized their meaning. - -Towards sunset the witch-doctor increased his efforts to the admiration -of the spectators. He leaped in the air, gyrated on his heels, flung his -arms and legs about in amazing circles, crouched and jumped, undulated -his body to simulate a python, and in a whirlwind of shaking skins, -twirling arms and legs, and sounding bells he brought himself to a -sudden halt in front of Bakula, and with raised finger accused him of -bewitching his mother to death. - -Poor Bakula! although he had fully expected this charge, he was -dumbfounded now he stood accused before all the people. He essayed to -speak, but no words issued from his parched, dry throat, and he would -have fallen if Tumbu had not supported him in his strong arms. - -Why had they accused him of killing his mother by witchcraft? Accused -_him_ of _her_ death! It was ridiculous, cruel, wicked! Surely no Congo -mother had ever before been loved by a son as she had been loved! The -very teaching he had imbibed had taught him to honour, reverence and -love his parents. If he had lied, robbed, lived a loose life and treated -his mother with contemptuous indifference like other young men in the -town, he would not have stood there charged with killing his mother by -witchcraft. - -The crowd surged around him. What ugly, sinister faces were pushed -jeeringly into his! Sticks were raised and knives drawn to strike down -the witch; but Satu pushed himself in front of the victim, and demanded -that he should not be killed until the ordeal test had been given him. - -“He will escape in the night to the white man’s station,” they shouted. - -“No, he won’t,” said Old Plaited-Beard, “for I will bind him strongly -and watch him through the night, if you will hand him over to me.” - -This met with the instant approval of the crowd, and Bakula was handed -over to the guardianship of his superstitious and merciless enemy. - -Old Plaited-Beard, with the help of a few friends, took the accused -youth to his hut, and with strong cords bound his hands, feet and legs. -No tenderness was displayed in the tying; that the cords cut into the -flesh was regarded by the tiers with utter unconcern. - -To render escape doubly impossible the prisoner’s neck was securely -fastened in a forked stick. - -All through the long night the men took it in turns to watch Bakula, -who, by reason of his strained position and tortured limbs, had no -proper sleep, but dozed fitfully in painful semi-consciousness. Now and -again he sang in a poor quavering voice the hymns he had learned on the -station and had taught his few boys in their little school; occasionally -he prayed for strength and comfort, and once he attempted to speak to -his captors about the great Saviour--God’s wonderful gift to the world. - -It was not until they threatened to ram a lighted stick into his -mouth--and held one very near to his lips to emphasize their -threat--that he turned from them to sing: “Jesus, Lover of my soul, Let -me to Thy bosom fly.” - -Early the next afternoon Bakula was released from his bonds, and led -away to the top of a neighbouring hill. The rude hut was quickly built, -and the victim placed in it with extended arms. The ordeal-giver ground -the pieces of bark into powder, and fed the young man with them. Before -he had taken many of the powders Bakula began to feel intoxicated by -their narcotic properties. He swayed to and fro like a drunken man, his -vision became blurred, foam came from his mouth, and at last he fell a -writhing heap on the ground. Sticks and knives immediately finished the -cruel, murderous deed, and the corpse, naked, battered and covered with -gaping wounds, was left a prey to wild beasts and ravenous birds. - -Again the stars arose and looked with blinking, sorrowful gaze on that -tragic hill-top--the scene of many an ordeal murder, and as they looked -they saw a strange sight: coming across the hill was a lad carrying a -hoe. He carefully scanned every boulder, tuft of grass and shrub, and at -last his eyes fell on the body of the lifeless lad. With a cry he -bounded to its side and sank prostrate to the ground, and grovelled in -heart-stricken sorrow by the side of his murdered friend. - -When his grief had somewhat spent itself Tumbu arose and began to dig a -grave for the body of his admired benefactor. It was a fearsome place, -strewn with bones--the remnants of many trials by ordeal; and weird -noises, trying to the stoutest heart, came on the night air from the -near forest. Tumbu started many a time during his self-imposed task, and -fear gripped his heart more than once; but he steadied himself by -driving his hoe deeply into the earth, and working hard to save the body -of his kind friend from the cruel, sharp teeth of savage beasts. - -At last the grave was deep enough, and then Tumbu, spreading some cloth -he had brought for the purpose, laid the body of his friend upon it; but -before wrapping it around him he took the Brass Rod from Bakula’s neck, -intending to keep it as a memento of his slain friend. - -Tenderly were the remains laid in the grave, and the earth covered all -that was left of my whilom companion and martyred owner. - - - - - Chapter XXIII - I Find many Changes - -Mikula while digging the foundations for a brick house discovers me--The - town is changed--There is daily worship--Observance of the - sabbath--Sunday service--Collections for support of - teachers--Christian funeral--Visit to the mission station--Teaching - teachers--Martyrs for the cause. - -[Fifteen years are supposed to have elapsed between the concealment and -the unearthing of the Brass Rod. - -The preceding part of this narrative unfolds the prejudices, -superstitions and evil practices rife on the Congo thirty years ago, -while the following chapters indicate the progress that has been made in -christianizing the people and leading them to higher and better things.] - - -After burying Bakula on that sad night, Tumbu carried me back to his -hut; but being afraid to wear me lest he should be accused of robbing a -dead body, he secretly polished me, and, wrapping me in an old rag, -concealed me beneath the earth in a corner of his house, hoping no doubt -some day, when all fear of detection had passed away, to take me out and -wear me in memory of his friend. - -How long I lay buried I know not; but my finder was a sturdily built, -pleasant-faced young man whose name I heard later was Mikula. When he -had rubbed me clean of all my accumulated dirt, and found that I was -good solid brass, he well polished my sides and wound me in graceful -rings round his wrist. - -I discovered afterwards that my new owner was digging the foundations of -a brick house when he happened upon me. Mikula had been taught on the -mission station, and had learned there, among other things, the arts of -brickmaking and bricklaying, and now he had returned to his home he was -busy building a brick house into which he hoped to bring his future -wife. He had already made and burnt several thousands of bricks, and was -hurrying forward the building of the walls so as to roof in the house -before the rainy season commenced. - -What a change had passed over the town! I scarcely recognized it for the -same place. Here and there were comfortable brick houses, a few plank -ones, and many others of wattle and daub nicely colour-washed, while the -grass huts were larger and very neatly made. And as Mikula walked -through the town that evening I noticed that many of the homes were -lighted either with candles or lamps, and families--father, mother and -children--were sitting around one common table partaking together of -their food; those families that could not afford artificial light sat -together round their fires. - -Occasionally we came upon some who maintained the old state of -things--broken up families, the male and female members of which still -sat and ate their food apart from each other. - -At six o’clock every morning a small bell rang out, calling the natives -to morning prayers before they started their daily employments. Mikula, -who was a deacon of the Church, had charge of the religious work in his -own town, and performed voluntarily the duties of a pastor of the Church -and teacher of the school. - -About a hundred men, women and young people gathered every morning for -worship--a hymn was sung, a portion of the New Testament was read and -commented on, a short prayer was offered either by Mikula or one of the -Christians, and another hymn brought the simple service to a close. -After that the women went to their farms and the men to their various -occupations. Who can measure the influence such services exerted over -the lives of the folk who attended them? Their horizon was no longer -confined to the trivial affairs of their former mean lives, but extended -to the boundless reaches of heaven and God’s own eternity; their -thoughts no longer grovelled in the trough of lustful desires and evil -passions, but were lifted to higher, purer and more spiritual concerns; -and their aims were no longer wholly selfish--set on attaining many -women and much wealth,--but they gave their time, energy and money that -their heathen neighbours might enjoy the same blessings that had come -into their lives, and had transformed them, by a wondrous alchemy, from -base metal to beautiful gold. - -On Sundays the Christians refrained from farm work, visiting the -markets, trading, and any other form of labour that would desecrate the -Lord’s day; and a large number of those who were not professing -Christians also observed the day; but there were still many who clung to -the old state of things, who farmed, toiled and traded on that day as -though they had never heard of a day of rest. - -During the Sabbath afternoon the bell rang out, and more than three -hundred natives attended the service which was held in a large brick -building that had been raised and paid for by the native Christians -themselves. What a pride they seemed to take in their "House of God"! -The walls were colour-washed and decorated with pictures of the life of -Christ; the doors and windows, which were of native carpentry, were -nicely painted, and the roof was of corrugated iron sheets that they had -bought with their own hard-earned money. There stood their “House of -God” on the finest site, in the very heart of the town. - -What a contrast to Bakula’s little grass school-chapel that had been so -ruthlessly destroyed by some of the very people who had laboured to -erect this new building! Yet the latter, and all it stood for, was the -outcome of the former. - -That Sunday was a Communion day--the first sabbath of the month. Mikula, -as deacon-pastor, took the service. Native Christians living in the -surrounding villages had walked to this centre to take the Communion. -The meetings in their own villages had been postponed, and, headed by -their teachers, some of them had marched across hills and dales, forded -streams and waded swamps to be present at that service. - -Many of them had walked from five to nine hours from the more distant -parts of their district. They were in earnest, and expecting a blessing -they did not return disappointed. The building was not large enough to -contain all who attended, so the overflow sat round the windows and -doors that they might share in the service. - -How heartily they sang! What prayers they offered--not wholly for -themselves, but also for their neighbours that they too might be saved. -How attentively they listened to Mikula’s teaching, on “Whatsoever a man -soweth that shall he also reap.” They were an agricultural people, and -knew the truthfulness of the lessons their teacher enforced with -eloquent directness, and wealth of illustration taken from their own -daily work on the farms. - -The first service over, those who were not in Church membership left to -make room for those who had come so far to take the Communion. Soon the -place was full again, and Mikula, assisted by the teachers, dispensed -the bread and the cup. Close upon two hundred that afternoon -commemorated the death of their Lord and Saviour. - -During the former service the usual collection had been made, and at the -close of the Communion Service the teachers from the various towns -handed over to the deacons the amounts that had been received at the -gatherings during the previous month. Every Church member was expected -to give according to his or her ability for the support of the native -teachers who prosecuted the local missionary work. And the gifts from -the different towns and villages were recorded in the deacons’ books, -and the offerings of the Church members were written in the diaries -Sunday by Sunday by the teachers in charge. - -Apparently, from what I heard, two things have been recognized from the -beginning by the white men who founded the work at the various centres: -(1) that Congo is too big a land for white men only to evangelize, hence -the need for an ever-increasing supply of native teachers and preachers; -and (2) that if you want a person to appreciate anything, let them pay -for it, for what costs nothing is very soon valued at about the same -price--nothing; hence every member of the native Church has been taught -to give freely and generously for the propagation of the gospel among -the villages. No native Christian is financially bettered by joining the -Church; but it costs him or her something every week to be a member. -These gifts are the expression of their appreciation of what Christ has -done for them. - -I would that Bakula could have attended that Communion Service. He would -have felt well repaid for all his toil, anxieties, disappointments and -death. And who shall say that his spirit was not hovering over and -witnessing the wondrous sight? How I should have liked to have asked -about Old Plaited-Beard, Satu, Tumbu and many another, but the natives -were very reticent in speaking about their dead. - -I recognized among the communicants some who had been taught by Bakula -in the old school hut. Of course they were grown into young men, and a -few of them were married and had children toddling about their knees. - -Two or three weeks after the Communion described above, a message was -brought to Mikula that an old man, a member of the Church, had just -died, and would he go and bury him. Mikula fully recognized that this -was one of his duties as a deacon of the Church, and readily promised to -conduct the service on the afternoon of the next day. - -On arriving in the village of the deceased man, Mikula went straight to -the house of mourning, and spoke a few kindly, comforting words to the -widow who was weeping silently by the corpse of her lost one. A few -young men picked up the body and carried it reverently to the little -chapel. - -It was an unpretentious building of wattle and daub, colour-washed and -clean--a house of comfort and strength, a place of worship to the few -souls in that village who professed the Christian faith. In front of the -small platform the body was laid, and over it were spread some -palm-fronds--symbols of joy and victory. - -Mikula conducted a simple service, and spoke with much tenderness and -force to the heathen present, on “Father, forgive them; they know not -what they do.” They listened attentively, and more than one man dated -his conversion to that address. At the grave a hymn of triumph was sung, -and then the poor wasted body was laid to rest with these beautiful -words as its shroud: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where -is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be to God, who -giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” - -No drunken orgies, no dissipated feasts, no sensual dances accompanied -this funeral; neither was it followed by any smelling out of witches, -nor charges of witchcraft, nor giving of the ordeal, nor the leaving on -some neighbouring hill-top the stabbed body of a murdered man. Death was -now dressed in another garb, wore a different aspect, for it was now -regarded not as the result of malignant witchcraft, but the call of the -Father to His child to occupy one of the places in the many mansions. -Consequently there were no howls of rage, no wails of despair, no -sinister threats of vengeance over the body of the deceased, but the -palm-fronds, the hymns, the promise of a sure and certain resurrection, -and the assurance that the absent one was present with the Lord--the -dead had received eternal life. - -Mikula hurried forward the completion of his house, as he desired to -visit the station for the week of special teaching periodically arranged -for teachers, deacons and Christian workers. Soon after we started on -the road we were joined at different points by teachers and deacons -whose faces, like my owner’s, were turned towards their Jerusalem--the -Mission Station. - -We arrived on Saturday afternoon, and were cordially welcomed by the -white men, not one of whom I recognized as being on the station when -Bakula lived there. I heard that some of them had died and were buried -on the hillside overlooking a quiet peaceful valley, and others broken -by health, had been compelled to leave the country; but whether dead or -sick, their work was being prosecuted with zeal by those who had taken -their places. - -The foundations so well and truly laid were now receiving the -superstructure, the cornerstone of which was Christ. Other men had -laboured, and these had entered into their labours; would they not all -rejoice together when the topstone was placed amid the shouts of men and -angels? - -The lessons began in earnest on Monday morning, and for the next five -days the teachers and others present received five hours a day of -special instruction in such subjects as would help them in their work as -teachers and leaders of the people--sermon-making, pastoral theology, -Church history, hygiene, astronomy, geography, and a thorough study of -one of the Gospels. Each attendant had his exercise-book, and -opportunities were given for taking copious notes. These afterwards -became the bases of many of the addresses they delivered to their people -in the numerous little chapels dotted about the districts. - -There were early morning prayer-meetings, the usual morning services, -and public meetings on two or three evenings during the week. Between -the lectures the teachers discussed with the white man who had charge of -their particular district the peculiar difficulties of their spheres of -labour, and sought counsel and guidance on knotty biblical, doctrinal, -or other questions. - -It was a busy time for all, white and native teachers alike; but it was -of untold value to the latter, and undoubtedly exerted a great and -beneficial influence on their life and labours. On the Sunday following -the week of lectures, the Communion was taken; and the teachers returned -strengthened, mentally and spiritually, to their work. - -[Illustration: 1. TEACHERS WORKING UNDER THE WATHEN CHURCH.] - -[Illustration: 2. DEACONS OF THE WATHEN CHURCH.] - -On Monday morning my owner, Mikula, bought a supply of various simple -medicines to take back to his town, and he also asked for and received -some slates, pencils, and reading-books to meet the demands of his -numerous scholars. By noon he and the others had said “Good-bye” to -their friends, white and black, and were on the road again with their -faces turned homewards. Mikula moved with a buoyant step, for his heart -was light and happy. His work as a deacon, teacher and preacher had -received the commendation of his white man; and he was returning home to -be married--to take to his house, which had cost him so much time, -thought and labour, the girl of his choice, one who had been taught on -the station, was a member of the Church, and sympathized with him in all -his work. - -During the evening, while we were sitting round the fire, the -conversation turned on the days when much superstitious opposition and -prejudice existed against the Christian religion, and witch-doctors and -their followers exerted their combined forces to crush it. Mikula told -of one zealous teacher he knew who travelled the country proclaiming -God’s message of salvation, who was seen to enter a town, but was never -known to leave it. False and misleading reports were spread concerning -him; but after a long period the truth came to light: the evangelist -went into the said town to preach, the people seized him, hurried him -down the long slope to the river, fastened a great stone to his neck, -and, hurling him from the rocks, drowned him in the rushing waters. - -“A few months ago,” said one of the teachers sitting round the fire, -“the people in a town I visited caught me and tied me with my arms -extended on a cross in mockery of my Master; then they placed me for -hours out in the broiling sun, so that my mouth and throat became -parched and dry like the bottom of a saucepan. As the sun went down they -set me free, and we have a teacher and some Christians now in that town, -for they were astonished to hear me praying for them instead of abusing -them.” - -“Have you heard what happened some months ago in the district next to -ours?” asked another. “An evangelist went into a town, and the natives -took him and stretched him on a cross in imitation of our Saviour, and -then, spearing him, they cut off his head and flung his body into the -bush. Christ suffered much for our salvation, and it is to be expected -that we shall have to suffer a little for Him.” - -As they sat there round the fire two or three engaged in prayer, and -singing softly their evening hymn--“Jesus, Lover of my soul, Let me to -Thy bosom fly,” they rolled themselves in their blankets, and there in -the open around their fires they stretched themselves in sleep. - - - - - Chapter XXIV - A Marriage and a Harvest Festival - -A Christian wedding--Grateful offerings--Christianity a great boon to - the women--Reunion--Various meetings--Lady missionaries conduct - services--Auction sale of the gifts--Changed lives--Mikula instructs - a stranger in the way of salvation--Rules for candidates and for - Church fellowship. - - -A few days after Mikula’s return he was married to the young woman for -whom he had built the brick house. In honour of the occasion the church -was prettily decorated with flowers, long streamers of vine-like -branches and palm-fronds. A bower was made by arching some palm-fronds, -and beneath this were placed two chairs, tied together, symbolical of -the future state of those who were to sit upon them. - -The town was all agog with the excitement of the event, every seat and -standing place was occupied, and the doors and windows were crowded with -black but smiling faces. - -This was the first time that a deacon-teacher had been married in their -town, and as the bride-groom was much honoured by Christians and heathen -alike for his happy, kindly, obliging disposition and straightforward, -consistent life among them, they had come in large numbers to his -wedding. - -The bride was arrayed in a clean muslin dress of a bright but pretty -pattern--the gift of her white lady teacher as a recognition of her -helpful work among the girls during her stay upon the station. The -bridegroom was dressed in a nice blue loin cloth and white jacket, the -latter being the work of one of his neighbours who was expert with the -needle. - -A fellow deacon had come from a neighbouring town to perform the -ceremony. A marriage hymn was sung and was followed by two teachers -asking for God’s blessing on those about to be married; then the deacon -read a translation of the marriage service, during which the bride and -bridegroom took each other’s hand and solemnly pledged themselves to one -another until death. Another hymn and prayer, and the benediction -concluded the simple but impressive service. - -No sooner did the newly wedded pair emerge from the church than they -were greeted with cheers, shouts and a salvo of guns. Their progress -home took the form of a triumphal procession, all the folk vying with -each other in their expressions of pleasure, their exclamations of -goodwill, and the guns banged with such tremendous reports of jubilation -that it was a wonder they did not burst their sides. - -Mikula invited his friends to a great feast of pig and cassava-flour -puddings, washed down with copious draughts of water, tea and coffee. -There was no wine, no drunkenness, and no debauchery; but a happy -merry-making that left no bad “after palavers,” and no unpleasant -headaches. - -About three or four months after the marriage the native Christians in -Mikula’s town and district were very busy in preparing their harvest -thanksgiving offerings. Many of the women had hoed extra patches of -peanuts and cassava gardens, the crops from which, when matured, they -sold on the markets, and the proceeds were given to Mikula for the -coming festival. Mats, baskets and saucepans were made and sold for the -same purpose. The men also put by a certain portion of their “trade,” -and devoted the result to the same object. Others laid aside pieces of -cloth, hats, umbrellas and various other articles to take with them as -their gifts. - -Mikula carefully noted all the moneys he received, and everybody -concerned was looking forward with eager interest to the arrival of the -letter that would inform them of the date of the coming religious fête. - -At last the messenger arrived, the day was proclaimed, and those members -of the Church and their friends (for everybody--Christian and -non-Christian--was welcome to this festival) prepared their baskets of -food, their offerings, their children and their clothes for the great -event. As they travelled up to the station they met other contingents -coming from various districts, near and far. They chatted about the -news, compared their gifts, and the teachers and deacons consulted and -talked over the progress of “God’s palaver” at the different centres of -work. - -Oh! wonder of wonders; the men helped the women in carrying the babies -and the loads of food, etc. A kindly service they never rendered in the -old days, for then the men swaggered along unencumbered, left their -women to trudge after them as best they could with all the impedimenta -on their backs, heads and in their arms--poor beasts of burden. - -This Christian religion had certainly wrought a great change for the -better in the condition of the women. Instead of being treated with -contempt as inferiors, they were respected as equals; instead of -receiving the leavings of the men, they now sat at the same table to eat -with them; instead of being regarded as mere chattels to be borrowed and -loaned, ill-treated, cursed and killed, they were cherished as wives; -and instead of being mere children-bearing, farm-making, food-cooking -animals, they were now the companions of their husbands and the sharers -of their sorrows and joys. - -It was early on Saturday afternoon when we arrived on the station. There -across the entrance to the ground was a red banner with these letters in -white on it: “TUKAIYISI” (= Welcome); and that was not the only welcome -our party received. The white men and their wives greeted us very -heartily, and showed us houses, and loaned us mats for our use during -our stay. The women quickly gathered about their lady teachers, and -questions, kindly inquiries, and answers were the order of the day. My -owner, Mikula, recognized, greeted and conversed with many of the young -men who were lads at school with him in the old days. - -What a happy reunion! How longingly anticipated, and how fully -appreciated! Faces were missed there that were now present in the cool -glades that border the River of Life; and some few were absent, because, -through heinous sin, they had been cut off from the Church, and were -ashamed to show themselves at this Christian festival of gladness and -thanksgiving. - -One white man had decorated the church with palm-fronds, plantain-trees, -festoons of creepers, flowers and flags. The station had been thoroughly -swept, the flags streamed from the apex of the church to the ground. -Another white man was looking after the comfort of the numerous -visitors, allotting to them their sleeping-places, mats, and utensils -for fetching water and cooking food. A third was receiving the numerous -gifts, noting the names of the donors and districts, and arranging the -offerings in front and around the platform. - -What a miscellaneous assortment of gifts was there! Heaps of pumpkin -seeds and peanuts; numerous bunches of plantains and bananas; a pile of -oranges; pieces of cloth of various colours and qualities; umbrellas, -eggs, glasses, fowls, rabbits, parcels of native tobacco, mats--plain -and ornamented, kwanga loaves of native bread, pumpkins, calabashes, -bundles of native greens, tomatoes, garden eggs, boxes of gun-caps, tins -of gunpowder, and bottles of kerosene. Those who could not give garden -produce or pieces of cloth presented mugs, plates, wash-hand basins, -saucepans of native make, and European enamel-ware; those who had come -too far to carry their offerings in kind, had sold them on the local -markets and brought the results of such sales in francs and brass rods. -Native tailors, who had made jackets, dresses and cloths ready for -wearing, presented them as their share. - -[Illustration: A CHRISTIAN WEDDING.] - -[Illustration: - - _Photo_] CHURCH COLLECTION AT WATHEN. [_Rev. J. H. Weeks_ - The Collection consists of:--Tin of gunpowder, calabash of gunpowder, - bottle of - kerosene, eggs, matches, gun caps, a plate, umbrella, mat, - cloth, francs, brass rods--in all worth about £3. -] - -Nothing came amiss, no gift was too small and no article too mean to -find its place among those free-will expressions of a people’s gratitude -to God--for the poor gave to the point of self-sacrifice, and the -comparatively rich gave in proportion to their wealth. - -All through Saturday and Sunday every band of new arrivals gave in their -offerings. Some had carried their heavy gifts--weighing from thirty to -forty pounds--over hills, streams and swamps for three and four hours, -and came up smilingly to unload themselves; and with shy, apologetic -words they expressed themselves as sorry that the loads were not -heavier, but that was all they had to bring. - -Sunday with its various services passed all too quickly for those who -had come such long distances to attend them. The early morning -prayer-meeting was well supported. A native deacon conducted it, and -very earnest were the prayers for a blessing on the missionary work that -was so zealously maintained in all the districts, nor were other -stations and missions forgotten before the throne of grace. - -It was pathetic to hear their pleadings on behalf of relatives and -friends still in the darkness of heathenism; and surely the heart of God -has been very deeply moved by such prayers, for not a year passes -without scores of conversions and additions to the Church. - -The afternoon service was crowded, and although the building seated over -seven hundred every place was occupied and the doors and windows were -filled with eager listeners as a slim man of medium height, who had -laboured among them for nearly fifteen years, preached freely and -fluently on their privileges and duties as Christian men and women. In -the evening a deacon-preacher took the service, and very eloquently did -he enforce the lessons given in the afternoon that as redeemed men and -women, ransomed by the precious blood of Christ, heirs of God’s eternal -glory, it should be their gladsome duty to pass on the blessings they -had received to those who were still ignorant of Christ’s salvation. - -I ought not to forget the morning service that was conducted by a white -lady--the wife of one of the missionaries, a woman of large experience -in the work, of wide sympathies, and, from what I could hear among the -natives, a woman much beloved by them all for her unstinted labours. - -“Why does a white woman take a service every Sunday?” I once heard asked -by a native in whose mental bank there were more sneers than kindly -thoughts. - -“Well,” replied a teacher who was sitting by, “the white men practise -what they preach. They tell us to respect and reverence our wives, so -they respect and reverence theirs; they teach us to treat our wives as -equals, so they treat theirs as equals, hence they have arranged for a -white woman to take one of the two principal services every Sunday. We -have therefore always an example of what they inculcate that when God -made woman He took a portion, not from the head of man to show that she -should be over man, nor from the feet of man to show that she should be -under man; but from the middle to teach that she should be equal to -man--from near the heart to show that she should have his affection, and -from under his arm to show she should have his protection. My white man -told me that that was written by one of their famous teachers long ago. -They would have that to be the keynote of our treatment of women as it -is of theirs.” - -Immediately after the service on Monday morning one of the white men -mounted a table and began to sell the various gifts by auction to the -highest bidders. The natives, both males and females, entered most -heartily into the contest. The auctioneer knew the value of the -different articles and was careful to let nothing go under price. - -The bids were in brass rods, and the rivalry for possession of the -different articles was very keen. Jokes were cracked, repartees were -exchanged, innocent pleasantries were indulged in, and amid much -laughter one lot after another was knocked down to the successful -bidders. It was a vivacious scene composed of both sexes of all ages, -dressed in variegated colours, topped by smiling, black faces, and -white, gleaming teeth. - -The white men took it in turns to act as auctioneers, and at the close -of the sale it was found that the total sum received for the local -missionary work, _i. e._ for the support of native teachers, amounted to -82,095 brass rods (= £34 3_s._ 6_d._). Everybody was pleased, and that -night they sung most heartily, “Praise God, from whom all blessings -flow.” And thus ended the _matondo_, or harvest thanksgiving festival. - -Soon after the final service the natives were bidding each other -“good-bye,” and on the road again, with their faces turned homeward. How -safe the roads are compared with the bad, old days! Then natives went -armed with guns and other weapons of defence, now they travel with -nothing but their hymn-books and New Testaments for days without fear of -molestation; woe then to the individual who left his party, for he (or -she) was pounced upon by thievish rascals, and was never heard of again; -then men and women, boys and girls were captured on the slightest -pretext, and even for penny and two-penny debts, and were sold to end -their days in distant, cruel and unremitting toil as slaves; now boys -and girls take long journeys in unmolested safety. The Gospel has taught -the people that God cares for them, hence they are caring more for each -other; that He loves them, and thus they are coming to love one another. - -How selfish they used to be! How they grabbed at everything that came in -their way, and held fast to every article they could put their fingers -upon! How generously they now gave out of their comparative poverty, -that the message of God that had transformed their lives, given them -peace now, and hope for the great hereafter, might be proclaimed to -others, that they also might share the same peace and possess the same -buoyant, eternal hope. Then their _neighbours_ were their own kith and -kin only--members of their own families, and they did not hesitate to -cheat, oppress, enslave or kill any one outside the family to benefit -themselves; now they have discovered that their _neighbours_ are the -members of all families, clans and tribes under the sun, and with all -the energy of their renewed natures they are trying to put into daily -practice the golden rule: Do unto others as you would that they should -do unto you. Then they stole, lied, swindled and broke every law of man -and God that they might die wealthy and have a grand funeral that should -be the talk of the countryside; now they walk many a weary mile, cross -many a difficult stream, wade many a nasty swamp, to preach the news of -God’s great salvation, and give generously of their substance to support -teachers. How marvellous are the workings of God’s grace in the hearts -of whilom savages! - -Mikula, my owner, and his party arrived home all the stronger in their -Christian faith for the service they had attended; and more determined, -by consecrated lives, by kindly actions, and by trying to live the life -of Jesus Christ in word and daily deed, to win their heathen neighbours -to the better life. At the station they had heard that there were more -than fifteen hundred members belonging to their beloved Wathen Church. -Fifteen hundred! a large number indeed! They would have sung the -Hallelujah Chorus if they had known it. Yet how few fifteen hundred -seemed among the thousands upon thousands in these large districts still -outside the Church. - -There was, however, a growing Christian sentiment, and a better-informed -conscience manifesting themselves through the whole district, even among -the heathen; and these are resulting in a keener perception of right and -wrong. These are assets that should be placed to the credit of the -Church, and promise well for its numerical and spiritual prosperity in -the near future. - -Had there been any laxity in receiving candidates into the Church the -numbers could have easily been quadrupled; but the greatest care was -exercised, and the strictest investigations made over every application -for Church membership. It was quite possible to impose upon the white -teachers, who could not possibly live in a hundred villages and towns at -once; but the candidate could not deceive his Christian neighbours who -are jealous of the honour of the Church, and who recognize that a pure -Church of true men and women means a strong and an aggressive Church; -whereas a membership of hypocrites would bring upon them the -contemptuous scorn of their heathen neighbours, and would result in a -weak, emasculated, stagnant Church worthy only of ridicule and -extinction. - -The natives live open lives in their villages, making their fires in the -streets, cooking their food and eating it in the open, talking, working -and living such unsecluded lives that in a village everybody knows -everything about everybody else and a little more besides--there is no -hiding any fact of life from one another, hence when the name of a -candidate for Church fellowship is submitted there are sure to be -present some who know the life the candidate is living in his or her -town. - -One evening, when my owner, Mikula, and his wife were sitting at their -fire, a stranger from a distant village greeted them, and told the -deacon that he had come to converse with him about “God’s palaver.” -Continuing, he said: “I have heard the evangelists preach in the -different villages I have been visiting, about the Saviour Jesus Christ; -and I have listened to the white men more than once, and my heart is -standing up with fear, because I have sinned greatly against God and -broken all His commandments. When I think of my many sins and that God -will surely punish me for them, I cannot sleep at night. Tell me more -about Jesus, the Saviour.” And a look of intense longing came into the -eyes of the inquirer. - -Mikula unfolded to him clearly and fully God’s way of salvation. He read -passage after passage from the New Testament to enforce every statement -he made; and Mikula’s wife aided him by holding a candle in one hand and -shading it with the other that the light might fall on the sacred page, -and occasionally she recalled to her husband’s mind such scriptures as -would help their visitor. - -Long into the night they sat conversing, fire after fire along the -street died down, and they had heard the good-night greetings of “sleep -well” as their neighbours retired to rest; but they had again and again -replenished their own fire, and had continued their earnest talk on the -greatest of all themes--the way of salvation to a sin-stricken soul. At -last their visitor said: “I see it--Christ died for me, the just for the -unjust, the good one for the bad one, the Son of God in place of me--the -sinner.” And there around the fire the three bowed their heads while -Mikula lifted up his heart in prayer and praise. - -The next evening the visitor again took his seat at Mikula’s fire, and -after the usual greetings had been exchanged, said: “I want to join with -you Christians and become a member of the Church. Can I join at once?” - -“No,” replied Mikula, “you cannot. You must go back to your village, and -live a Christian life there for many months, and prove by your words and -actions that you are truly sorry for your former bad life, and are now a -follower of Jesus Christ. You must be a total abstainer, and by this you -will avoid the many temptations to drunkenness. If you like you can now -enroll yourself as a member of the Blue Cross Temperance Society.” - -“Very well, I will do so now,” assented the visitor. “It will be hard to -give up palm-wine, gin and other drinks, especially at funerals, -marriages and on the markets.” - -“Yes, I know it will,” replied Mikula, as he went for the pledge book; -“but there are more than two thousand members of this Temperance -Society, and God will help you to live a sober life.” The visitor put -his mark against his name in the pledge book, and I heard that his name -was Tutula. - -“The next thing that you must renounce is dancing,” continued my owner. -"You know our dances lead to adultery, and from that to rows, fights and -murder. Therefore it is a rule of the Church that its members should not -take part in any of the country dances. - -“Then again, you must not call in witch-doctors, nor may you employ them -for any purpose whatever. Witchcraft and Christianity cannot mix -together any more than you can mix palm-oil and water. And you must -throw away or destroy all your fetishes and charms--a Christian man -should trust in God, and not in the paltry, stupid messes prepared by -witch-doctors.” - -“Yes,” said Tutula, “I can understand that the temptations to a man or -woman engaging in our country dances is very great; and to practise -witchcraft and use fetishes and charms would dishonour God. When I -return home I will destroy my fetishes.” And as he spoke he took from -his neck and wrists some charms and handed them over to his new friend -and teacher, who dropped them into the fire that was blazing between -them. - -“How many wives have you?” asked Mikula. - -“I have seven,” replied Tutula, “two of them are old, three of them are -young women, and two of them mere girls.” - -“Perhaps you have heard,” said Mikula, “that the members of the Church -have given up the practice of marrying many wives, and those who are -married have been wedded to one wife only by holy matrimony. This is the -law of God.” And he opened his New Testament and read the various places -where this law is clearly stated. - -“Yes, I know that is the practice of your Christians,” replied Tutula, -"and it will cost me a great amount of money to follow it, for, being a -man of importance in my district, I have had the pick of the females, -and have given large sums in ‘marriage money’ for the women I have -borrowed.[67] Cannot I retain three or four of them?" - -Footnote 67: - - See note 54, p. 358. - -“No,” answered Mikula, “we deacons and Church members have studied this -point very carefully, and the words of Christ are very strong and -definite on the subject. Is it not better to go to heaven having only -one wife, than to be cast into hell with many women? - -“There is one other matter,” continued Mikula, “and I have done: As a -Christian man who has received pardon for your many sins and a hope of -eternal life through Jesus Christ, you should pass these blessings on to -others by giving freely according to your means, and regularly, for the -support of native teachers to proclaim the love of God in Christ Jesus. -I am a teacher, but I do my work as such without any pay, because I am -living in my own town; but there are teachers who are working in towns -and among peoples not their own, and they must be supported, and what -they receive is very little.” - -“I thank God in Jesus Christ for all that He has done for me!” fervently -exclaimed Tutula. “And listen! if you will find a good teacher I will -give him a house to live in, and pay half the cost of his support, for I -want the people in my village and neighbourhood to know of God’s love -and pardon.” - -In due time a teacher was selected and sent to Tutula’s villages, and he -taught Tutula, among others, to read God’s word for himself. Some months -afterwards I was present with Mikula when Tutula and many of his -neighbours were baptized and received into the Church; counting wine, -women, witchcraft palavers, and native dances as mere dross that they -might win Christ and be found in union with Him. - - - - - Chapter XXV - Mikula at the Christmas Festival - -Months glide quickly by while working hard--Deacon’s - meeting--Church-meeting--The kind of candidates who were - rejected--Baptismal service--The great meeting of the - Church--Election of deacons--The balance sheet--A deficit--Native - Christians wipe out the debt--Local missionary meeting--The great - communion service. - - -How quickly the months glided by! Mikula, my owner, was a busy man of -affairs. As deacon and teacher he voluntarily gave many days every month -to his arduous duties--visiting lukewarm members and absentees from -communion, investigating charges brought against such as were accused of -breaking the Church’s rules, examining and instructing candidates for -Church fellowship, receiving the contributions from Church members, -paying the teachers of his district their monthly allowances, performing -the rites of burial and of marriage, preaching in his own town and -frequently visiting other towns and villages to proclaim the Gospel of -Jesus Christ. - -Besides all these labours for the Church, he helped his wife by doing -the roughest work on the farm, visited many of the markets for purposes -of trade, for this was his principal means of subsistence--the means by -which he met his various obligations as a man, a husband, and a Church -member. - -If he had devoted the whole of his time to trading he would have been a -rich man. He was ’cute, smart, and energetic enough; but he preferred -laying up treasure in heaven where neither white ants, nor rats, nor -mildew could depreciate the value of his wealth. - -It was thus the months passed all too quickly, and brought us to the -great Church Festival held at Christmas-time, and the three principal -events of this gathering were the Church-meetings, the baptisms, and the -communion service. - -Messengers and letters had been sent to all the deacons and teachers -spread over the three thousand square miles that comprised the parish of -the Wathen missionaries. These letters had informed the officials and -Church members of the date upon which they were to assemble, and urging -them to come in large numbers. - -During all the afternoon and evening of the appointed Saturday, groups -of men and women were continually arriving on the station, and the -housing accommodation was taxed to its utmost capacity. The programme -for the meeting had been arranged about a month before, and every male -and female missionary had had their parts apportioned to them; but -unhappily just on the very eve of the meetings two of the white men went -down with very serious fevers, and the depleted little band of white -folk had to work the harder to make up for those unfortunately laid -aside. - -At four o’clock on the Saturday afternoon the deacons were assembled, -and the business to be laid before the coming Church meeting was -thoroughly examined, such as cases of discipline, fitness of applicants -for Church membership, the work, pay, and appointments of teachers to -new spheres, or their removal from one place to another, and the many -other points that demanded attention and investigation. - -Soon after seven o’clock the bell rang out calling all those concerned -to the Church meeting. About five hundred male and female members -gathered. A hymn was sung, a prayer offered, a portion of Scripture was -read, the minutes of the previous month were read and confirmed, and -then the business of the meeting began--of course, everything was -conducted in the vernacular, consequently everybody present could enter -fully into the matters laid before them. After various items of business -had been voted upon, the claims of candidates for Church membership were -scrutinized and voted upon by those present. - -While they were considering Mr. A.’s desire to join the Church, a member -arose and stated that the applicant had a very bad temper, became -enraged at the smallest annoyance, and frequently for no reason at all; -and the speaker thought that the candidate should by properly and -continually controlling his irritable nature get a better temper before -he was received into the Church. The other members thought the same, and -voted that Mr. A. should wait for a few months and be informed of the -reason. - -A little later the case of Mr. B. was under consideration, when a native -of his village arose and said that the candidate was a very lazy man, -lounging about the village all day, living on his wife; and he thought -that such a person was undesirable as a Church member. Let him do some -work and be honestly industrious for a year and then apply again. The -vote was taken, and Mr. B. was counted as unworthy of Church membership -until he had changed his lazy habits. - -Later still in the evening the name of Mr. D. was mentioned as desirous -of joining the Church, when a neighbour of his jumped to his feet -saying: “Mr. D. is in debt to many people in his village and to others -in the surrounding villages. Now we think that a member of this Church -should not be in debt to any one; let him pay all his debts first and -then apply for membership.” Hence Mr. D. was informed afterwards that he -must go and pay his debts and apply later. - -Others were rejected through lack of knowledge of the fundamentals of -the Christian religion; others for using fetishes and charms, thus -showing they were not altogether free of their heathen superstitions; -and others because their lives were not consistent with their Christian -profession. But after all this winnowing there were more than twenty who -were recognized as worthy of joining the Church. - -The following day, Sunday, commenced with an early morning prayer and -praise meeting; then at the nine o’clock service the missionary preached -a suitable sermon to the accepted candidates on some of the passages in -Revelation, where the word “overcome” occurs; and at the close the -candidates for baptism arose one by one, and in simple language, and, -often with much nervousness, bore his or her testimony to the pardoning -love of God in Christ Jesus that had called them out of the great -darkness into His marvellous light. And then we adjourned to the place -where the baptismal rite was to be administered. - -The place was about a mile from the station, and the baptistery was -formed by the natural widening of the stream into a pool that answered -the purpose as though it had been designed especially. The stream came -from an open valley, and, filling the pool, passed beneath the cool -shelter of some trees that threw a shade over a part of the shore, that -by a steepish slope led down to the water. This incline was covered with -people in their varied coloured dresses and cloths, tier above tier, -that were desirous of witnessing the baptisms. Many lads and young men -had waded across the water, and had seated themselves on the edge of the -farther bank, from which point of advantage they gained an uninterrupted -view of all that took place. Around the nearer side of the pool, -occupying positions right on the very edge of the water, were those who -were to undergo the rite of baptism--the observed of all observers, -nervously conscious of all eyes being fixed upon them. - -A baptismal hymn was very heartily sung, two deacons offered prayer, and -then one by one, the women first, and then the men, the candidates -entered the pool and were baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and -Holy Spirit--buried with Him in the waters, a symbol that the old, -heathen life was finished, and raised again--a sign that henceforth they -were to lead new lives of faith, purity and love in Jesus Christ. - -Soon after ten o’clock on Monday morning the bell sounded forth its -clamorous call to the great Church meeting. The large building was soon -filled with more than six hundred Church members--male and female, who -had gathered to elect their deacons for the ensuing year, to hear of the -progress of Christ’s kingdom in their large parish, and to have laid -before them a financial statement concerning the income and expenditure -of the closing year. - -[Illustration: A NATIVE MARKET.] - -[Illustration: - - _Photo_] BAPTISMAL SERVICE, CHRISTMAS, 1905. [_J. R. M. Stephens._ -] - -All deacons, no matter in what month they were elected, relinquished -office automatically at the end of the year, therefore one member of the -Church proposed, and another seconded a resolution of thanks to the -deacons for their work during the past year. This was carried -unanimously with much clapping of hands--a purely native mode of -expressing thanks whether performed by an individual or a crowd. Then -two others proposed and seconded a request that the retiring deacons be -asked to take office again for the coming year, with two exceptions. One -deacon during the year had broken a rule of the Church, and as it was -essential for the welfare of the Church that their deacons should be -blameless in life and character, he was not re-elected. Another deacon -had exhibited much incapacity and such an utter lack of zeal in the -discharge of his important duties, that he was asked to stand on one -side to make room for a better man. The rest were re-elected with -acclamation. Their spokesman replied in a few suitable words, and begged -them to remember their deacons always in prayer that they might perform -their difficult duties worthily of the Master they all desired to serve. - -It was felt in consequence of the work extending so rapidly that the -number of deacons should be increased to twenty-five to adequately cope -with the work. Men, therefore, of strong character, of long, faithful -service, and good Christian lives were chosen and voted to the office to -make up the desired number. - -Then the missionary who had charge of the Church books wrote on a -black-board the number of members in fellowship at the beginning of the -year, the number of those who had been expelled for inconsistency, the -number who had passed to the eternal home during the twelve months, the -large number that had been baptized on profession of their faith in -Christ, and it was shown that those who were enjoying all the privileges -of Church membership made a grand total of 1674. Here and there over the -building could be heard ejaculations of “Tutondele Mfumu Nzambi!” (“We -thank Thee, Lord God!”) - -The white man then put another black-board in position, and wrote on it -all the offerings from the various districts, the amount of the July -Harvest Thanksgiving, and sundry other items to the credit of the Church -accounts--it reached some hundreds of thousands of brass rods. On -another black-board he wrote down the cost of the teachers in the -different districts, and when these were added up there was a large -deficit. What were they to do--leave the Church in debt, or withdraw -some of the teachers? No, they must wipe that debt off! - -Another black-board was quickly in position to receive their offerings -for clearing away the deficit. A white teacher present said: “I will -give two thousand rods towards the debt.” But a native deacon arose to -his feet and said: “White man, we thank you for your kind offer to help -us; but this is our work for Jesus Christ, and we intend to do it by -paying that debt ourselves. Christ has done so much for us, that we must -do this little bit of work for Him.” - -During the next hour the missionaries were very busy writing down gifts -and promises; and gradually the debt shrank until at last it -disappeared. They had contributed over £180 to meet the entire expenses -of their local missionary work. It was a large sum for poor people; but -it was an expression of their gratitude to God for all the benefits they -had received through the preaching of the Gospel. If it had been -possible to value all the voluntary work done by deacons and Church -members, the above amount would have been more than doubled. - -That night a missionary meeting was held. The building was full; bright -and inspiring hymns were sung; and one teacher after another told of the -difficulties and triumphs of the Gospel in his part of the district. -Then two of the white men spoke of the grand results that had attended -the efforts of other missionaries at the various stations on the Upper -and Lower Congo. They summed up by saying: that thirty years ago there -was not a single language that had been reduced to writing, now eight -had been mastered, and into them more or less of God’s Word had been -translated; thirty years ago and there was not a single person on the -Congo who knew how to read or write, now there were thousands of men and -women, boys and girls who were reading God’s Word in their own -languages; thirty years ago there was not a single native teacher on the -Congo, now there were nearly five hundred--two-thirds of whom were -entirely supported by the free-will offerings of the native Christians, -and the other third doing voluntary work in their own towns and -villages; thirty years ago not a solitary brass rod was given to God’s -work--but hundreds of thousands of them were spent on witch-doctors, -fetishes and charms, now over £400 a year are given by native Christians -that others might hear the glad news of Christ’s redemption; thirty -years ago there was not a single Christian throughout the whole length -and breadth of Congoland, now in fellowship with the B. M. S. Churches -alone there are nearly 3500 Church members, and God Himself alone knows -the great number that has already passed from the Church militant on -earth, through faith in Christ, to the Church triumphant in heaven that -is gathering around the great white throne of the Lamb. These are 3500 -fulfilments of God’s promises; 3500 encouragements to continue the work -with zeal and aggressiveness; 3500 proofs of the power of the Gospel to -change the hearts, and purify the lives of men and women. - -It was about eleven o’clock next morning when that bell called the -Christians and their friends to the last great meeting of the festival. -The building in which the service was held was long, wide and rather -squatty, with no claim to beauty or dignity, and no pretensions to -architectural elegance; and although in the eyes of men it might -honestly be styled ugly, yet in the eyes of angels it must be very -beautiful--for it is the birthplace of many a soul. - -It was all too small that day to hold the crowd that pressed into it. -The seats soon filled, and the mats that had been spread on every -available space quickly received more than their full quota of people, -and the doors and windows rapidly filled with folk who listened as -eagerly as those who were inside the building. How heartily they all -entered into the simple service! - -The preacher knew their difficulties, their temptations and their -weaknesses; he knew the pit of heathenism from which they had been -digged; and he knew that they were going back to their towns, villages -and homes to live among superstitious heathen neighbours, so he preached -to them with the power born of full and deep conviction from 2 Tim. i. -12; and they by and by returned home strengthened to continue the fight -knowing that God was with them, and, therefore, they were on the winning -side. - -The preaching service over, the non-members left the building, and their -places were immediately filled with those Church members who had been -standing round the doors and windows. Over seven hundred persons were -present to take the communion. - -The eyes of the white man who officiated dimmed with tears as he looked -over that crowded assembly of communicants. He thought of those who had -borne the heat and burden of the day, those who had toiled and died -without knowing of any results to their labour; he thought of those who, -baffled and defeated by broken health, had been compelled to retire from -the dangerous climate; he thought of those native teachers who had lived -faithfully and worked arduously to bring about this grand gathering; and -he thought also of that vast number of friends in the homeland who by -their labours, gifts and prayers had made this glorious assembly -possible. Surely all would ultimately rejoice together in the great, -glad cry of Harvest Home! Perhaps--who can tell?--the spirits of those -who have passed away, missionaries and supporters--white and black -workers alike, were, some of them, present at that service and were -rejoicing together over so numerous a company of ransomed souls. - -It was in a tremulous voice that the white man addressed a few words to -those who were to be received in that day, and then he took each by the -hand and welcomed him and her into fellowship in the name of the Church. -After that a prayer was offered that these new brethren and sisters -might ever remain true witnesses for Christ, the Saviour. - -A hymn was then sung that the hearts and thoughts of all present might -be centred on the purpose of their presence in the gathering--to -commemorate the death of their dear Lord until He come. - -One of the deacons prayed for a blessing on the “bread,” and it was then -dispensed among the communicants, and after they had partaken of it they -bowed their heads in reverent worship. The cups were then distributed to -every member in that great assembly. Another deacon pleaded with God for -a blessing on the cup; and then the missionary arose, and holding his -cup in his hand, said: “This cup is the New Testament in My blood: this -do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as oft as ye eat -this bread, and drink this cup ye do show the Lord’s death until He -come.” - -And as soon as his tones had died away seven hundred cups were raised -and drained to the memory of their Saviour, and seven hundred hearts -bowed in prayer before the Lord. In a little time there arose upon the -air a song of faith. It was a translation of that incomparable hymn-- - - "There is a fountain filled with blood, - Drawn from Immanuel’s veins; - And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, - Lose all their guilty stains. - - "Dear dying Lamb! Thy precious blood - Shall never lose its power - Till all the ransomed Church of God - Be saved to sin no more. - - “Then in a nobler, sweeter song, - I’ll sing Thy power to save, - When this poor lisping, stammering tongue, - Lies silent in the grave.” - - NOTES TO PART I - -1. _Being only eleven inches long_ (page 1).--Over a very large part of -the Congo soft brass wire of 34 gauge is now, and has been for many -years, the currency and the standard of value among the natives. This -wire was probably, in the first instance, introduced and used for -ornamental purposes, as binding round spears and knives, or beaten out -into ribbons of brass for decorating the hafts of their best spears and -paddles. At first the wire was bought in long lengths of so many -fathoms, according to the needs of the buyer and the purchasing power of -the article he offered the trader in exchange for it. Later they found -it more easy of manipulation to have it in lengths of thirty inches, and -these were shortened by those who had large numbers of them cutting off -a half-inch from each one and melting the small pieces down for brass -anklets, necklets, and bracelets, thus procuring their brass for -nothing, _i. e._ cutting off short pieces from each rod and passing the -rods again into currency at their normal value. So much of this was done -that the thirty-inch rod was reduced to twenty-seven inches, and sellers -of goods consequently demanded more rods of the shorter ones than of the -longer lengths. - -This process of snipping off little pieces has gone on for thirty years, -and the result is that the brass rod has gradually decreased in length -until now, on the Lower Congo, it is scarcely five inches, and among the -Boloki of the Monsembe district it is only eleven inches, and if the -introduction of money does not displace the rod it will become only four -or five inches in that part also. - -Of course, as the rod lessens in length the seller of an article demands -more of them for his goods. Thus an article that once cost three rods of -thirty-inch wire now costs thirty of the five-inch rods; for not only -has the rod shortened in length, but through the introduction of so much -brass wire into the country during the last quarter of a century it has -decreased in value. I hope some day to take the Rod among those people -who use an eleven-inch brass rod as their money. - -2. _Kroo boys_ (p. 3).--These were natives procured from the Kroo Coast -to work the cargo on the steamers that ran along the west coast of -Africa. Only sufficient white sailors were carried to work the ship from -starting port to the Kroo country. On arrival there, the ship fired a -gun to intimate its need of a gang of Kroo “boys” to handle the cargo. -These “boys” were any age from about eighteen to fifty, and in a gang -there were generally about forty to fifty “boys” under a head man. - -Most captains had a head man who gathered a gang ready by the time his -ship returned from its European port. For example: a ship leaves -Liverpool, and on arriving at the coast picks up its head man and gang -of “boys,” who work the winches, man the boats and handle the cargo all -the way along the coast and back again to their own country, where they -are paid off in barter goods, powder, guns, rum and gin at the rate of -one shilling a day. They then rest after their arduous work until that -ship returns, and they engage themselves for another trip. The Congo -boats now pick up their Kroo “boys” at Sierra Leone on the outward -voyage, and drop them there on the homeward journey, and pay them in -cash at the rate of about one shilling to one and sixpence per day and -their rations. - -When not in port these Kroo “boys” polished the brasswork, scraped the -iron, cleaned the paint, holystoned the deck, etc.; but when in port -they went into the holds, tied up the cargo in slings, hoisted it by -winches, put it over the side into boats, and rowed it ashore. They were -hard-working men who toiled from 4 a.m. until 10 or 12 p.m., only -resting for their meals of boiled rice, salt beef or fish, and ship’s -biscuits. - -3. _Peasoup_ (p. 4).--When the writer went to Congo first in 1881 there -came on board at the Kroo coast a head man whose name was Peasoup. For -many years he had acted as head man for the captain of that ship, who, -as an acknowledgment of his various good qualities, and as a joke, -presented him with a brass plate to hang round his neck by means of a -chain. The following words were engraved on it-- - - PEASOUP - - Captain Jolly’s Head Man. - A Rogue, Thief, and a Liar. - -Peasoup was a tall, thin, grey-headed, bandy-legged man; and I used to -see him polish the plate every morning, hang it across his chest, and -with knock-knees and bandy legs strut the deck and order his men about -as proud as any general with a breast hidden by medals. - -Peasoup knew English fairly well, but, of course, could not read it; but -he would never accept as true the accurate rendering of his much-prized -brass plate. Passengers read it correctly to him; but with a laugh he -would retort: "You white men, you no sabbe read them thing properly. Him -live for say: ‘Peasoup, Captain Jolly’s Head Man. Him be plenty, proper, -good man.’" - -Since those days Peasoup has passed away, leaving his brass plate as an -heirloom to his family, and if not melted down into a brass ornament, it -may turn up some day as a relic of a joke played by a master on a decent -servant in “the good old days” on the West African Coast. - -4. _Riddles and conundrums_ (p. 9) were called _ngwala_; _ta e ngwala_ = -to pour out or ask a riddle; _twasa e ngwala_ = to fetch a riddle here, -_i. e._ give us a riddle; _nua e ngwala_ = give us the answer, or, lit., -to drink the riddle. - -_Ngwala_ also means spirits, rum, gin, from a corruption and a -shortening of the Portuguese word _aguardente_ = _gwaladente_ = -_ngwala_. The “r” is always turned into “l,” and the “g” takes the nasal -“n” before it. It is very probable that they pun on the double meaning -of the word _ngwala_ = riddle, and gin. Hence the usual form of asking a -conundrum is-- - -_Ngwala yeye_ = here is gin, _i. e._ here is a riddle. - -_Ta e ngwala_ = pour out the gin, _i. e._ state the riddle (or _twasa e -ngwala_ = bring the gin here). - -If those asked cannot give the answer, they say-- - -_Nua e ngwala_ = drink the gin, _i. e._ give us the answer yourself, as -we cannot guess it. - -The natives of the Lower Congo are very fond of this pastime, but one -needs to understand the customs, language, and surroundings to properly -appreciate the conundrums; consequently only a few almost self-evident -ones, or those easily explained, are put in the text. - -5. _It was a fetish_ (p. 12).--The early traders on the Congo placed in -their large stores a fetish to deter the natives from robbing them. It -was generally a large, gaudily-coloured, hideous image put on the top -shelf opposite the door, from which position it was supposed to dominate -and guard the contents of the whole building. Many traders called their -store “the fetish” because of the presence of this ugly figure in it. - -This fetish exercised little, if any, deterrent power over the natives -for two reasons: (1) No witch-doctor would waste good “medicine,” -procured with difficulty, on making a fetish powerful for a mere white -man, and the natives knew this; and (2) supposing the witch-doctor put -proper “medicine” into the fetish, yet it needed periodic reinvigorating -at the hands of the witch-doctor, otherwise it became weak and useless; -and it would also require a sacrifice, certainly not less frequently -than once a month, of either a large fowl or a goat, or it would become -sulky and not act on behalf of its owner. Now I never heard of a white -man renewing the energy of his fetish by paying a witch-doctor to -palaver over it at stated intervals, nor did I ever hear of a white man -offering a sacrifice to the fetish in his store; therefore while the -trader was relying on his fetish to guard his goods, his native servants -and workpeople were laughing at it as an ineffective carved figure. - -6. _In the sea there is a hole_ (p. 17).--Water sprites are supposed to -make the trade cloth, and as it is so finely woven the natives think -that these particular sprites have only _one eye_, i. e. that the visual -power of two eyes is focussed in one that it may see to do such fine -work. - -7. _Some of his companions laughed_ (p. 20).--We are apt to think that -all natives are equally superstitious, but that is not so. A man may be -a devout believer in charms and fetishes, he may decorate his person, -his house, his children, his pigs, his goats and his dogs with as many -charms as he can afford to buy, or he may quietly leave all the charms -and fetishes severely alone, and no one will think the better or worse -of him; but he must believe in witchcraft, in witches and their occult -power, or his life will be made wretched with accusations of witchcraft. -I have known some natives to surround themselves with fetishes and -charms, and most scrupulously observe all rites and ceremonies, and I -have known others to disregard the whole box of tricks and hold them in -contempt. - -8. _Burial postponed_ (p. 24).--It is not uncommon to postpone the -funeral of an important person for many months, and even years. The -writer once buried a man who had been dead for nearly fifteen years. The -persons responsible put off the expense as long as possible, and it is -probable they would not then have interred the corpse, but the King -ordered the family “to finish the palaver.” There was another case of a -body being left unburied for over twenty years because the man who was -responsible for the cost of the funeral believed that he would “die the -day after he buried the corpse.” Many thought that this was only an -excuse to avoid the expense. The body was dried, wound in cloth, stored -in a house specially built for the purpose, and guarded by relays of -young women. - -9. _Nkandu_ (p. 25).--See Chapter XVIII on Governing, Marketing, and -Trading (p. 223). - -10. _Cassava flour_ (p. 26).--Mandioc (or cassava) was introduced into -Congo from South America about the end of the fifteenth or beginning of -the sixteenth century. Its native name is _madioka_, an evident attempt -at saying mandioc. The roots when matured were soaked for a few days in -pools, or streams, by which time they were soft. They were then peeled, -cut in halves or quarters, and put on stones and small platforms in the -sun until the pieces were quite dry. After this the pieces were laid out -on shelves over their fires until friable, and they were then easily -pounded in a mortar, sifted through a fine sieve, and the result was a -very fine, white flour. Raw mandioc contains prussic acid, but the -poison is eliminated by heat. - -11. _Kwanga_ (p. 26).--The cassava root was soaked, peeled, and cored, -as under note 10. Then, instead of being dried, it was thoroughly -kneaded and all lumps removed. The dough-like substance was made into -long sausages of various lengths and thicknesses, according to the -districts, or into balls like suet puddings. I have seen the sausages in -one district twenty feet long and two inches thick, and in another -twelve inches long and four inches thick. But whatever the shape, the -dough was wrapped in palm-leaves, or in leaves like the aspidistra, and -steamed until well cooked. These _kwanga_ would then keep sweet for -several days. They were sold on the markets, and an average price would -be at the rate of four shillings for two cwt.; and four pounds were -quite sufficient for a man per day. - -12. _Bolt his food_ (p. 29).--It was not the custom at ordinary meals -for the natives to eat greedily, but on occasions such as this, when all -sorts of folk were thrown together, each one ate as much as he could -get. See paragraph on greediness in the Introduction to the “Folk-Lore -Stories.” - -13. _Luku_ (p. 38).--The cassava flour is made as under note 10, and the -_luku_ is prepared in the following way: A saucepan of water is set on -the fire, and when the water boils, the cook takes a basket of the flour -and sprinkles it with one hand in the boiling water and stirs it with a -stick held in the right hand. This process is continued until the -porridge is stiff and can be turned out as one whole pudding from the -saucepan. When a person is eating it, he breaks off a piece, rolls it in -his fingers, dips it in some gravy and then lets it roll down his throat -without masticating, otherwise it will stick to the teeth like toffee. - -14. _Glass vessel_ (p. 44).--In the original it is _ekumbi dia pelo_ = -ship of glass; pelo is from the Portuguese _espelho_ = mirror, glass, -etc. Probably glass was first seen by the natives in the form of -looking-glasses, and _ekumbi dia pelo_ might be translated--the mirror -or looking-glass ship. - -The introduction of glass, guns, etc., into their stories are indicative -of native readiness to expand their tales by the free assimilation of -new ideas received from contact with foreigners. This has also had a -wide influence on their language and fetish religion. This story I first -heard in 1882 at San Salvador. - -15. _Laid beads_ (p. 45).--In San Salvador and district beads form the -currency. They are round blue beads three-eighths of an inch in length -and about a quarter of an inch thick. One hundred of these beads -threaded on a cotton cost, invoice price, one farthing, and one egg cost -one string of beads. It was possible to buy little lots of food for ten -and fifteen beads. The phrase “laid beads” is equal to “laid money.” In -an Upper River story the fowl “laid brass rods,” _i. e._ the currency, -money. - -16. _Ndungu_ (p. 52) is equivalent to our phrase “you are becoming -cold,” and the more indifferently it was uttered by the crowd, the more -certain was the witch-doctor that he had guessed wide of the mark. See -next note. - -17. _Otuama_ (p. 52) is our way of saying “you are becoming hot,” and by -this the witch-doctor knew he was getting very near in his guesses, and -the more excitedly it was shouted, the nearer the guesser knew he was to -the facts of the case. In Chapter XXII the whole trick is more fully -explained. See also preceding note. - -18. _Ran for his gun_ (p. 53).--I was talking in 1908 to a former -witch-doctor, who told me that he had been threatened three times with -guns by those whom he had accused of witchcraft, and if he had not -precipitately fled he would have been shot. Hence those _ngangas_ who -engaged in witch-finding always made sure of their fees first, and sent -them away by their assistants, hurrying off themselves directly they had -accused their man. It was dangerous work. - -19. _Mboma_ (pp. 59, 78).--In San Salvador and its neighbourhood this -word meant the south bank of the Congo River from Ennoki to Matadi, or -such trading-stations as existed on that part of the river. This _mboma_ -was from eighty to ninety miles from San Salvador, and took a caravan -about five days to traverse it. Special letter carriers would cover the -distance in three days. This word we generally translated “coast.” - -20. _Congo dia Ngungu_, or, in its fuller native form, _Ekongo dia -Ngunga_ (p. 60).--Scattered over the country are several Congos (or -Kongos), as _Kongo dia Mpalabala_, _Kongo dia Lembwa_, etc. To -distinguish San Salvador from the other towns bearing the name of Kongo -it was known by the natives either as _Kongo dia Ntotela_ = Kongo of the -King, or _Kongo dia N gunga_ = Kongo of the Bell. The former designation -referred to the town as the capital of the country and the residence of -the King. The latter name is probably due to the fact that the -Portuguese Roman Catholics in the sixteenth century built a cathedral -and monastery there, and used a large bell to call the people to the -services. Such a bell would be a wonder to the natives, and quite -sufficient to cause them to name the town the Kongo of the Bell. - -21. _Smell of white man_ (p. 61).--However contemptuously we may talk -about the “smell of niggers” or “of Chinese” and others, there is no -doubt that we of the white race emit an odour that is very noticeable to -other races. Repeated bathing and frequent changes of clothes will not -eradicate the odour, for a black man can tell when another black man has -been within a yard of any white man for a short time. Account for it how -you will, the black, red, yellow and white races each emits an effluvium -peculiarly its own and offensive to the others--we must, therefore, bear -and forbear. We as a white race are used to our own scent and do not -notice it, and when one lives a long time amongst black people he -becomes accustomed to their odour. - -Occasionally I have been with a white man who, in spite of scrupulous -cleanliness, was very malodorous through suffering from empyreuma; and I -have met here and there a native whose smell was especially offensive, -and it was as objectionable to his black neighbours as to us. The -natives have a definite word for such malodorous emanations. Some lads -have told me that the perspiration of some white men has made them -vomit. - -22. _You white man_ (p. 63).--A native has just as much objection to -being called “a white man” as a white man has to being called “a -nigger.” In both languages it is an insult to be resented. - -23. _Screaming_ (p. 64).--In the pioneer years of the mission, when -white folk were seldom seen and were always regarded with superstitious -fear, I was frequently startled out of my sleep by women screaming out: -“The white man has stolen my child!” And I have wondered on more than -one occasion whether the half-sleepy folk would in a stupid panic turn -me out of their town in the middle of the night or do even worse. - -24. _Mboma_.--See note 19. - -25. _Fines paid for judging_ (p. 92).--All fines received by a native -judge are periodically divided among the chiefs of the district, who -combine to enforce the law. If a pig or a goat is given, then the meat -is shared out or the market value put into the fund. The money or goods -are divided according to the rank and influence of the chiefs, and he -who might be called the chairman, or principal, received twice as much -as any of the others. - -26. _No shelves_ (p. 95).--Many years ago, after much persuasion, I -induced some natives from the Zombo country to come into my house at San -Salvador. The first thing they did was to scan with much eagerness the -walls of my rooms, and on asking them what they were looking for, they -replied, “We have always heard and believed that you white men bought up -the dead bodies of the black people, stored them on shelves in your -houses, and on the first good opportunity sent them to Mputu (Europe), -where by your wonderful magic you returned the life of the corpses, and -they then worked for you as slaves; but we cannot see the shelves.” - -“But why did you think we bought corpses?” I asked, with much wonder and -amazement. - -“We can understand why traders come to this country,” they answered, -“but we cannot understand why your kind of white men come, for you do -not trade, so we think you have some wicked purpose underlying your -presence in our land.” - -Believing such ghastly things about us, their opposition to us and -hatred of us were no longer a surprise to me. The wonder is that they -did not murder all of us. We have had to live down their prejudices, -remove their foolish beliefs about us, and turn their suspicions into -confidence and love. - -27. _Trade gin_ (p. 99).--Whatever ordinary gin may be, “trade gin” was -the vilest concoction of fusel oil and other ingredients that was ever -put on the market for human consumption. It always made the drinkers mad -drunk, and was responsible for most of the quarrels and much of the -fighting that took place among the natives. I have known a white man -take to drinking it and be dead in less than a week, and undoubtedly it -was the cause of many deaths among the natives. A dozen reputed pints in -bottles, case, packing, etc., cost only half-a-crown the lot. - -28. _Law against the sale of spirits_ (p. 102).--Since the time -mentioned in the text a law has been passed limiting the sale of these -“fire waters” within certain boundaries, and restricting the sale of -them, so that neither white nor black can procure them without special -“permits.” - -29. _Make them sell it_ (p. 102).--Several traders have told me how much -they hated selling such vile stuff to the natives; how they had -protested against the sale; but that they were compelled to sell them as -they yielded such large profits to their employers. Surely the curse of -both God and man must ever rest on such gains! - -30. _His santu_ (p. 111).--All the men and women in and around San -Salvador, and a large proportion of those living in the other districts -of the Lower Congo, have each a _santu_, from the Portuguese word -_sancto_ = a christian, or sacred, name. - -At birth a native name is given to the boy (or girl), and later in -life--at twelve or fourteen--the lad can take another name of his own -choice if, for any reason, he is dissatisfied with his birth name, and -allow his first one to be forgotten by disuse. While in their teens they -also select a _santu_ which is a Congoized form of a Portuguese name, as -Manwele = Manuel = Emanuel; Nzwau = Jaõa = John; Petelo = Pedro = Peter, -etc.; and the women take Madia = Maria = Mary, etc. To their _santus_ -they prefix “Dom” and “Donna” respectively. - -In San Salvador and the near towns every man and woman has a _santu_, -but the farther you travel from San Salvador, the less frequently is the -_santu_ found among the people. Undoubtedly it is a survival of the -_sancto_ given by the Roman Catholics to those who were baptized into -their Church. - -Although the possession of “Dom” and “Donna” was so common, yet the use -of them was somewhat restricted to the better class of natives, much the -same as our use of Mr. and Mrs. and Miss. Of some men the natives never -spoke without calling them “Dom,” and to others they never prefixed the -“Dom” except when they wanted to ingratiate themselves or ask a special -favour. - -31. _To represent dolls_ (p. 114).--The girls would often procure pieces -of firewood or cassava roots to represent dolls, and play with them as -such, carrying them tied to their backs, or on their hips, by old rags, -just as their mothers carried them when babies. These dolls they washed -in old saucepans, and held them out for a few minutes in the sun to dry, -as they themselves had been washed and dried. Then they dressed them in -strings of beads and a few imitation charms and re-tied them on their -backs. - -When I first saw this performance--nearly thirty years ago--I felt great -pity for the wee girls having such poor dolls, and sent home to buy a -few for them. In due time they arrived, and the first girl I met -carrying a cassava root (in shape like a parsnip) I offered her one of -my dolls. She looked at it in great consternation--it was something -uncanny to her. It had legs, arms, body, head and a face just like a -human being. It was only with much persuasion that I prevailed on her to -exchange her root for my doll. A few days afterwards I heard that my -doll was sold on the market at a good price as a white man’s powerful -fetish. The other dolls remained in the box, although there were many -requests for them. We had not gone there to supply fetishes. - -32. _Size of the King of San Salvador_ (p. 138).--On August 3, 1882, I -wrote as follows to a friend in England: "I have done a very foolish -thing to-day, for I have promised his majesty that I will ask you to -make him three shirts. I have not given him a personal present yet, and -thought some shirts would be suitable. I want you to buy three different -patterns of good, strong, showy stuff, with plenty of colour. The shirts -must have cuffs, collars and fronts. - -"The measurements are as follows-- - -"Across the shoulders, 2 feet 11 inches. - -"Waist, 5 feet 8 inches in circumference. - -"Armholes, 23 inches in circumference. - -"Round the neck, 20 inches. - -"Arm, 1 foot 3 inches, not including the cuff, which is 5 inches long. - -"Cuff, 9 inches round. - -"From top to bottom, 3 feet 6 inches. - -"I should tell you the King is clever with his needle, and his -twenty-two wives are just as clever at farming. - -“One boy wants to know what sort of work our Queen does.” - -The shirts had to be larger than above measurements to be loose on him. - -33. _Driver-ants_ (p. 144), when searching for food, march four or five -abreast in a continuous line across country. I have known them to be -three days and nights hurrying past a given point, and when disturbed -they swarm over the ground. Looking at the crowd of people thrown from -the photographic slide on to the sheet impressed the King, and in -comparing the numbers of people to driver-ants covering the ground, he -used a very good simile. - -34. _Dressed worse than slaves_ (p. 147).--Except on very special gala -days, the chiefs, head men, and freemen dressed in a very poor, -unpretentious style. This was to avoid suspicion, jealousy, and the evil -eye. Dressing badly, no one would know that they were rich, and -consequently would not cast the evil eye on them, nor try to render them -unlucky, etc., by the aid of witchcraft. The slaves were known as such, -therefore it did not matter how well they arrayed themselves; no one -would be jealous of them nor try to harm them by paying the fees of -witch-doctors. Thirty years ago the casual visitor would, five times out -of six, mistake the slave for the head man and the chief for a slave, or -poor man, on account of the difference in their garments. - -35. _Sleep well_ (p. 148).--The morning greeting was: _Olele kiambote_ = -Have you slept well? The answer was: _Ndele kwame_ = I have slept well. -Good-night was: _Wenda leka kwambote_ = Go and sleep well; and the -answer: _Sala leka kwambote_ = Stay and sleep well. To sleep properly -and soundly was regarded as an infallible sign of good health. - -36. _Papyrus string_ (p. 148).--The papyrus (_diwu_) was found very -plentifully in the many swamps around San Salvador, and was cut in -lengths of about nine feet. The outer skin was peeled off, when fresh -and green, in strips of half an inch, one end of the strip was held -between the thumb and index finger of the left hand, and then the right -hand very quickly twisted the strip, and to keep it from untwisting the -two ends were tied together and it was thrown into the sun. When dry the -strip would retain the twist, and, before using, a dozen of the twisted -strips were soaked in water to render them pliable. Such string was -commonly used for tying fences, and would last nearly twelve months, _i. -e._ as long as the other materials in the fence. It was very economical -and durable. - -37. _Roasted plantain_ (p. 149).--As a rule, bananas were eaten ripe and -raw, and plantain green and roasted. Peel a nice large plantain, drop it -in the hot ashes, turn it from side to side until done, scrape off the -ash-dirt, then split it, rub in some butter and salt, and with a very -little imagination you have a hot roll. - -38. _Portugal, Holland, or England_ (p. 156).--In the long ago, Portugal -was the only white man’s country known to the natives, and it is just -possible that Mputu (native name for all white countries) is a -corruption and a shortening of Portugal. There were more Portuguese -traders in Congo than from any other country; next after them were the -Dutch or Hollandaise, and lastly, in numbers, the English, who at that -time were only known as missionaries. The natives consequently thought -that Portugal was a larger and more populous place than the other -countries, then Holland the next in size, and lastly England, hence -their discussion. - -39. _Stretched out the legs in front of a chief_ (p. 163).--To stretch -out the legs (and show the soles of one’s feet) before any one was -regarded as extremely rude, and a mark of disrespect which was resented -by him who had the power. To act so unceremoniously before a king or -great chief was punished by fines, floggings, and sometimes death. It -was worse than a man keeping on his hat in the presence of royalty. - -40. _Rob them of their country and make them slaves_ (p. 172).--These -fears were constantly expressed in the early and middle eighties by both -King and people. The following is the true history of how one treaty was -made with a native king-- - -In 1884, a copy of _Le Mouvement Geographique_ fell into my hands, and -in it was a letter that was said to have been sent by Dom Pedro V, King -of Congo, to the King of Portugal. In it the former acknowledged the -latter as his liege lord and used every expression of fealty, loyalty, -and submission. I remember that the letter was, at the time, put forward -as a proof of the righteousness of the Portuguese claim to the Congo; -and it certainly helped them in gaining a part of what is now called -Portuguese Congo. - -Having occasion to speak with the King about that time, I asked him if -he had written the said letter, and I gave him a translation of it. The -old man was sitting in a high-back, embossed, leather chair, and rising -from it, he said, “My brother, the King of Portugal, sent me this chair, -and I sent him a letter thanking him for his gift, and that is the only -letter I ever signed my mark to or ordered to be sent.” He had signed -away his country in saying “thank you for a chair.” - -Attached to the letter were the names of the head Portuguese Roman -Catholic priest, a Portuguese trader, and a French trader, as witnesses -to the King’s mark. Shortly after reading this letter I met M. D----, -the French trader, and told him I had just seen the said letter. I -reminded him of its date, and asked, “Why was not I requested to sign -this letter, for all the other white men in San Salvador signed it, and -I was here on that date? Am I not a white man?” - -M. D---- answered, “We did not ask you to witness the King’s mark -because we felt sure you would not do it until the King thoroughly -understood the real purport of the letter.” - -I thanked M. D---- for his estimate of my character, and gave him my -view of the manner in which they had deceived and defrauded the King. - -The King thought he was saying: Thank you for a few presents sent him by -a brother sovereign; but he was signing away his territory to another -power, and in this way he and his people were defrauded of their true -rights. They have every reason to hate white men for robbing them of -their country and reducing them to slavery. - -41. _Kill herself_ (p. 181).--Suicide was not uncommon on the Lower -Congo. Both men and women committed it for much the same reason as folk -do in England. - -42. _Oily-face_ (p. 183).--A lightish skin (not the colour of a -half-caste or an albino’s skin) and an oily face were signs of beauty, -hence the proverb: “The toad has an oily face where his father’s sister -is,” _i. e._ A person is always beautiful to his own family. - -43. _Girl’s father of no importance_ (p. 187).--On the Lower Congo there -is mother-right but no father-right. The children belong to the mother’s -family and not to the father. He has no rights over them, nor does he -arrange for the marriage of his daughters, and he receives a very small -share only of the marriage money paid for his daughters. - -44. _Rest claimed by the uncle_ (p. 188).--(See also note 43.) The uncle -was the head of his sisters’ families and the guardian of their -children, _i. e._ of his nieces and nephews. His eldest sister’s eldest -son was his heir. He helped his nephews when starting in life, and -assisted each in paying the marriage money for his first wife, and -arranged for the marriage of his nieces. - -He claimed the great bulk of the marriage money for this reason: Suppose -he received £3 for his niece, and after five years she died, her husband -would come to the uncle and say, “I gave you £3 for the loan of your -niece, and she is now dead. I want my money back, and as you have had -the use of it for five years I expect 20_s._ interest on top.” Now -probably the uncle would not be able to pay this relatively large sum, -and in lieu of it would give another woman as a wife to the man. In -another five years, we will say, the second wife dies, and the husband -goes to the uncle and says, “The second woman you let me have is dead, -and as you have had the use of my money for ten years I want it returned -with 40_s._ interest.” (Sometimes they demand the equivalent of 80_s._ -to 100_s._ interest.) - -The uncle cannot meet so large a demand, so he gives another--the -third--woman, and should she die the husband has no further claim either -for the capital sum, interest, or another woman. Should the husband die, -then his heir has the same claim on the uncle up to three women, or the -money with interest; and if the uncle dies, then his heir who receives -his property is responsible for the claims of the husband or of his heir -up to three women or the money. (See note 54.) As the uncle took the -greater risks, it was only right that he should take most of the money. -Whatever the father received was his absolutely, without any risks. - -45. _Girl received little presents_ (p. 188).--After a man has paid a -part or the whole of the marriage money, he will make presents of cloth, -fish, meat and trinkets to his betrothed. Should the negotiations for -her be broken off, he will put an exorbitant value on those presents, -and complicate matters by his demands. An unbetrothed girl would not -receive presents from a young man without the consent of her family, and -if she did do so without such consent, and the young man applied to the -family for her hand in marriage and was refused, he would demand all his -presents back, or in lieu of them a most extortionate price. Hence no -girl would accept a present from a man unless she knew that her uncle -and her family regarded his suit with favour. There are, of course, -untractable nieces on the Congo as there are unreasonable daughters in -Europe. - -46. _Girl’s mother agreed_ (p. 188).--Every wise young man would by -various presents gain the goodwill of his future mother-in-law, -otherwise she could, under different pretexts, cause the marriage to be -postponed, and make herself very disagreeable and objectionable when she -could no longer hinder it. - -47. _Sign of the cross_ (p. 199).--In the latter part of the fifteenth -century the Portuguese Roman Catholics were present in San Salvador, and -during the next half-century they became predominant in the local, -political, and religious life of the people. They introduced many -superstitions, images, relics and rites. In the early eighties we saw -Romish images used as fetishes, relics and the cross used as charms, and -baptismal rites practised as a superstitious ceremony. The mark of the -cross enters largely into the catalogue of the witch-doctor’s -stock-in-trade. - -48. _I swear by my mother_ (p. 205).--In the Congo language there is no -lack of oath phrases. And these may be divided into four classes-- - -(1) Swearing by one’s relations, as shown in the text. Any near relative -may be substituted for mother. This may be extended into: By my mother, -may I never see her deathbed, or may my mother desert me. - -(2) Swearing by a notable person or place: By the great King. By Dom -Alvaro. By the road to Congo. By the path to the tomb of the deceased -King. - -(3) Swearing by the fetishes; and this may be divided into two classes: -(_a_) Those who swear by the ordinary fetishes, as: By the lightning -fetishes (_nzaji_), etc., and (_b_) those who have been initiated into -the _ndembo_ guild and swear by the fetishes of this secret society, as: -May the _nkita_ cause me to go mad. By the _ndembo_ enclosure. By -albinos and dwarfs. These latter are all powerful in the _ndembo_ guild. -(See _Folk-Lore_, June 1909, p. 189.) - -(4) Swearing by God, as: May God punish me. - -49. _Nearest man fired_ (p. 206).--Hunting laws were very stringent and -had to be carefully observed, or the breaker of them would one day find -that no one would accompany him on his hunts nor allow him to join them -in theirs. - -If a man fires at an antelope and it rushes away, the hunter looks to -see if any blood has fallen, or any hairs; if not, it is decided that he -has not killed it, although he may have mortally wounded it; if another -man fires and it drops, it is the latter’s animal. If there is any -dispute as to whether it was killed by the first shot or the second, the -one who is positive and over-rides all argument must take the heart of -the antelope and eat it (not raw). If his shot really killed it all is -well, but if not, the eating of the heart will destroy his _kinkongo_, -or hunting skill. Many a man has relinquished his claim to an animal for -fear of spoiling his luck. - -50. _Brave_ (p. 218).--When the natives fight with spears, knives and -arrows they are courageous, and, knowing how far their weapons will -carry, they run in to throw them. They will fight foot to foot with -their knives. To them guns are mysterious things--they pull a trigger -and there is a puff, a bang, and a bullet or slug flies out, and the -distance it will travel is, to them, an unknown quantity. They are not -acquainted with the science of firearms, and are so overawed by the -mysteriousness of these weapons that their natural bravery has not full -play. - -51. _Some decoction_ (p. 248).--The witch-doctor procures some bark of -the baobab-tree, presses the juice out of it and rubs this on hand and -arm of the accused person who has well paid him. He can then dare the -boiling oil with impunity. - -52. _In whose district his town_ (p. 253).--The “parish” of Wathen is -3000 square miles in extent, and is divided into four and sometimes five -districts, according to the strength of the missionary staff for the -time being. Each district is in charge of a white man, and all the boys -attending school on the station from that district are especially in his -charge. He looks after their welfare, cares for them, attends them in -sickness, listens to their palavers, and acts the part of a father to -them. All the girls from the same district are in the special care of -his wife (if he is a married missionary), and she acts as a mother to -them. All matters connected with the Church members and teachers of the -district are taken first to him, and he settles them upon -well-understood principles, and if any extraordinary issue arises he -consults his colleagues, and they jointly come to a decision, so that -all the districts may be governed on uniform lines. He acts also as a -pastor towards all the Church members of his district. - -53. _Sunset at six o’clock_ (p. 257).--The nights and days are about -equally divided, as there are only some fifteen minutes’ difference -during the whole year in the time of the sun’s rising and setting. -Certainly on the Congo there is not that sudden darkness at sunset so -frequently stated in books on the tropics, for the twilight lasts from -thirty to forty minutes. - -54. _Women I have borrowed_ (p. 324).--The old word on the Congo for -marriage was _sompa nkento_, which means to borrow a woman (see notes 43 -and 44), for which loan the man paid something to the girl’s uncle. All -members of the Church are married by Holy Matrimony, and the word -_sompa_ (or to borrow) has given place to _kazala_ (to take as a wife). - - - - - PART II - Congo Folklore Tales - - or - - Stories told round the Congo Fire - - INTRODUCTION - TO THE FOLKLORE TALES - - - - -For many years I have been collecting folklore stories such as are told -round the fires of the Congo villages--stories that have been handed -down from generation to generation; and are so well known that sentences -from them are often quoted, and have thus become the proverbs with which -the natives so freely interlard their talk. - -To have printed all the stories collected would have meant a bulky -volume; but these selected for publication are typical of those that -remain, although every story has its own peculiarity of plot, -explanation, or teaching. - -Between most of the stories told on the Upper Congo and those related on -the Lower Congo there is, as a rule, this marked difference: the former -try to explain why things are as they are, _i. e._ why people steal, lie -and die; why women run away from their husbands; and why some birds have -nests and other birds none: the latter are didactic parables. The former -are explanatory of habits and customs, and the latter contain the wit, -the wisdom and the moral teaching of many generations, and sum up their -view of life--that the cheat will himself be cheated; that the -unreasonable will be outwitted by craftiness; the tyrant and bully will -eventually be punished, and kindness rewarded with timely succour. I am -of opinion that the former--the explanatory--stage indicates a more -primitive state than the latter or teaching stage, still it would be a -very interesting study to decide this point. - -These stories belong to the Lower Congo, and more especially to the -districts around San Salvador (Portuguese Congo), and Ngombe Lutete (or -Wathen in Congo Belge). Some of the Upper River stories I hope to -publish on a future occasion. - -While living at San Salvador many years ago, the lads and I, on our -recreation evenings, told each other tales, and it was then that I heard -for the first time some of these stories; a few others I have culled -from the pages of a native magazine called _Ngonde ye Ngonde_ (= “Month -by Month”), printed and published by our Mission at San Salvador; but by -far the larger number were written for me by the teachers and boys of -the Wathen Mission School to whom I gave exercise-books with the request -that they would write out such stories as they could remember, or could -gather from their friends. - -I never suggested a story nor a plot to them, for to me personally they -would lose their value if they were the result of any such promptings. -It was not until a large number of them had been collected that any idea -of presenting them in this form entered the mind of the collector. And -folklorists may rest assured that the stories here set before them are -genuinely native in plot, situation, explanation and “teaching,” and, -wherever possible, in idiom also. - -In these stories the different birds, insects, reptiles and animals -speak, marry, attend markets, transact business and lay their cases for -decision before the elders as though they were human beings. The heroes -among them are endowed with those qualities most admired by the natives, -while those that are “fooled” are the personification of such -characteristics as awaken only their ridicule and contempt. ’Cuteness, -craftiness and wit are at a premium in these stories, and it is curious -to note that these qualities seem to be the peculiar property of the -small animals, such as the gazelle, the mouse, the squirrel, etc.; and -rarely the possession of the larger animals, as the elephant, buffalo -and leopard; or when two species of the same order--the driver-ant and -the small-ant--are brought into rivalry it is the latter that wins; two -birds, as in “The Crow and the Dove,” it is again the weaker one who -triumphs in the end. - -On the other hand gullibility, dupability, utter stupidity and lack of -foresight are associated with bulk, _i. e._ the larger animals are, as a -rule, thoroughly fooled. They have laughed many a time at the way the -Gazelle “fooled” the Leopard, yet I do not think there was one who would -not rather have been the Leopard than the Gazelle--they were not so good -as their philosophy. - -Greediness in eating is condemned by all natives, and it is interesting -to note that the only time, in these stories, the Gazelle is caught and -punished it is his greediness that leads to his downfall; and, again, in -the story of the Gazelle and the Palm-rat, the latter is choked, not so -much because he broke his promise--that is regarded as ’cuteness by the -natives--but because he refused to share the palm-nuts with his -companion--an act condemned by all natives. This is a trait well marked -in the native character. Any one of them will scramble and wrangle for -as big a portion of anything going as he can get; but once he has it he -will share it with any of his family, or his companions, or even with -strangers who happen to be present when he is eating it. - -Again and again, when I have given portions of food or salt to a boy, -the recipient has shared it equally with his comrades. Here is a monkey -to be divided among a dozen boatmen. Two of them will be set to clean it -and divide it into twelve portions, and they will be very careful to -make all the divisions equal, because by an unwritten law, which I have -never seen infringed, the two who apportioned the meat will not take -their shares until the others have selected theirs. This is a guarantee -that all the portions will be alike, otherwise the last would come off -very badly. Each as he chooses will select what he considers to be the -largest heap; but once he has it, he is quite willing to share it with -any or all of his comrades. - -There is a delightful absence of proportion in these stories, for in -them mice and birds marry young women; a mouse carries the head of a -leopard in his bag and brags that he has eaten nine leopards, and -although he punishes the elephant and the buffalo he has to cry for help -against the hyena; the gazelle eats whole pigs and goats; and a -chameleon snarls and the elephant, leopard and other animals run away in -terror. Nothing is strange or incongruous in a land where witch-doctors -abounded, and were credited with performing wonders by their supposed -magical powers. If you questioned any feat, you were at once told most -emphatically: “Well, it was done by his magic, or his fetish, or his -charm performed it.” - -In all the animal stories in this collection the different animals -mostly address each other as “uncle,” irrespective of sex; but as this -would have been confusing to the reader, I have only retained the term -where it fits the sex of the one addressed. In the Congo language there -is no gender, and the animals belong to various classes (there are -fifteen classes in the Lower Congo language); but directly they are used -in stories, and have human characteristics ascribed to them, they are -removed from their different classes and placed in the first, or -personal, class, e.g. _Nsexi_ is in the second class, and its pronominal -prefix is _i_ singular, and _zi_ plural; but being moved into the first -class it becomes a person, and its prefix is _o_ singular, and _be_ -plural--the animal is no longer an “it,” but a “he” or “she.” - -Included in this collection are a few stories that are not animal ones, -as "The Water-Fairies save a Child"--a warning to parents not to be -unreasonable in their punishments; "The Story of two Young Women"--a -lesson on vanity, and that wealth does not always bring happiness; and -"The Adventures of the Twins"--a whimsical criticism on how human beings -should be made in order to avoid the inconveniences, limitations and -troubles that attend their present mode of construction. - -The reader must not be surprised to find that some of these stories are -similar to those made famous by Uncle Remus,[68] and the reason is not -far to seek. About three generations ago the Congo natives were -transported in large numbers as slaves to America, and naturally they -carried with them their language and their stories. The _goobah_ in -_Uncle Remus_ is a corruption of _nguba_, the Lower Congo word for -peanut; and Brer Rabbit is the gazelle,[69] Brer Fox is the leopard, and -the Tar-baby is the fetish called _Nkondi_; but in the Tar-baby a -concession is made to civilization, for in Uncle Remus’s account the -image is covered with tar to account for Brer Rabbit sticking to it, -whereas in what I believe to be the original story the _Nkondi_ image -causes the victim to stick by its own inherent fetish power. In “Cunnie -Rabbit, Mr. Spider and the other Beef,” there is a story of a Wax-girl, -which has all the elements of the Tar-baby, and here again the wax that -causes the sticking is a concession, I think, to civilization like the -tar. - -Footnote 68: - - C. J. Harris, in his introduction to _Uncle Remus and His Sayings_ - (Ward, Lock and Co., 6_d_. edition) mentions Prof. J. W. Powell, of - the Smithsonian Institute, and Herbert H. Smith as having found - similar stories “in a number of languages, and in various modified - forms.” The former among the North American Indians, and the latter - among the South American Indians, and one in particular he has traced - to India, and as far east as Siam. I would refer the reader to that - Introduction for further details. - -Footnote 69: - - It is said there are no true gazelles in Africa, whether that is so or - not I have found it convenient to translate the Congo word _nsexi_ - uniformly as gazelle. The _nsexi_ is about eighteen inches high, of - slight body, thin legs, whitey-brown stomach, and brownish-grey back, - small, sharp-pointed horns, small head, and large pathetic eyes. The - _nsexi_ is very agile, and I suppose that the slaves from the Congo - finding no such animal in their new home in America, used the rabbit - as a substitute--also there are no leopards there, so they transferred - his gullibility to the fox, wolf and bear. - -All raw natives would believe that a fetish by its own magical powers -could hold tightly its victim without the aid of such extraneous things -as tar and wax. It is apparent that the narrators have lost faith in the -magical powers of their fetish, and have introduced the wax and the tar -to render their stories a little more reasonable to themselves. It is -interesting to note that when Brer Rabbit was thrown among the leaves of -the briar bush he unsticks from the Tar-baby, and in the Leopard -sticking to the _Nkondi_ the Gazelle “cuts some leaves and made a charm -to set the Leopard free.” One can discover many similarities between -these stories and those told by Uncle Remus. There is little doubt that -most, if not all, the stories of Remus were told around the Congo -village fires before they delighted the hearts and lightened the burdens -of the negro slaves on the southern plantations of America. Yet is Congo -the original home of these stories? Or have they travelled far by -devious ways, perhaps even doubling back in their course, so that their -real home is now lost in antiquity, and the road to it obliterated by -the swamps of time across which the human family has wandered in its -many journeyings? - -The natives in their talk often use phrases from their stories which are -quite sufficient to recall to the hearers the whole fable and its -teaching, as “sour grapes” with us conjures up the fox looking with -longing eyes at the fruit beyond his reach. Many of these concentrated -sentences have become the proverbs of to-day, and the Lower Congo -language is rich in such _mots_, and one could, in fact, gain a very -clear idea of the Congo man’s philosophy from an analysis of the -sentences culled from their stories which have become their maxims. - -In these pages will be found some puzzle stories, such as “The Four -Fools” and “The Four Wonders.” These are propounded and cause no end of -discussion as to which has performed the greatest feat of skill, and -thus earned the fowl that laid money (_i. e._ beads); and also who had -committed the greatest wrong against the usual order of mundane affairs, -and thus deserved the most blame. Each fool and each wonder-worker has -his adherents, who will argue in his favour with so much vehemence and -gesticulation that the listener who does not know them will think them -on the verge of a most desperate fight. After long and toilsome journeys -the writer has heard his carriers argue about these problem stories far -into the night; and they would return again and again to the charge, -each individual (or party) supporting his favourite character with all -the natural eloquence at his command. Night after night they would -revert to the same story in order to give expression to the arguments, -in favour of their views, that had come into their minds through the day -while journeying with their loads up and down the hills. One problem -story has furnished them, sometimes, with sufficient discussion to last -four or five nights. - -The stories are told round the fire on nights that are too dark for -dancing. The various groups will arrange themselves round the blazing -hearths, and after the news of the day has been exhausted, one will tell -a story suggested by some item of news, or the action of a friend, or -the saying of an enemy. The story is told with dramatic power and -forcible eloquence, the narrator acting the various parts and imitating -the sounds of the different animals. In some of the stories there are -choruses, and these are taken up and sung heartily to the clapping of -their hands. - -There is no greater treat than to listen to a Congo story told in the -original by one of these born story-tellers--the lights and shadows -caused by the flickering fire, the swaying body of the narrator, the -fixed attention and grunts of approval of the listeners, the great dark -beyond, the many mystic sounds issuing from the surrounding bush and -forest lend a peculiar weirdness to the story and its teller. - -A father correcting his children will tell them a story to enforce his -teaching, and though wise words might be forgotten, the story will -remain in the memory with guiding or deterrent power; sons and daughters -repeat these stories to their parents if they think they are not being -properly treated according to native ideas. - -During a lawsuit the native advocates in stating the case for their -clients will tell stories with great effect, or will illustrate a point -against their opponents by relating a parable suitable to the occasion; -and the judge will often give his verdict by recounting a fable, and if -they do not know one appropriate to the case they will invent one, and -should it happen to be a happy invention it will pass from mouth to -mouth, and thus into the folklore of the district; the current stories, -known to all, are a survival of the fittest, and some of them are here -placed before the reader. - - CONGO FOLKLORE TALES - - I - How the Fowl evaded his Debt - - -Once upon a time a cock Fowl and a Leopard began a friendship, and not -very long afterwards the Leopard lent some money to the Fowl. It was -arranged that on a certain day the Leopard should receive the money at -the Fowl’s residence. - -On the morning of the appointed day the Fowl ground up some red peppers, -and mixed them with water so that it looked like blood, and when he -heard that the Leopard was on the way to his house he went into his -courtyard and said to his slaves: “When the Leopard arrives and asks for -me, tell him my head has been cut off and carried to the women in the -farms to be combed and cleaned.” Then he hid his head under his wings -and told them to pour some of the pepper water on his neck, which they -did, and it fell to the ground like blood. - -The Leopard arrived and asked for his friend the Fowl. The slaves -repeated what they had been told, and, on the Leopard hearing it, he -wished to be allowed a closer view of the marvel, and on beholding the -red-pepper water dropping to the ground, he thought it was all true. - -On returning later he asked the Fowl how it was done, and the Fowl -replied: “When you reach your town, you cut off your head, and send it -to the farm to be combed and cleaned, and there you are.” - -“Oh! thank you, friend,” said the Leopard, “I will astonish the natives -of my town.” - -Away he went to his town, and told all his wives that he had been taught -some wonderful magic by his friend the Fowl. - -“What is it?” they asked. - -“Well, my head is cut off,” said the Leopard, “and then you take it to -the farm to comb and clean, and then you bring it back.” - -“All right,” they cried in chorus. - -The Leopard sent messengers to all the towns in his district, inviting -the folk on a certain day to come and see the wonder. On the day a great -crowd of people arrived, and when all was ready the Leopard went into -the centre, and his head was cut off, but his legs gave way, and he fell -down. - -The head was returned after being combed and cleaned, but when they put -it on the neck it would not stay there. Thus died the Leopard because of -his conceit in thinking he could do all that others did; and also -because he did not use his common sense to perceive the foolishness of -what the Fowl told him. Do not believe all you see and hear. - - - - - II - Why the Small-ant was the Winner - - -One day a fierce Driver-ant[70] and a Small-ant had a long discussion as -to which of them was the stronger. The Driver-ant boasted of his size, -the strength of his mandibles, and the fierceness of his bite. - -“Yes, all that may be true,” quietly answered the Small-ant, “and yet -with all your size and strong jaws you cannot do what I can do.” - -“What is that?” sneeringly asked the Driver-ant. - -“You cannot cut a piece of skin off the back of that man’s hand, and -drop it down here,” replied the Small-ant. - -“Can’t I? All of you wait and see,” said the Driver-ant. - -Away he climbed up the man until he reached the back of his hand. At the -first bite of the strong mandibles, the man started, and, looking down -at his hand, saw the Driver-ant, picked it off, and dropped it dead at -his feet right among the waiting crowd of ants. - -Footnote 70: - - Driver-ant = _Nsongonia_. Small-ant = _Mfitete_. - -The Small-ant then climbed to the place, and gently, softly, with great -patience he worked round a piece of skin until it was loose, and he was -able to drop it to the ground. The waiting throng of ants proclaimed him -the winner, for he had done by his gentleness and patience what the -other had failed to do by his strength and fierceness. - - - - - III - How the Animals imitated the Gazelle - and brought Trouble upon Themselves - - -Once upon a time a Leopard gave birth to seven cubs, and she asked the -Jackal to act as nurse for her while she was away hunting. - -Shortly after the departure of the Leopard the Gazelle arrived, and said -to the Jackal: “Let us eat one of the cubs and then you will have six -left.” - -“What shall I do when the Leopard returns?” asked the Jackal. - -“Oh! I will help you,” quickly promised the Gazelle. - -Thereupon the Jackal gave up a cub, and then another, and another, until -at last all the cubs were eaten. - -The Gazelle then tied the Jackal to a tree and said: "When you hear the -Leopard coming, shout out loudly, ‘Murder! Thieves!’" - -In a little time the Jackal heard the Leopard bounding through the -forest, and he began to cry out: “We are robbed! we are robbed! Help! -Thieves!” - -“What is the matter? What are you crying about?” asked the Leopard. - -“Oh!” sobbed the Jackal, “I don’t know at all who tied me up, but all of -your children are eaten.” The Leopard, on hearing this, was very angry. - -The reckless, daring Gazelle scampered off, and by and by reached a -place where all the animals were gambling with dice. A Pigeon gave him -the dice to throw, and the Gazelle threw a “Leopard” (the name of a -winning throw). “Oh, dear me!” said the Gazelle, when he saw his luck, -“I have eaten seven young leopards, and nothing has happened to me.” - -The other animals thought this was a lucky saying, so they repeated the -words every time they threw the dice. The Gazelle warned them not to -imitate the sayings of others, or trouble would come upon them. But -they, thinking he only wanted to keep his good luck to himself, repeated -the words more earnestly. The Gazelle slipped away to call the Leopard, -and begged her not to be angry with what she would hear. - -The Leopard went to the games, and when she heard one animal after -another say: “Oh, dear me! I have eaten seven young leopards, and -nothing has happened to me,” she became so angry that she fought with -the different animals and killed them all. As for the Gazelle, he took -himself out of the way. Thus the animals, through apeing others, lost -their lives. - - - - - IV - Why the Fowls never shut their Doors - - -There lived once a chief who owned a large number of Fowls. On arising -early one morning he found that the door of their house had been left -open all night. He thereupon woke up the Head Cock and asked why he had -not shut the door. - -The Cock replied: “We did not go to sleep very early last night, as we -quarrelled over who should shut the door. I told one to do it, and he -told another, and at last we became so angry with each other that no one -would shut the door, so we went to sleep leaving it open.” - -The owner snapped his fingers in speechless surprise at the Fowl’s -excuse, and walked away. - -Another day the chief went to see his wives’ farms and found them all -clean and well weeded, but the road leading to the farms, which was -nobody’s work, was choked with tall grass and weeds. That evening the -chief called out loudly so that all the town could hear: “You women, I -went to your farms to-day, and found the road covered with tall grass -and weeds. Truly you are near relatives of the fowls, who sleep with -open door because each tells the other to shut it. To-morrow all of you -go and clear the road.” - -When the Fowls heard these remarks they were very vexed, and the Cock -said: “You have heard what our owner has shouted out to the whole town. -He has held us up as a bad example to all in the place, yet when I went -to a neighbouring town the day before yesterday I saw a buffalo rotting -by the roadside.” - -“Why was it rotting there?” asked the Black Hen of her husband. - -The Cock replied: "When I reached the town the other day I heard that -Don’t-care, who is the son of Peter Pay-if-you-like, went outside his -house and saw a buffalo; he aroused his companions and told them to go -and shoot it; but they said: ‘Go and shoot it yourself.’ ‘What! am I to -see the buffalo and shoot it also?’ he asked. Thereupon Wise-man fired -at the buffalo, and told another to go and see if it were killed. He -came back and said it was wounded; so another went and killed it; but he -would not cut it up; and another went and cut it into pieces. Then each -thought that the other should carry the flesh into the town; -consequently it was left in the bush, and that was why the buffalo meat -rotted at the roadside." - -The Black Hen said: “Indeed, is that so?” But the Speckled Hen observed: -“That it would be better for human beings if they looked better after -their own business, instead of poking their noses into affairs belonging -to Fowls, and holding them up as a bad example to their women.” - -The Head Cock said: “That from that day neither he, nor his children, -nor his grandchildren should ever shut the doors of their houses, no -matter how cold it might be, or what risks they might run of being eaten -by wild animals.” Thus it is that Fowls never shut their doors at night. -They are angry that human beings, who conduct their own affairs so -badly, should find fault with the way in which Fowls look after theirs. - - - - - V - Why the Dog and the Palm-rat hate each other - - -One day the Dog, the Palm-rat, the Hawk, and the Eagle arranged to take -a journey together, but before starting they agreed not to thwart each -other in any matter. - -They had not gone very far when the Eagle saw a bunch of unripe -palm-nuts, and said: “When these palm-nuts are ripe, and I have eaten -them, then we will proceed on our way.” - -They waited many days until the palm-nuts ripened and were eaten by the -Eagle, then they started again, and by and by the Hawk espied the bush -(a great space covered with tall grass, canes, and stunted trees), and -said: “When this bush is burnt, and I have eaten the locusts, and drunk -in the smoke from the fire, then we will go.” - -So they waited while the bush dried, and was burnt, and the Hawk ate his -locusts, and drank in the smoke from the burning grass, then they were -ready to start again; but when the Palm-rat saw the bush was burnt, he -said: “We remain here until the grass and canes have grown again, so -that I may eat the young canes, for remember we agreed not to thwart or -oppose each other on this journey.” - -They waited there some months until the canes grew again, and the -Palm-rat had eaten them. - -Once more they started on their travels, and on reaching a large forest -the Dog said: “Now I will dry my nose.” - -His companions answered: “All right, we will go for firewood.” - -The Palm-rat and the Hawk fetched the wood, and the Eagle went for the -fire. The Dog put his nose near the fire, but every time it dried he -made it wet again by licking it. They remained a long time in the -forest, but the Dog’s nose never became properly dry: it was an endless -job. His companions became vexed, and the Hawk and the Eagle flew away, -leaving the Palm-rat and the Dog alone. At last the patience of the -Palm-rat was exhausted, and he, too, ran away; but the Dog chased him to -kill him, and this is the reason why the Dog and the Palm-rat hate each -other. He would not wait until the Dog’s nose was dry. - - - - - VI - The Leopard boils his Mother’s Teeth - - -One day the Gazelle bought some maize at the market, and while he was -boiling them at home, the Leopard paid him a visit, and asked him: -“Friend Gazelle, what are you boiling in the saucepan?” - -The Gazelle replied: “I am boiling my mother’s teeth.” - -“Indeed!” exclaimed the Leopard, “let me taste them.” So the Gazelle -gave him some of the cooked maize, and the Leopard ate them, and thought -them so good that he went home and pulled out all his mother’s teeth, -and put them to boil in a saucepan. - -The Gazelle, passing the house, called in, and seeing the saucepan on -the fire, asked the Leopard what he was cooking. “I am cooking my -mother’s teeth, but they don’t get soft,” answered the Leopard. - -The Gazelle laughingly said: “I meant maize, and you have pulled out and -are boiling all your mother’s teeth.” The Leopard was so angry at what -he had foolishly done, that he drove the Gazelle off and wanted to kill -him, but the Gazelle ran away and hid in a log of wood. - -The Leopard, returning from his pursuit of the Gazelle, saw the firewood -and carried it home, and, as he was splitting it, out jumped a fine dog. -The Leopard admired the dog so much that he told his wives never to beat -it. - -One day one of the wives pointed her finger at it, and the dog was so -insulted at having a finger pointed at him that he howled so long and -loudly that the Leopard came and killed his wife for insulting his dog; -and thus he killed them one after the other; and when they were all -dead, the dog changed back into a Gazelle, and ran away laughing at the -Leopard for his foolishness in mistaking maize for teeth, and a Gazelle -for a dog. - - - - - VII - How the Ants saved the Partridge’s Eggs - - -Once upon a time a Partridge having laid her eggs, was driven from them -by a Python, who took possession of them by coiling herself round and -round the eggs. - -The Partridge, seeing she had been deprived of her eggs, began to call -for help. A Buffalo, hearing her, came and asked what was the matter. - -The Partridge said: “The Python has rolled herself round my eggs, and I -want a wise body to save them for me.” - -“Don’t worry,” said the Buffalo, “I will go and stamp on her.” - -“Not you,” cried the Partridge; “while you are stamping on her you will -smash my eggs. I am looking for a _wise body_ to help me.” - -The Partridge continued to call, and the Elephant came asking what was -the matter. - -“Oh!” sobbed the Partridge, “the Python has curled round my eggs, and I -want a wise body to save them.” - -“Never mind,” replied the Elephant, “I will go and smash her to pulp.” - -“Not you,” cried the Partridge, “you will break all my eggs.” - -So one animal after another offered help, but they were rejected, as -they could not drive the Python away without endangering the eggs. The -poor Partridge was at her wits’ end, when an army of Driver-ants arrived -and inquired the reason of her calling for help. When they heard the -cause they marched right up to where the Python was, and at once began -to nip, nip, nip with their strong mandibles, and the Python unrolled -herself and glided away as fast as she could. Thus the Ants rescued the -stolen eggs that would otherwise have been broken by the clumsy attempts -of the Buffalo and the Elephant. - - - - - VIII - The Leopard sticks to the _Nkondi_ - (Wooden Image) - - -In the long ago both the Leopard and the Gazelle made new maize farms. -When the ground was ready for planting, the Gazelle put some maize in a -saucepan to boil, and hid the rest of his maize in another place. While -the pot was on the fire the Leopard arrived, and asked: “Friend Gazelle, -what are you boiling?” - -“Some maize,” said the Gazelle, “and when it is cooked I am going to -plant maize in my farm.” - -The Leopard exclaimed, “Indeed! do you plant boiled maize?” - -“Yes,” answered the Gazelle. “I boil all my maize, for then it grows -better.” - -The Leopard returned home at once and rubbed all his maize off their -cobs, and boiled the maize. The next morning they both went and planted -their maize in their farms. During the following night, however, the -Gazelle went and planted some unboiled maize in the Leopard’s farm. - -After a few days they went to have a look at their farms, and in the -Gazelle’s the whole of the maize was sprouting well, but in the -Leopard’s only the raw maize the Gazelle had planted was growing. The -Leopard could not understand it, for he said: “I well boiled all my -maize, and yet it does not grow.” - -By and by the maize was ripe for plucking, and the Gazelle and Leopard -went and pulled what they wanted and returned home. For several nights -after that the Leopard went stealing maize in the Gazelle’s farm, and -one day the Gazelle said to him: “Friend Leopard, who is stealing maize -from my farm?” - -“I don’t know,” replied the Leopard. The Gazelle carved a wooden fetish -called the _Nkondi_, and put it in his farm. - -The next night the Leopard went and stole some more maize, and as he was -leaving the farm the Nkondi said: “Oh, you are the thief, are you?” - -“If you talk like that,” growled the Leopard, “I will hit you.” - -“Hit me,” said the _Nkondi_. The Leopard hit him, and his paw stuck to -the image. - -“Let go,” cried the Leopard, “or I will hit you with my other hand.” - -“Hit me,” repeated the _Nkondi_. The Leopard hit him with the other -hand, and that stuck also to the image. - -“Let go,” angrily cried the Leopard, “or I will kick and bite you.” -Which he at once did, as the _Nkondi_ would not let him go, and his feet -and mouth stuck to the image; then both the Leopard and the _Nkondi_ -fell to the ground together. - -By and by the Gazelle arrived, and when he saw the Leopard sticking to -the _Nkondi_ he said: “Oh, you are the thief,” and, having punished him, -he cut some leaves and made a charm to set the Leopard free. After that -the Leopard never again went stealing in the Gazelle’s maize farm. - - - - - IX - How the Mouse won his Wife - - -On one occasion a daughter was born to a lonely pair, and the father -said: “Any one who wants to marry my daughter must first cut down the -mahogany tree standing in my garden.” Years passed, and when the father -was dying he sent and told his wife that only he who felled the mahogany -tree could marry his daughter. - -By and by an Elephant arrived, and, sitting down in the town, asked the -girl for a drink of water. She poured some water into a calabash and -gave it to him, and he then asked her: “Are you married?” and she -replied: “No, I am not yet married.” The Elephant said: “I will marry -you.” Whereupon the mother called out: “You can marry her; but you must -first cut down the mahogany tree.” The Elephant took an axe and cut, -cut, cut until he was tired, and then went and rested under the eave of -the house so long that when he went again to the tree it was just as it -was before he cut it. When the Elephant saw that, he threw down the axe, -saying: “It is not my wedding, the woman costs too much.” - -As the Elephant was going away he met the Buffalo, and told him all -about it, saying: “I came to marry, but I am not able to fell the tree.” -The Buffalo picked up the axe and cut, cut, cut, and then rested under -the verandah of the house. When he returned to the tree he found it had -grown again to its former size. Down he threw the axe and bolted. - -As the Buffalo was rushing away a Lion shouted out: “Where have you come -from?” The Buffalo stopped and told him all his troubles. “Oh,” said the -Lion, “give me an axe, I’ll marry her.” But the same thing happened to -him, and to the Hyena, and to the Leopard also. They all cut at the -tree, got tired, rested too long, and each ran away, saying: “I came to -marry, but the girl is not worth the trouble.” - -As the Leopard was bounding away, a Mouse asked him: “What is the -matter?” and the Leopard growled out: “I went to marry a woman, but -whoever marries her must fell the mahogany tree.” Thereupon the Mouse -went and gnawed, gnawed, gnawed without stopping, until at last the tree -toppled over and fell to the ground. When the mother saw the tree fall, -she said: “Mouse, you can sleep here, and in the morning take your -wife.” - -In the morning they cut up six pigs and twenty loaves, then the Mouse -took his wife, and they started on their journey to his town. They -reached a stream where they camped for a time, and while there the -Elephant arrived, and the Mouse said to him: “See, this is my wife.” - -The Elephant would not agree to that, but said: “She is mine, I married -her.” - -“No,” said the Mouse, “she is mine. Accept of two pigs for dinner.” - -When the Elephant heard that, he began to beat the Mouse, but the Mouse -entered his trunk and gave him such pain that the Elephant cried: “Come -out, and I will give you two pigs.” The Mouse came out, received his two -pigs, and went off with his wife. - -They reached another camping-place, and while resting and eating there, -the Buffalo arrived. “Welcome to you, father,” said the Mouse. But the -Buffalo did not want his welcome, and said he had married the woman, and -when the Mouse would not give her up, the Buffalo hit him on the back -with a stick. The Mouse entered the Buffalo’s ear and gave him so much -pain that he bellowed: “Come out, and I will give you five sheep.” The -Mouse came out, received his five sheep, and went away with his wife. - -As they journeyed along they met the Hyena, who said: “Why, that is my -wife,” and when the Mouse denied it, the Hyena became very angry, and -beat the Mouse about in his weakness and made him cry. The Mouse called -the Squirrels, who came and fought the Hyena, and while they were -fighting, the Mouse hurried off with his wife. - -They travelled until they came to a high plateau, where they met a large -Rat, who said: “Give me that woman.” - -To him the Mouse replied: “I cannot give her, for I have had plenty of -trouble to gain her.” - -“Very well,” answered the Rat; “let us go to the drinking-booth, and I -will give you some palm-wine.” - -While sitting there the Mouse took a rat’s head out of his bag. - -“Where did you get that?” asked the Rat. - -“Oh,” boasted the Mouse, “I have eaten nine rats, and you will be the -tenth.” So alarmed was the Rat that he ran away and never said -“Good-bye.” - -At last the Mouse reached his town and gave his wife a house. There they -feasted on the pigs and sheep they had gained on the road. But one day -the Leopard paid a visit to the Mouse, and said: “Uncle Mouse, let us -jointly make a maize farm.” This they did, and while the Mouse was -watching the maize one day, the Leopard tried to run away with his wife. -The Mouse, hearing this, invited the Leopard to drink wine in his house, -and while they were drinking, the Mouse took out of his bag a Leopard’s -head. - -“Where did you get that?” asked the Leopard. - -“Down in the drinking-booth I killed and ate nine,” said the Mouse, “and -you will be the tenth.” The Leopard was so frightened at this, that when -the Mouse told him to get into the calabash, he went right in at once. -The Mouse put in the cork, and then put the calabash on the fire, and -thus the Leopard died. The Mouse said: “I will govern in this country, -for there is not another chief left.” Thus was the Mouse rewarded for -his courage, wit, and perseverance. - - - - - X - The Gazelle outwits the Leopard - - -Once upon a time a Leopard and a Gazelle lived together with their wives -and families in the same town. One day the Leopard said: “Friend -Gazelle, let us go and buy some drums in the Zombo country.” “All -right,” replied the Gazelle; “but where is the money?” “I have the money -by me,” answered the Leopard. - -They started, and when they had walked a little way the Leopard growled -out: “Wait here. I must return to the town, as I have forgotten -something.” The Leopard returned to the town and went to the Gazelle’s -wife and said: “My friend has sent me for his children.” Mrs. Gazelle -gave them to him, and putting them into a bag, he returned to the place -where he left the Gazelle. They started again, and when they had -travelled a long distance the Leopard saw some honey in a hole in one of -the trees, whereupon he said to the Gazelle: “Wait for me here while I -go to eat the honey, but you must not undo the sack.” - -The Gazelle was left to guard the sack, which he untied, and looking in, -he exclaimed: “Why, they are my children!” He put the sack on his back -and hurried to the town, gave his children back to his wife, and went to -the Leopard’s house and said: “My friend has sent me for his children.” -Mrs. Leopard gave them to him. He put them in the sack and returned -quickly to the spot where the Leopard had left him. After a time the -Leopard arrived, licking the honey off his lips, and, picking up the -bag, away they went again on their journey. By and by they reached Zombo -and bought some drums, and when the Leopard paid the money for them, he -whispered: “Don’t undo the bag now, there are some gazelles in it.” - -As they were returning home they tried the drums. The Leopard beat a -tune and sang: “The stupid people go on foolish journeys.” For the -Leopard thought the Gazelle had helped to sell his own children for -drums. The Gazelle then beat a tune and sang: “At the place where they -ate honey they left their bag of wisdom.” The Leopard did not know he -had exchanged his own children for drums. - -On their way home they played and sang in many towns, and received goats -and pigs as presents for their entertainment. On reaching their town the -Gazelle hurried to his house, and sent off his wife and children to -hide. - -The Leopard went to his house, and, looking round, he asked his wife: -“Where are my children?” “Why, you sent the Gazelle for them,” she -replied; "and now you ask: ‘Where are the children?’" The Leopard went -in great rage to the Gazelle’s house, but the Gazelle ran away, and as -he was escaping, he cried out: “I am the wise Gazelle who has outwitted -your craftiness.” - - - - - XI - The Gazelle punishes the Palm-rat for breaking his promise - - -One day a Gazelle, being very hungry, went in search of food, and saw a -fine bunch of palm-nuts hanging from a palm-tree; but having only hoofs -he could not climb the tree. He therefore went in search of his friend -the Palm-rat, and said to him: “I know where there is a fine bunch of -palm-nuts, and if you will promise to give me some I will show you where -it is.” - -The Palm-rat readily promised to share the nuts. So together they went -to the forest, and the Gazelle pointed out the nuts to his friend. With -his strong, sharp claws the Palm-rat quickly mounted the palm-tree, and -found there three bunches of palm-nuts; but instead of cutting them -down, he sat on a palm-frond and began to eat them. - -After a time the Gazelle shouted out: “Friend Palm-rat, throw me down -some of the nuts according to your promise.” - -“Oh,” cried the Palm-rat, “when I am eating I am deaf, and cannot hear -what is said to me.” And he continued to munch away at the nuts. - -The Gazelle waited a little, and again called out: “Please throw me some -of the palm-nuts, for I have hoofs, and cannot climb a tree like you.” -But the Palm-rat ate greedily on, and took no notice of his friend’s -request, except to say that he was deaf when eating. - -The Gazelle thereupon gathered some leaves, grass, twigs, and stubble, -and made a large fire at the bottom of the palm-tree. In a short time -the Palm-rat called out: “Uncle Gazelle, put out your fire, the heat and -smoke are choking me.” - -“Oh,” replied the Gazelle, “when I am warming myself by the fire I -cannot hear what is said to me.” And he heaped more firewood and dried -grass on the fire. - -The Palm-rat, choking with the smoke, lost his grip on the tree, and -fell to the ground dead. The Gazelle returned to the town and took -possession of all the goods belonging to the Palm-rat. If you make a -promise, keep it; and if you want a kindness shown to you, you must do -kind things to others. - - - - - XII - How the Crow cheated the Dove and - got into Difficulty through it - - -A long time ago the Crow and the Dove arranged to go hunting together. -They took with them their guns, charms, dogs, and chief huntsman. The -dogs entered the bush and started an animal which the Dove fired at and -killed. Then up ran the Crow shouting: “It is mine, it is mine.” - -“No,” said the Dove; “I killed it.” - -“It is mine,” asserted the Crow, and although they tried to argue with -him, he would not listen, but only shouted more loudly: “It is mine.” - -At last the Dove gave way, and thus it was every time they went -hunting--the Crow always cheated the Dove out of his game by his loud -blustering cry: “It is mine. It is mine.” - -One day, while hunting, the Dove accidentally shot the chief huntsman, -and no sooner did the Crow hear the report of the gun than he came -running and calling out: “It is mine, it is mine. I shot it,” but on -drawing near and seeing the body of the huntsman, he said to the Dove: -“It is yours.” - -“No,” replied the Dove; "you have said ‘It is mine’ every time I have -killed game, and now this is yours also." They talked long and loudly -about the matter, and at last they laid the case before the elders in -the town. - -The elders said to the Crow: “Yes, it is yours. You have claimed -everything before, now take this also, and bury the body properly, and -pay all the expenses of the funeral.” There are many people like the -Crow, who take all the credit to themselves, and leave the blame to -others. - -XIII - -How the Civet and the Tortoise lost their Friendship for each other - -The Tortoise and the Civet, although they lived in separate towns, had a -great friendship for each other. Their kindness to one another was known -to all the neighbours, for they never refused to help one another in -sickness and trouble. - -One day the Civet heard that her friend the Tortoise had given birth to -a child, so at once she got ready to pay the usual visit. On arriving at -the cross-road leading to her friend’s town, she met a Monkey, who asked -her where she was going. - -The Civet said: “I am going to visit my friend the Tortoise, who has -given birth to a child.” - -Monkey said: "Don’t you go. Her child is very ill, and the “medicine -man” says that he must have the tip of your tail with which to make a -charm to cure the child, and it won’t be better until he has it. Of -course, if you go it is your own affair." - -When the Civet heard this she became very angry at the insult, and -returned at once to her own house. The Tortoise was very indignant at -the neglect of her friend the Civet, because from the commencement of -her illness she never received a visit from her. For a very long time -they never visited each other. - -By and by the Tortoise heard that her friend the Civet had given birth -to a child. The Tortoise said: “Although the Civet never visited me, I -will not treat her in the same way, for I will go to see her.” - -She started on her journey, and on reaching the cross-roads she met -Monkey there, who asked her where she was going. On hearing she was on -the way to visit the Civet, Monkey said: "You are truly very stupid. The -Civet’s baby is very ill, and she has sent for the “medicine man,” who -says he cannot possibly cure the child unless he has the shell of the -Tortoise for a charm." - -On hearing this the Tortoise was dumbfounded and filled with fear, so -she returned home at once. - -After a very long time the Civet and the Tortoise met at the funeral -festivities of a friend, and they frowned at each other and would not -speak. Towards the close of the festivities, the Civet and the Tortoise -told the chief and the elders all about their former love for one -another, and how the friendship had been broken by each hearing what the -other wanted as a charm to cure her child. - -The elders restored the love they had for each other, and told the Civet -and the Tortoise that in future they were not to listen to any tales, -but if one did hear anything against the other she was to go and ask her -friend about it, and not keep it in her heart. From that time they -remained fast and true friends. - -XIV - -The Water-Fairies save a Child - -Pedro was a trader in birds, and travelled long distances to buy and -sell them, and as he often had some left he carried them home to keep -until next market day. Pedro had six children, one of whom was a boy -named Yakob, and the others were all girls. When Pedro was leaving the -town one day for a trading journey to a very distant market, he said to -his people: “There are some birds in that house, and if any one lets -them out and loses them I will kill him.” - -Soon after his father was gone Yakob thought he would like to look at -the birds, so went and pushed open the door to peep in, and as he did so -the birds flew out and escaped to the forest. Yakob went crying to his -mother, and told her what he had done. His mother chided him for -disobeying his father’s orders. - -By and by Pedro returned from his journey, and, going to the house where -he had left his birds, he found they were gone. He was very angry, and -wanted to know who had let his birds out of the house, and on being told -it was Yakob, he took the boy, killed him, and threw his body in the -river. Some Water-fairies found the body and restored it to life, and -nursed the boy, fed him, and kept him with them until he grew to be a -young man. - -One day the Water-fairies said to him: “Yakob, you had better go for a -walk and see the country.” So he took his _biti_[71] and went walking -and playing his instrument. He met his sisters, and began to sing: “That -which the father had cut and thought he had killed, stand out of the -way, girls, and let him pass.” But the sisters did not recognize -him--they simply smiled at him for his song. He told them who he was, -and they returned to their town and told their mother and father that -they had seen and spoken with their brother, but their father said: “Oh, -no, it was not your brother, it was only a passer by.” - -Footnote 71: - - Musical instrument like a _marimba_. - -Yakob went back to his fairy mothers, and told them that he had seen his -sisters, and then he gathered his things together and asked permission -to return to his own people. They gave him some fine cloths to wear, and -various bells, which they tied on him, so that when he walked the bells -tinkled and made a pleasant sound; then they gave him a cane, and said: -“When you reach the stream you hit that place and the other place.” -Yakob said: “I thank you with all my heart.” So, bidding them good-bye, -he started for his town with only three servants. - -When Yakob reached the stream he did as he was told, and on beating one -place, out came a band of trumpeters with ivory and brass trumpets. He -hit the other place, and out came a fine hammock and carriers. He got -into the hammock and sent messengers to tell the chief that he was -approaching. - -The chief spread his carpet and sat in his chair amid the clapping of -his people, and in a short time the sound of the trumpet was heard and -the carriers trotted up with Yakob’s hammock, spread his carpet and -arranged his chair, and then Yakob alighted from his hammock and sat -down amid the shouting, drumming, and clapping of the people. - -On taking his seat, Yakob said: "I am your son whom you killed. What you -threw away the Water-fairies picked up, and they have nursed me and kept -me until this day. There is a proverb which says: ‘If the Leopard gives -birth to a palm-rat he does not eat it.’ You should have punished me for -breaking your law, but you should not have killed me." The father was -astonished, and went and kneeled crying before his son, and said: “My -child, forgive me, for I have done wrong.” - -Yakob’s mother was glad to see her son again; he dressed her in fine -cloth, and built his own village close by his parents’. - -XV - -How the Squirrel repaid a Kindness - -There was once a man named Tunga who had a house, a wife, and a nice -little baby. Tunga used to catch partridges, guinea-fowls, palm-rats and -squirrels in his traps, and sometime he would trap three and four of -these at once. One day he caught as many as fifteen partridges, and when -he took them home his wife said: “We will save some of these for another -day, so that our child may not be hungry should you not catch any.” But -Tunga said: “No, we will eat them all now, for I am sure to catch plenty -of meat every day.” - -Some time after Tunga went to look at his traps, and found only one -Squirrel in them, and this Squirrel had some bells round its neck, and -just as Tunga was going to kill it, the Squirrel said: “Oh, please don’t -kill me, and I will help you another day.” - -Tunga laughed and said: “How can a little thing like you help me?” - -But the Squirrel pleaded for his life and promised to help the man -whenever he was in trouble, so at last Tunga let the Squirrel go. He -then plucked some leaves and went home to his wife and told her what he -had done. She was very angry, and quarrelled so much about there being -no food for the baby to eat, that she picked up the child and went off -to her own family, which lived in a distant town. - -The man waited some days until he thought his wife’s anger had passed -away, and then he took a large calabash of palm-wine and started for his -wife’s town. On arriving at the cross roads Tunga met an Imp that had -neither arms, legs, nor body, but was all head, like a ball. The Imp -said: “Let me carry your calabash for you. You are a great man and -should not carry it yourself.” - -“How can you carry it, when you are all head and no body?” asked Tunga. - -“Oh, you will see,” said the Imp, as he took the calabash, balanced it -on his head, and went bounding off along the road in front of Tunga. - -After travelling a long way Tunga became very tired, so they sat down -under a tree to rest, and while they were sitting there a Leopard came -up, and noticing the palm-wine, asked for a drink, and the man was too -much afraid to refuse it. When Tunga was going to pour out some of the -palm-wine into a glass, the Leopard said: “I drink out of my own mug, -not yours,” and he brought out of his bag the skull of a man, and said: -“Here is a mug. I have already eaten nine men and you will be the -tenth.” - -Poor Tunga was so filled with fear that he did not know what to do; but -by and by a Squirrel arrived, and after exchanging greetings he asked -for some of the palm-wine, and as Tunga was going to pour it out the -Squirrel said: “What! Have you no respect for me? I carry my own mug,” -and putting his hand into his bag, he brought out the head of a Leopard, -and said: “There, I have eaten nine Leopards, and this one here will be -the tenth,” and as he repeated the words again and again very fiercely -the Leopard began to tremble, and go backwards until he was in the road, -and then he turned tail and fled with the Squirrel after him. - -Tunga waited, and at last he and the Imp started again on their journey. -He was now glad that he had been kind to the Squirrel and had saved his -life. - -On reaching the town, Tunga and the Imp were welcomed by the people, a -good house was given to them, and they were well feasted. After resting -there some days, Tunga and his wife started on their return journey -home, but before leaving the town Mrs. Tunga’s family gave them a goat -as a parting present. - -When they reached the cross-roads Tunga said to the Imp: “I will kill -the goat here, and give you your half.” - -“All right,” said the Imp; “but you must also give me half of the -woman.” - -“No,” replied Tunga; “the woman is my wife, but you shall have half the -goat.” - -The Imp became very angry and called to his friends, and a great crowd -of Imps came to fight Tunga. - -While they were wrangling, the Squirrel arrived and asked what was the -cause of the row. They told him, and he said: “If we divide the goat and -the woman, how are you going to cook them? You have neither firewood nor -water. Some of you fetch water, and others go for firewood.” - -He opened his box and gave to some of them a calabash in which to fetch -water, but while the water was running into the calabash it sung such a -magic tune that the Imps began to dance, and could not stop dancing. - -Then the Squirrel opened his box again and let loose a swarm of bees -that stung the other Imps so badly that they all bounded away and never -returned again to trouble Tunga. Then the Squirrel said to Tunga: “You -now see that if you had not been merciful to me I should not have been -able to save you from the Leopard and the Imps. Your kindness to me has -saved your own life and your wife’s.” Tunga thanked him for his help and -went his way home. - -XVI - -The Kingfisher deceives the Owl - -One day the Owl and the Kingfisher had a long discussion as to which of -them could go longest without food. The Owl proposed that they should -try for ten days, and the Kingfisher agreed to it. - -They tied a rope across a stream, and both birds sat on the middle of it -looking down into the water. On the third day the Kingfisher began to -feel hungry, and observing a fish in the water just below him, he -pretended to fall, caught and gobbled the fish, but as he came up to the -surface of the water he cried out: “Oh, Uncle Owl, my head turned giddy, -and I fell into the stream.” - -The Owl replied: “Never mind, let us persevere with our contest.” - -But the Kingfisher continued to have these giddy fits just as fish came -under the perch, and the Owl with his sleepy eyes did not notice the -fish. Before many days had passed the Owl’s body became thin, he lost -his strength, fell into the stream and was drowned; but as for the -Kingfisher he flew away, leaving his dead and cheated rival in the -water. - -XVII - -How the Tortoise was punished for his Deceit - -The Tortoise set his trap, and soon afterwards caught an antelope in it, -whereupon he sat down and began to cry with a loud voice. The Jackal, -hearing his cries, came and asked him what was the matter, and the -Tortoise said: “There is an animal killed in my trap, and I have no one -to take it out.” - -The Jackal said: “Never mind, I’ll remove it for you.” So he took out -the animal and set the trap again. - -The Tortoise said to him: “Go and get some leaves upon which we can cut -up the meat.” But while the Jackal went for the leaves the Tortoise ran -away with the meat to his hole in the rock. - -The Jackal, on his return, called out: “Uncle Tortoise, here are the -leaves;” but the Tortoise rudely cut him short by asking him: “Am I a -relative on your mother’s side or your father’s?” - -The Jackal, angry at this insult, cried out: “I will let off your trap;” -and the Tortoise replied: “Touch the spring with your head, for if you -put in either your arm or your leg you will die.” - -So the stupid Jackal put his head into the trap and was caught, and when -he cried out with pain the Tortoise took his gun and shot him. In this -way the Civet-cat, the Fox, the rock Rabbit, and the Palm-rat were all -caught and killed by the Tortoise. - -One day the Gazelle heard the Tortoise crying, and went and asked him -why he was crying, and the Tortoise said: “Since early morning an animal -has been lying dead in my trap because I have no one to take it out for -me.” - -“But who set your trap for you?” asked the Gazelle. - -He replied: “A passer-by set it for me.” - -“All right,” kindly said the Gazelle, “I’ll take it out for you”; which -he did at once, and setting the trap again he dragged the animal to the -Tortoise. - -“Get some plantain leaves that we may divide the meat,” said the -Tortoise; but while he was gone the Tortoise took all the meat to his -hole. - -The Gazelle, on returning, called out: “Uncle Tortoise, here are the -leaves,” but the Tortoise laughingly asked him: “Is the Tortoise a -relative on your mother’s side, or your father’s?” - -The Gazelle was angry at this insult, and said: “I’ll unset your trap.” - -“Very well,” shouted the Tortoise, “only do it with your head, and not -with your hands or your feet, or you will die.” - -The Gazelle, however, poked in a stick, and snap went the spring, and -out loudly screamed the Gazelle, so the Tortoise thought he was caught, -and came out of his hole with his gun to shoot him, but the Gazelle -sprang on the Tortoise, took away his gun and killed him, and then, -gathering up the meat, he went off to his own town. The Biter is -eventually bit, and he who deceives others will himself be deceived. - -XVIII - -How the Frog collected his Debt from the Hawk - -The Hawk lived in sky-land and the Frog lived on the earth. One day the -Hawk paid a visit to the Frog, and said to him: “Friend Frog, will you -kindly lend me a thousand brass rods, for I am in difficulty for want of -money?” - -The Frog replied: “Your town is up in the sky, and I cannot fly up there -for I have neither feathers nor wings.” - -“Oh, you will not need to call for your money, for I will surely bring -it to you down here, so please lend me the brass rods.” The Frog counted -out the thousand rods and handed them to the Hawk. - -For six months the Frog heard nothing from the Hawk, neither was any -part of the debt paid, so one day, seeing the Hawk on a low branch he -went to ask for his money, but the Hawk flew away as fast as his wings -would carry him. - -Then the Frog heard that the Hawk went every _Nkandu_[72] and -_Nkenge_[72] to market to buy saucepans, so on the following _Nkandu_ -the Frog - -Footnote 72: - - Names of market days. - -started at dawn for the market-place. He hopped and jumped over the -ground and swam the rivers, and, reaching the market early, he hid -himself and waited for the arrival of the Hawk. - -In a little time the Hawk alighted on the market, and, putting down his -satchel, he went about buying saucepans. When he had bought a few the -Frog went and hid himself in one of them, and by and by the Hawk, -returning to his town in sky-land, picked up his saucepans, and thus -took the Frog with him. - -The Hawk, on arriving home, put his saucepans in the corner of his -house, and when all was quiet and dark the Frog came out of his -hiding-place, and next morning met the Hawk in a casual way and asked -him for his money. The Hawk was so surprised that at first he could not -say a word, but at last he exclaimed: “Friend Frog, how did you get -here, for you have neither feathers nor wings?” - -“Never mind how I came,” replied the Frog; “but I want my money.” - -The Hawk began to make excuses, and was so sorry because “he really had -not the money just then.” - -But the Frog said: “Very well, I shall stay here in your house until you -pay me.” - -Then the Hawk remembered that he had just enough to pay him, because he -wanted to get the Frog out of his house.[73] - -The Frog, on receiving his money, wondered how he was to return to -earth. He decided to wait until next market-day, and then, creeping into -the Hawk’s satchel, was carried off to the market-place, and on arrival -he hopped out of the satchel and took a walk round the market, and thus -came face to face with the Hawk: “How did you get here?” asked the Hawk -in surprise. - -The Frog blinked at him, and said: “Well, I came by the road by which I -travelled.” - -“Did you now?” said the Hawk; and then he went on to say: “I borrowed -money of you because, having no feathers and no wings, I thought you -would not worry me for payment, yet you have followed and bothered me, -and I will never borrow of you again.” - -The Hawk ruffled his feathers and went, and as the Frog jumped off, he -muttered: “I will never again lend to folk bigger than myself, for if -you ask them for the money they are angry with you, and if you don’t ask -for it they think you silly and laugh at you.” - -Footnote 73: - - The creditor would live at the expense of the debtor, hence the Hawk’s - desire to get rid of the Frog. - -XIX - -How a Child saved his Mother’s Life - -A man, once upon a time, cleared a large piece of bush, and then sent -his wife to plant it with cassava. When the cassava was ready to pull, -the bush-pigs and other animals visited the farm and destroyed the -roots, and it seemed as though the woman would have her trouble for -nothing. The wife complained about it to her husband, and he went to dig -a large pit in which to trap the wild animals that came stealing in -their farm. - -While the man was digging the hole an Imp came out of the forest near by -and asked him what he was doing. Upon hearing he was digging a trap for -animals, the Imp said: “Let me help you.” The man, fearing the Imp would -kill him if he refused, accepted his offer. Thereupon the Imp said: “Let -us make a bargain. All the male animals that fall into the trap are -yours, but all the female ones are mine.” The man agreed to this, and -they then finished the hole together, after which they returned to their -places. - -Next morning they went to look at the hole and found one male pig in it, -which the man took according to their agreement. Every morning they went -and it was the same--male pigs, antelopes and buffaloes were in the -trap, never any female ones, sometimes there were two males and -sometimes there were five males. The man laughed, and said to the Imp: -“You were foolish to make such a bargain, for did you not know that only -male animals go about in search of food? You are very foolish.” - -The man took the animals to his town, and all the way home he was -ridiculing the stupid Imp. The wife said: “Now we have plenty of meat, -but no cassava bread to eat with it. Tomorrow I will go and dig up some -roots in the farm with which to make some bread.” - -Early next morning the woman took her basket and her hoe, and went to -the farm, leaving her husband at home to look after their little boy. -When the woman had been gone some time the boy began to cry, so the man -picked him up and followed his wife to the farm to give the child to -her. As he drew near the farm he heard the Imp gleefully singing: “O my, -O my, at last I have a female animal in the trap.” - -On reaching the trap the man asked the Imp why he was jumping, dancing -and singing in that joyful fashion, and when he heard that it was -because there was one female animal in the trap, the man laughed at the -Imp for making so much fuss over _one_ animal; but looking into the pit, -and seeing his wife there he began to cry, and contended that the Imp -was cheating him as a woman was not an animal. - -They became very angry in their discussion as to whether the woman was -an animal or not, that at last the boy said: “Father, you agreed to the -bargain that you were to have all the male animals, and he was to have -all the female ones that fell into the trap; we have had plenty of -animals out of the hole, but he has not had a single one. Let him take -this one.” - -The Imp, admiringly, said: “Is this wise judge only a boy?” and with -that he jumped into the trap to get out his prize, but no sooner had he -done so than the boy called out: “Look, father, there is a male animal -in the trap and it is yours.” - -On dropping down into the trap the Imp had become, according to his own -statement, an animal, and consequently belonged to the man. The Imp, to -save himself, had to give up all claim to the woman, and thus the child -by his smartness saved his mother’s life. Never again did the man enter -into an agreement until he properly understood all about the conditions. - -XX - -How the Gazelle won his Wife - -Once upon a time there was a Gazelle that went in search of a wife. -While journeying he met a beautiful girl, and stopped, and said to her: -“Miss So-and-so, have you any water?--if so, please give me a drink, for -I am very thirsty.” - -The girl replied: “Yes, sir,” and taking a calabash well ornamented with -rows of brass nails she gave it to him full of water. He drank eagerly, -and as he handed the calabash back, he said: “The water is as nice to -drink as the girl is beautiful.” - -The Gazelle inquired of her, and finding she was not married, asked her: -“Will you marry me?” - -She answered: “I don’t know, I must ask my mother.” - -So together they went to seek the mother’s consent. When she heard all -about the affair, she said: “If you want to marry my daughter you must -first bring me the dried flesh of every animal and bird in the forest.” - -The Gazelle was at first disconcerted by such a difficult task, but -said: “All right, I will do it,” and went his way to think out a plan by -which he could win his wife. - -The Gazelle thought of first one way and then another, and at last he -sought for and found a shell and filled it with various powerful -“medicines,” and thus, having made a strong fetish, he started for the -forest. - -He had not walked very far before a Dove came to him, and said: “Behold, -there are ten animals down there; I fired at them, but did not kill a -single one; if therefore you have a hunting-fetish, teach me how to use -it.” - -“Yes, I have the kind of fetish you want,” replied the Gazelle; “but -before you can learn how to use it you must be killed, roasted and -dried, and then I will restore you to life and teach you how to use the -fetish.” - -“Very well,” said the Dove, “I am ready to be roasted.” So the Gazelle -killed, roasted and dried the silly Dove and took the flesh to his -store-room, as the first part of the dried meat he had to give to his -future mother-in-law. - -Soon after returning to the forest an Antelope came running up to him, -and said: “We hear you have a strong fetish to help hunters to kill -animals. Teach me how to use it, for I have had no success in hunting -for a long time.” - -“Well, I have such a fetish,” answered the Gazelle; “but before you can -learn about it I must kill, roast and dry you. Then I bring you to life -again and teach you the use of the fetish.” - -“Do with me whatever you like,” said the Antelope, “so long as I get a -fetish with which to kill plenty game.” - -The Gazelle drew his knife and told the Antelope to lie down on the -ground. - -“What are you going to do with that knife?” cried the Antelope. - -“How can you be roasted and dried unless you are first killed?” quietly -asked the Gazelle. So the Antelope stretched himself out, and was soon -killed, dried and carried to the store. - -“Well,” ruminated the Gazelle, “I have found a way to win my wife, for -these animals will believe any foolish thing so as to possess power to -kill others. I must now try a big beast.” - -Again he went to the forest, but he had not gone very far into it before -he met a Buffalo running. “Where are you going?” asked the Gazelle. - -“I am off to look after my farm, for I have no luck in hunting,” replied -the Buffalo. - -“I have a strong hunting-fetish,” said the Gazelle; “but before you can -use it I must cut out your heart, and roast and dry you; after that I -call you back to life and teach you my fetish, which will give you -plenty of hunting skill.” - -“All right,” said the Buffalo; “but I am a big person and your knife -will not enter my body.” With that he fell on the ground, but directly -the Gazelle had thrust his knife into the body the Buffalo cried out: -“Please stop! do stop!” but the Gazelle said: “Just wait a moment only,” -and he pushed in the knife, and the Buffalo died. In a very short time -the Buffalo’s flesh was roasted, dried and carried to the store. - -In this way the Gazelle caught and roasted the Lion, the Leopard, the -Elephant and all the other animals and birds of the forest. By and by he -carried all the dried meat to the mother of the beautiful girl, and said -to her: “My respected mother-in-law, do not be angry because I have been -a long time doing the task you set me. You know all about hunting, and -that it is very slow and laborious work. Sometimes one shoots and does -not kill; however, here is the meat for which you sent me.” The old -woman answered: “I thank you, and now you can take your wife and go your -way.” - -XXI - -The Gazelle is at last Punished - -The Leopard and the Gazelle made a large farm together, and planted -maize, sugarcane, cassava and various other things. To celebrate the -finishing of their big farm they desired to make a feast. The Leopard -wished to buy a goat, but the Gazelle said: “A goat is not big enough, -let us buy a pig.” A large pig was bought, and when it was cooked the -Gazelle said: “Friend Leopard, let us go and bathe first in the river, -and then return to eat our feast slowly and enjoy it.” To this the -Leopard agreed. - -When they reached the river’s bank each wanted the other to dive in -first, but at last the Leopard jumped into the water and quickly came -out again. - -“You don’t know how to dive,” laughed the Gazelle. - -“Very well,” replied the Leopard, “you dive now and show me the way.” - -The Gazelle dived into the water, ran along the bottom of the river, -came out near the town, and went quickly and ate up all the boiled pig; -and then, returning to the river, came puffing and blowing out of the -water at the feet of his friend the Leopard. “There,” said the Gazelle, -“that is the way to dive.” - -Then they returned together to the town, but when they reached the -Leopard’s house they found the saucepan empty. The Leopard felt very -much ashamed, because the food had been left in his house. He began to -beat his wife for not looking properly after it. Then, turning to the -Gazelle, he said: “Uncle Gazelle, I am very much ashamed because the -cooked meat has been eaten in my house; let us now buy a goat.” - -But the Gazelle said: “You must pay for the goat yourself, for the pig -was eaten in your house.” - -The Leopard took one of his own goats, and when it was cooked, he said: -“This time let us eat first and bathe afterwards.” But the Gazelle -objected, and would bathe before eating, so the Leopard agreed, and they -went together to the river. The Gazelle played the same trick on the -Leopard, and this he did several times, and each time poor Mrs. Leopard -received a thrashing, and the Leopard killed another goat. - -By and by the Leopard bought a fetish called _nkondi_, and hid it in his -house. When the Gazelle arrived next time he found the door fastened, -and on trying to open it the _nkondi_ said: “Oh, you are the rascal who -comes to eat my master’s goat, you thief, get away quickly.” - -The Gazelle shouted: “Come out and I’ll hit you.” - -The _nkondi_ began to abuse him, saying: “Come into the house, if you -can, you thin-legged one.” - -The Gazelle became so angry that he broke open the door, and hit the -_nkondi_ and his hand stuck; he hit him again, and the other hand stuck; -he then kicked him and both his legs stuck fast, and he thereupon butted -him with his head and that also stuck. - -The Leopard waited a long time for the Gazelle, and then, thinking he -was drowned, he returned to the town. On drawing near to the house he -heard a great noise, and as he ran he shouted out: “Hold the thief -tightly until I come.” - -What was his surprise to find the Gazelle held fast by the _nkondi_. -“Oh, you are the thief, no wonder you wanted to bathe first!” said the -Leopard, as he hit him. - -“Unfasten me, Uncle Leopard,” begged the Gazelle. - -“No, I am going to eat first and undo you afterwards,” laughed the -Leopard. So he sat down and ate and chuckled, and chuckled and ate, -until all the goat was finished; then he unstuck the Gazelle, and gave -him a good sound thrashing for the tricks he had played on him, and let -him go covered with aches, pains and bruises. - -XXII - -The Leopard pays Homage to the Goat - -The natives say that there was a time when the Leopard paid homage to -the Goat because of his beard and horns, but he discovered the Goat’s -weakness in the following manner-- - -One day, while the Leopard was cutting a palm-tree for wine, a -Billy-goat arrived at the wine-booth and bleated loudly: “Be--e, -Leopard!” - -The Leopard listened, and said, “What great chief is that calling me?” - -“Be--e, Leopard,” again cried the Goat. - -“Yes, sir,” answered the Leopard, and descending the palm-tree he went -softly and meekly to his wine-booth and found a person there with a long -beard and large horns. - -“Pour me out some wine,” said the Goat. This the Leopard did at once. -Pouring the wine into a glass, he knelt and offered it to the Goat, who -drank it off glass after glass as the Leopard crouched in a humble -position before him. This happened several days running--the Goat -ordering the palm-wine and the Leopard offering it on his knees as to a -great chief. - -One day, while the Leopard was paying homage in this way to the Goat, a -Gazelle arrived and stared in surprise at what he saw, and after the -Goat had gone, he said to the Leopard: “Uncle Leopard, do you know who -that is?” - -“No,” replied the Leopard; “I do not know in the least who it is, but he -has a long beard and big horns.” - -“Oh! oh!” laughed the Gazelle; “that is foolish. Do you not see that you -are paying homage to empty size? He has no strong teeth for biting hard -things and for fighting. If you do not believe me, try him to-morrow.” - -Next day the Goat came as usual, and demanded his palm-wine. He found -the Leopard and the Gazelle already there in the booth. The Gazelle took -from his bag a kola nut, and, breaking it, he gave one section to the -Goat, another to the Leopard, and took one himself. The Leopard crunched -his section at once with his powerful teeth, and the Gazelle bit his -part to pieces, but the poor Goat, having no strong teeth, turned his -section of the nut over and over in his mouth, first one side and then -the other. - -The Gazelle made a sign with his lips to the Leopard, as much as to say: -“Do you see, he has no teeth. I told you so.” The Leopard thereupon -jumped on the Goat and killed him without a struggle, and from that time -the Leopard has never again been afraid of the Goat’s long beard and big -horns. A beard and horns do not make a strong animal, but a powerful -mouth is necessary. Pomposity without real authority will not be -respected for very long. - -XXIII - -Why the Owls and the Fowls never speak to each other - -A Fowl and an Owl became friends, but they built their houses at some -distance from each other. One day the Owl heard that his friend was very -sick, so he gathered some money together and went to pay a visit to the -Fowl. When he arrived he inquired after the health of his friend, and -finding he was still very ill he sent for a “medicine man,” and in due -time his friend the Fowl recovered, and the Owl returned to his town. - -By and by the Owl fell ill with a very bad illness, and the news reached -the Fowl that his friend was on the point of death. He gathered some -money and went to visit his friend and give him the best advice about -getting better. He said to the wives of the Owl: “Get ready some very -hot water, and pound up some red peppers.” - -The wives did as they were told, and then the Fowl said to the Owl: -“Take off your clothes and get into the saucepan.” - -“Won’t it burn me?” asked the Owl. - -“No, my friend, it will not hurt you,” deceivingly replied the Fowl. - -So he did as his friend bade him, and put himself carefully into the -saucepan of hot water. In a short time the Fowl said to the Owl’s wives: -“Take him out, and pluck his feathers, rub him well with the red pepper, -and put him on a line to dry, and be sure and not take him down until he -is thoroughly dry.” Leaving these directions with them, the Fowl went -home. After he had left, the Owl died, and the family was so angry at -the outrage the Fowl had committed that they desired to punish him. - -The family sent word to the Fowl that on a certain day the funeral would -take place, and they invited him to attend it. On the appointed day the -Fowl went with his band and his followers, who were the Leopard, the -Lion, the Dog and the Shrew-mole. - -Now the Owl’s family had collected some strong followers who were called -the Fox, the Viper, the Boa, the Elephant, the Antelope, and the -Palm-rat, all of whom were friends of the Owl. By and by they heard the -Fowl’s band playing “The tail of the Owl is very powerful.” This insult -to his dead friend made the Owl’s family very angry, so they arranged -their followers in ambush, and told them to be sure and “catch that -rascal the Fowl.” - -As the Fowl’s party drew near to the town, out came the Boa from his -hiding-place to catch the Fowl, but the Shrew-mole squeaked, and the Boa -split all down one side and had to retreat; then came the Fox, but the -Dog fought him and made him run away; then came the Elephant, but the -Lion bit his trunk, and he fled; and the Antelope caught sight of the -Leopard’s marks and bolted. The Fowl at last arrived in the town, and -played at the funeral of the Owl “The tail of the Owl is very powerful,” -and after ridiculing his late friend in this manner, he returned home -with his band and followers. The Owls never speak now to the Fowls. - -XXIV - -How the Elephant punished the Leopard - -The Elephant and the Leopard lived in the same town and married their -wives about the same time. By and by the Leopard’s wife gave birth to -two children, and the Elephant’s wife gave birth to one. Some time after -this happened the Elephant had to go on a trading journey into a distant -country, so he left his son in the care of the Leopard. - -One day the Leopard, his sons, and the young Elephant all went hunting -in the big bush. The Leopard showed his sons the animals’ tracks, taught -them where to stand and what to do; but as for the Elephant’s son he -took no notice of him, did not instruct him, and left him to do what he -could. - -In a little time an antelope started up, and the Leopard’s first son -fired and missed, and the second son fired and also missed. Then the -antelope ran by where the young Elephant happened to be, and he shot it. -Thereupon the Leopard and his sons ran up and claimed the antelope as -theirs, and as the Elephant had no one to take his side he had to give -way. This occurred three times, and then the young Elephant would not -hunt with them any more. - -After some months the old Elephant returned from his long trading -expedition, and his son told him all that had happened to him, and how -he had been cheated by his guardian. When the Elephant heard it he was -very angry, and said: “All right, I will punish the Leopard for -defrauding you.” They then dug a large hole in their house, put some -twigs and branches over it, and spread a mat over the whole. Then they -put the saucepans on the fire, and the Elephant bought some palm-wine -and asked the Leopard to come and drink with him, which invitation he at -once accepted. - -When the Leopard arrived they told him to sit on the mat, and as he sat -down the mat gave way under him, and he fell into the deep hole -underneath. The Elephant said: “I left my son with you, and instead of -taking care of him you cheated him every time he went hunting with you,” -and he followed his words by pouring the boiling water over the Leopard. -Thus died the Leopard for being false to his trust. - -XXV - -How the Leopard tried to deceive the Gazelle - -Once the Leopard and the Gazelle had a very bad quarrel, and ever since -then the Leopard has been trying to catch and kill the Gazelle, but has -failed in every attempt. - -The Leopard, having tried many other ways of entrapping the Gazelle, at -last pretended to be sick. He rubbed some powdered ironstone on his face -and instructed his wives to send messengers for the Palm-rat, the -Mongoose, and all the other animals, and also for the Gazelle. When they -were all gathered except the Gazelle they went in one by one to see the -Leopard, and he killed them; but he thought that he had all the trouble -for nothing as the Gazelle had not arrived, so he asked his wives what -they were to do now to catch the Gazelle. They advised him to send for a -“medicine man,” and then the Gazelle would be sure to think he was -really ill. While they were searching for a “medicine man” the Gazelle -arrived, but he would not enter the house. - -The “medicine man” arrived with his charms, and while he made “medicine” -he sang-- - -/* “O Gazelle, come where the sick one is, It is your own uncle who is -ill.” */ - -When the Gazelle heard this he answered by a song-- - -/* “O uncle, come out of the house, Come out into the daylight now.” */ - -They tried by every means to persuade the Gazelle to enter the house, -but he remained firm, and refused to listen to all their nice talk, and -at last the Leopard, losing all patience, jumped up and rushed out of -the house; but the Gazelle, noticing his anger, sprang away into the -forest and escaped; but as for all the other silly ones who had been -deceived by the Leopard, they were eaten by him. - -The invitations and persuasions of enemies are to be received with -caution. - -XXVI - -The Story of two Young Women - -Once there were two girls whose uncle told them: “You are now old enough -to marry, so you may look out for two young men.” Their hearts were glad -when they received this permission, and very soon they found two lovers. -The elder became engaged to a poor man, and the younger to a rich one. - -One day the elder girl paid a visit to her betrothed, and as he was poor -he could only give her a common fish to eat and a mat to lie on for a -bed; but when the younger went to see her rich lover he killed a goat -for her supper, gave her a fine bed spread with blankets, and in the -morning killed a pig for her breakfast; and when she was leaving to -return to her home he gave her a shawl, a fine piece of blue and white -cloth, a necklace of beads, and a looking-glass. - -The two sisters happened to meet at the crossroads, and they asked each -other what presents they had received, and when the younger girl saw the -poor gift received by the other, she showed her presents with much -vanity, and laughed at her sister for having such a poor lover. This -occurred every time they visited their young men--the younger sister -laughed to scorn the poverty of the elder sister’s suitor. - -After due time the day of their marriage arrived, and the rich man told -all his pedigree, gave a great, fat pig for the feast, and sent his -bride a piece of velvet, a piece of white cloth, and a piece of satin; -but the poor man could only send some fowls for the feast and give his -bride one piece of ordinary cloth. After the marriage festivities were -over the new wives went to live in the houses of their husbands. - -Before many days had passed the younger bride committed a small fault, -and her husband in his anger cut off her ears. She cried out for help, -but her family could not help her, as they had consented to the -marriage. In a week he was angry about some other small matter, and he -cut off her nose, and the next time she vexed him with some small -mistake he cut off her head. Thus she did not live long to enjoy her -fine things. As for the poor husband, he said to his wife: “It is not -until death comes to me that we shall separate.” Riches do not always -bring with them happiness and contentment. - -XXVII - -Why the Chameleon cut off his own Head - -One day the Frog, on going to work in her farm, left her two children in -the house with plenty of food to eat. She had not been gone very long -when a Chameleon arrived, and took possession of the house and the -children. She dressed them with knives and bells, and made them dance. -The Frog, returning from her work, found the Chameleon in her house, and -when she attempted to enter, the Chameleon threatened to tread her into -a pulp. The Frog went crying to the Elephant, and he, on hearing her -story, promised to get the Chameleon out of the house with his large -trunk, but when he went to the door of the house, the Chameleon snarled -at him, and he turned and fled. - -The Frog then went to the Leopard and told him of her trouble, and he -said: “Don’t worry, I will quickly have her out of the house.” But no -sooner did he show himself at the door than the Chameleon snarled at -him, and he ran away. Thus it was with all the animals. They all boasted -of what they would do, but were all afraid to do it. - -As the Frog went crying she met a flock of Sparrows, and said to them: -“Friend Sparrows, go and drive the Chameleon out of my house.” The -Sparrows went in front of the Frog’s house, dried their drums at the -fire, and as they began to dance they chanted a chorus: “Sparrows, when -you dance, don’t dance with your heads on.” Some of the Sparrows then -went forward, and having put their heads under their wings, they began -to dance. The Chameleon, looking out of the door, saw this wonderful -sight, and seeing the Sparrows dancing very nicely without any heads, -she thought they had cut them off, and as she was a great dancer,[74] -and wanted to imitate the Sparrows in their marvellous dance, she cut -off her own head, and fell dead. The Frog thanked the Sparrows for their -help, and went into the house to nurse her children. What the big -animals could not do with all their strength the Sparrows did by their -cleverness. - -Footnote 74: - - The natives regard the Chameleon as a great dancer, because while - standing still it has a peculiar movement, something like a native - dancing. - -XXVIII - -Why the Congo Robin has a Red Breast - -“Kinsidikiti” is a small bird with red round its mouth and red spots on -its breast. The female has no red spots on the breast, and the following -is the legend accounting for the difference-- - -One day the Robin and his wife found that they had no red-camwood -powder[75] with which to beautify themselves, so the husband made -preparations for a journey to Stanley Pool to buy some redwood from -those who brought it from the Upper Congo towns to sell at the Pool -markets. - -He was a long time on the road, but at last reached the place only to -find that all the redwood for making the powder had been sold to others, -who were before him. He tried one trader after another with no success, -for all had sold out, but - -Footnote 75: - - The powder is made by grinding two pieces of the camwood together. The - red paste resulting from the friction is dried, pounded and put into a - cloth, and after a person has bathed, and rubbed himself (or herself) - with oil the cloth is dabbed on the body, and the fine dust comes out - and over the body. The camwood powder is greatly valued as a cosmetic. - -one said: “I have none to sell, but I can give you a small piece, enough -for yourself.” - -He gave him a small piece, and for safety the Robin put it in his -throat, as he wanted to take it home to his wife. As he travelled -homeward the redwood melted in his mouth and throat, and came out round -his beak and through his chest to his feathers, and ever since then he -has had a red mouth and breast. - - - XXIX - The Leopard tries to steal the Gazelle’s Wife - - -The Leopard had many wives, but his friend the Gazelle had only one, and -the Leopard desired to procure that one, and very often said to himself: -“I must kill the Gazelle and take his wife for myself.” So he sent a -messenger to call the Gazelle, but he was too wise to go, and sent an -excuse, saying: “You tell the Leopard that I am going to market, and -cannot visit him now.” - -In a very short time another messenger arrived and said: “Go to the -Leopard, for he is dead.” - -“Oh! oh! that is very strange,” replied the Gazelle, “that you who are a -mourner should be travelling about, but perhaps you are going to buy -pigs for the funeral feast?” - -Before he had finished speaking another messenger came and said: -“Gazelle, your uncle the Leopard is dead, go and wrap the cloth round -his body.” - -“Yes,” answered the Gazelle, “I will come and bind up the body, but -first I will go and buy some pigs for the funeral festivities.” - -When the Leopard heard these answers he rushed after the Gazelle that he -might kill him, but on turning a corner in the road the Leopard met a -beautiful girl; but he did not know that it was the Gazelle who had -changed himself into that form. Of her the Leopard inquired: “Did you -see a Gazelle pass this way?” - -“Yes, my lord Leopard, I did,” she replied. - -The Leopard then said to her: “Would you like to marry me?” - -“Yes,” she said, “I would like to marry you, but you have such sharp -teeth and claws.” - -“Very well,” replied the Leopard, “cut them all off.” - -So she at once cut off all his claws, and pulled out his teeth. - -“Will you marry me now?” asked the Leopard. - -“I would like to,” repeated the girl, “but for the marks on your chest -and neck.” - -“Oh, all right,” he said; “cut them all out.” - -And she cut them away, spot after spot, and mark after mark, and the -Leopard died. The Gazelle changed back to his proper form, and as he -went off he said: “The Leopard tried to rob me of my one wife, but he -has lost his life through his covetousness.” - - - XXX - The Gazelle kills the Flies and Mosquitoes, and outwits the Leopard - - -The Leopard, once upon a time, went cutting the palm-tree for wine, and -started a palm-wine booth in a place infested with mosquitoes and biting -flies of various kinds; and he made a law that any one who brushed the -flies and mosquitoes off their bodies while in his booth should at once -be killed. - -The Antelope called at the booth one day and asked for a drink of -palm-wine; but no sooner had he begun to drink it than the mosquitoes -and flies so swarmed round him and irritated him with their bites, that -in brushing them off he killed many of them. When the Leopard saw that, -he became very angry, and said: “I made a law that whoever came to drink -in my booth should not brush the flies and mosquitoes away. You have -broken my law, and killed many of my insects, so now you must die,” and -he jumped on the Antelope and killed him. In this way the Leopard killed -many of the animals. - -One morning the Gazelle said to himself: “I must visit my Uncle Leopard, -and ask him for a drink of his palm-wine.” So he started for the booth, -and on his arrival the Leopard greeted him, saying: “How do you do, -Uncle Gazelle?” - -“I am quite well,” replied the Gazelle. - -“Where are you going?” asked the Leopard. - -“Oh, I came to have a drink of your palm-wine,” said the Gazelle. - -They at once sat down and began to drink together, but very soon the -flies and mosquitoes came about the Gazelle and sorely worried him; but -the Gazelle remembered the Leopard’s law, and wondered how he could -drive the flies away and not break the law of the booth. After thinking -a little while, he told the Leopard about a fight that had taken place a -few days before. He said: “The other day we went to fight, and we were -all wounded, some in the head,” and he rubbed his hands over his head -and face, “some in the arms,” and he brushed his hands down his arms, -“some in the legs,” and he passed his hands down his legs, and so over -the whole of his body until he had either driven the flies and -mosquitoes away, or had killed them; but he said, as he slapped his -sides: “not one of us was killed.” - -In a short time he was again covered with mosquitoes and flies, and -again he told the Leopard of the great fight, and as he did so he -brushed off the irritating flies. The Leopard glared at him, and as he -sprang on him he cried in rage: “You are breaking my law and killing my -insects.” - -But as the Gazelle darted away he shouted: “Oh no, I was only telling -you where the people were wounded.” - - XXXI - The Leopard is Badly Tricked by the - Gazelle, Rat and Frog - - -The Leopard owned a fine plum-tree,[76] and the Gazelle, while out -walking one day, discovered it, and, noticing the fruit was ripe, he -threw up a rope which caught on one of the main branches, and was soon -among the plums. He put some in a bag, and as he turned to descend he -saw a Squirrel and her nest on one of the forks of the tree. The -Squirrel observed the Gazelle, and as she was the Leopard’s watchman she -told the Leopard all about the theft. - -Footnote 76: - - The tree in the story is the nsafu (_canuniensis_) the fruit of which - is date shape, but the tree is like a plum in shape, etc. - -As the Gazelle was returning home he saw a Palm-rat weaving, and, -throwing a plum at him, it broke the web, whereupon the Palm-rat turned -angrily on the Gazelle; but on receiving some plums and tasting them his -anger passed away, and he asked where he could procure some more. The -Gazelle told him to make a bag without any bottom to it, and in the -morning he was to come directly he heard his whistle. - -The next morning, directly he heard the Gazelle’s whistle, the Palm-rat -picked up his bottomless bag and joined the Gazelle. After a short walk -they reached the plum-tree, and the Gazelle said: “Shut your eyes while -I climb.” The Palm-rat obeyed the order, and the Gazelle went to his -rope and climbed the tree. - -The Palm-rat asked: “How am I to climb the tree?” - -“Oh, knock your head against the tree, and you will soon be up,” replied -the Gazelle. - -So the Palm-rat put his claws into the tree and knocked his head against -it (that is why he has a swollen head), and at last reached the -branches. - -The Gazelle told him to pull all the green plums, which he stupidly did, -and when he put them in his bag they fell through to the ground. When -the Gazelle had plucked all the ripe plums he wanted, he said to the -Palm-rat: “Look and see if the Squirrel is on that fork of the tree.” - -The Palm-rat saw the Squirrel, and while he was looking the Gazelle -threw a plum at her, and she cried out: “Oh, Leopard, come quickly, the -Gazelle is pulling all your plums!” - -When the Leopard heard this he came running to the tree, and called out: -“Come down, and I’ll cure you of your sickness.” - -“Thank you,” replied the Gazelle; “my mother has every kind of medicine -in her house.” - -“Come down,” shouted the Leopard, “and I’ll cure you of the shakes.” - -“My mother has a remedy for that complaint,” responded the Gazelle, but -he continued, “I’ll come down, and when you hear a thud you will know I -have alighted on the ground, but when you hear a patter you will know it -is my bag.” - -The Gazelle threw his bag, and it fell with a thud, and the Leopard, -thinking it was the Gazelle, rushed out to find only the bag, while the -Gazelle jumped down the other side and got away. - -The Palm-rat tried to follow the tricky example of the Gazelle, but not -being clever threw himself down with a thud, and was caught and punished -by the Leopard. The Gazelle played off this trick on several other -animals, who were caught one by one by the Leopard and punished for -stealing his plums. - -One day the Gazelle took the Nkumbi[77] with him to rob the plum-tree. -On reaching it he told the Nkumbi to shut his eyes while he climbed the -tree, but the Nkumbi only pretended to do so, and, seeing the means by -which the Gazelle mounted the tree, he followed in the same way by the -hanging rope. - -Footnote 77: - - A very large and clever rat. - -The Gazelle tied up the bottom of his bag, the Nkumbi did the same; the -Gazelle plucked the ripe plums, so did the Nkumbi. The ’cuteness of the -Nkumbi was equal to the smartness of the Gazelle. - -Says the Gazelle: “Let us throw some plums into that nest.” They did so, -and roused the Squirrel, who cried out to the Leopard. The Leopard came -quickly. “Come down here, and I’ll teach you,” he shouted. - -“Oh no,” said the Gazelle, “my mother is able to teach me; but if you -hear a thud, you will know it is I, and if a patter, it is my bag.” - -Again the Gazelle escaped by this ruse, leaving the Nkumbi in the -plum-tree. The Nkumbi, however, deceived the Leopard by the same trick, -and got safely out of the tree to the ground; but the Leopard chased him -to the mouth of his hole, and then began to dig the Nkumbi out with his -claws, but was not able to do so; and seeing a Frog he said: “You are -very strong, are you not?” - -“Oh yes,” replied the Frog; “I am a very strong person.” - -“Very well,” said the Leopard; “just watch this hole, and, whatever you -do, you must not let the Nkumbi get out while I go home for a hoe to dig -him out of his run.” - -The Leopard went off, and the Frog sat down on his haunches to watch the -hole. By and by the Nkumbi came to the mouth of the hole eating some -peanuts. “Uncle Nkumbi,” said the Frog, “give me some of what you are -eating.” - -“Open your eyes wide, and come close,” replied the Nkumbi, and at once -he changed the peanuts in his mouth for some pepper, and when the Frog -came near enough, he blew the chewed pepper right into his eyes. The -Frog fell over with the pain, and then ran straight to a stream to wash -the pepper-juice out of his eyes. - -The Nkumbi took the opportunity to escape from his hole into the forest. -When the Frog had washed the pepper out of his eyes he returned to watch -the empty hole, and shortly after the Leopard arrived with the hoe, and -asked the Frog: “Is he still in there?” - -“Yes,” answered the Frog, “but I had a lot of trouble with him, and, -being very strong, I was able to put him back into the hole.” - -The Leopard began to dig the hole, and the Frog drew off a little way on -the side nearest the stream. “Here is an opening,” said the Frog. - -“Stop it up,” growled the Leopard. - -The Frog shifted nearer the water. “Here is another outlet,” said the -Frog. - -“Stop that up also,” replied the Leopard. - -The Frog jumped nearer still to the stream. “Oh, here is another hole,” -he said, and with that he sprang flop into the water, and cried out: “I -watched the hole, but the Nkumbi blew some pepper into my eyes, and -while I was washing it out of them he escaped.” - -When the Leopard heard that he was so angry that he tried to block up -the stream so as to catch the Frog, but the Frog was too quick for him, -and as he escaped down-stream he cried out: “Oh, he threw pepper into my -eyes, and ran off into the forest.” - -The big Leopard was fooled all round by the little animals--the Gazelle, -Nkumbi, and Frog. From that day the Frog’s eyes have bulged out, and he -is always trying to wash the pepper out of them in the streams and -rivulets. - -XXXII - -Why the Small-ants live in the Houses - -There are many species of ants in Congo, but there are two kinds--the -Small-ant and the Driver-ant--that have most to do with the people; the -former are to be found in the houses, and it is difficult to keep food -free of them, and the latter are the scavengers that scour the country -in search of carrion; their bite is fierce and tenacious, and is dreaded -by all who come into contact with them. The characteristics of the two -species of ants are turned to account in the story. - -One day the Driver-ants and the Small-ants were assembled together, and -the former said: “We will govern the country as chiefs.” But the -Small-ants objected to this arrangement, and asserted that they were -quite able to rule the land. The Driver-ants laughed at them for having -no strength, and while they were discussing the matter an Elder came -along and inquired into the matter, and on being told the whole affair, -he said: “You Driver-ants, and you Small-ants, go, and the first who -brings a piece of the skin of a man shall rule over the country.” - -The Driver-ants went off and waited at a crossroad, and directly they -saw a person coming they crowded out and bit his legs. When the man felt -the bites he ran off a little way and pulled the Driver-ants off his -legs and killed them, and consequently they were not able to procure a -piece of skin, although many died in the attempt. - -The Small-ants went into a person’s house and sat there quietly waiting; -and by and by a man arrived who, while returning from his work, had hit -his foot against a stone and raised the skin. He took a knife from the -wall and sat down and cut off the loose skin, which he threw away. The -watching Ants soon found the piece of skin, and carried it to the place -where they had held the discussion with the Driver-ants, and gave it to -the Elder as a proof of their wisdom and strength. The Elder gave the -decision in their favour, and told them that they were the rulers of the -land. This is the reason why the Small-ants live in houses, while the -Driver-ants have to live in the bush. - -XXXIII - -The Son who tried to outwit his Father - -A son said to his father one day: “I will hide, and you will not be able -to find me.” The father replied: “Hide wherever you like,” and then he -went into his house to rest. - -The son saw a three-kernel peanut, and changed himself into one of the -kernels; a fowl coming along picked up the peanut and swallowed it; and -a wild bush-cat caught and ate the fowl; and a dog met, chased, and ate -the bush-cat. After a little time the dog was swallowed by a python, -that, having eaten its meal, went to the river and was snared in a -fish-trap. - -The father searched for his son, and, not seeing him, went to look at -his fish-trap. On pulling it to the riverside he found a large python in -it. He opened it and saw a dog inside, in which he found a bush-cat, and -on opening that he discovered a fowl, from which he took the peanut, and -breaking its shell he there revealed his son. The son was so dumbfounded -that he never tried again to outwit his father. - - INDEX - (TO PART I) - - A - - Alphabet, native learning the, 254 - Attempts by natives to rid themselves of sickness and death, 283, 284 - Attendants on the King, 145 - - B - - Bakula takes a fancy to me, 25; - his character, 25; - his charms, 35; - tells good stories, 39; - questions the visitors, 59; - strikes at the white man, 65; - goes with Satu on a visit, 74; - is cut in a drunken row, 99; - wound dressed by white teacher, 100; - belauds the chief, 105; - shakes hands with the teacher, 107; - tells his name to his white friend, 111; - is astonished at the teaching, 112; - accompanies an embassy, 131; - goes to see the white man, 133; - sees the King of Congo, 137; - learns about the King’s Court, 145; - sees the station at work, 148; - afraid to go into school, 152; - sees a witch-doctor performing, 158; - attends the white teacher during the Sunday work, 162; - exposure of a witch-doctor, 166; - returns to his town, 171; - begins to lose faith in fetishes, 197; - charged with stealing, 241; - repudiates charms and “medicine men,” 241; - cloth found in his house, 243; - refuses to bribe the nganga, 246; - is burnt by the boiling oil, 248; - runs away to mission station, 250; - learns the alphabet, 254; - turned out of a town, 258; - prays for the people, 259; - convicted of sin, 260; - joins the Church, 264; - returns to his town, 265; - starts a school, 268; - school-house destroyed, 272; - accused of witchcraft, 289; - is guarded through the night, 290; - takes the ordeal, 291; - murdered, 291; - is buried by Tumbu, 292 - Baobab bark juice rubbed on by witch-doctor, 248 - Baptismal service, 331 - Bartering for native produce, 235 - Betrothal bonds, releasing from, 179; - customs connected with, 186 - Brass rod, made in factory, 1; - shipped to Congo, 2; - travels up river, 6; - sold for rubber and ivory, 12; - travels overland, 13; - Bakula takes a fancy to it, 25; - Tumbu takes it from Bakula’s corpse, 293; - Tumbu buries it, 294; - Mikula discovers and wears it, 295 - Burial, christian, 201 - Bush-burning, 194; - guarding a town before the bush is burnt, 195; - laws relating to, 203; - Dimbula breaks the law, 203 - - C - - Candidates for membership, 319, 321, 329 - Charms, sacrifices to, 26, 36, 70; - various purposes of, 35 - Chief’s house, 22 - Chief dies, 23; - orgy at funeral of, 24; - bearers struggle with corpse, 31; - buried at sunset, 31; - barbarity of a, 163; - way of dealing with a, 273 - Christianity a blessing to women, 310 - Christmas festival, 327 - Church accounts, 334, 336; - membership, not easily admitted to, 319, 321, 329; - roll, 318, 334, 336 - Collections at services, 299, 309, 312, 316 - Communion services, 298, 300, 338 - Comparisons--old life and new, 297, 301, 310, 316, 317 - Congo River, its width, 7; - its current, 7, 11; - fishing in the, 8 - Conservatism of the Congo people, 267 - Conundrums, various, 9, 124, 125 - Corpse, fighting for, 218 - -D - - Dance called Sala, 103 - Dangers of the road, 229, 231, 317 - Deacons, election of, 332; - native, 298, 332, 334, 339 - Death, natives attempt to free themselves of, 283, 284 - Deficit wiped out, 334 - Devil’s Cauldron, 11 - Diagnosing by native “doctor,” 275 - Dimbula breaks the rules about bush-burning, 203; - insults Satu, 204; - is boastful, 205; - accepts the bullet, 213; - sues for peace, 220; - pays indemnity, 221 - Drums, electrical effect of, 103 - Drunken bouts, 30, 99 - -F - - Fighting, mode of, 217 - Fines imposed are shared, 226 - Forest town of spirits, 31, 32 - Funeral orgy, 30 - - G - - Games, native, “Antelope” game, 76; - with the drum Sala, 103; - make-believe games, 114; - “Biti” and needle, 115; - with canna seeds, 116; - hoop, 118; - mbele (or knife), 119; - various, 121 - Generosity of native Christians, 316, 334, 336 - Gifts at a funeral, 27 - Gin and rum, 13 - Goat! Goat! or redeeming a slave, 191 - Governing, 223; - making a new law, 224 - Greetings, 232 - - H - - Harvest home! 338 - Harvest thanksgiving, 309, 312 - Houses, 34 - Hunters take blood of Antelope to the great hunter, 207 - Hunting, 194; - charm for, 197; - visit to great hunter, 198 - - I - - Interpreter to Trader, 235 - - J - - Journey begins, my overland, 12 - - K - - King of Congo murders his mother, 106 - King of Congo, 131; - calls the embassy, 134; - his courtyard, 135; - his palace, 136; - is pleased with the presents, 137; - his name, 137; - size of, 138; - goes to dinner with the white man, 139; - eats a large dinner, 141; - sees magic lantern, 143; - his Majesty’s Court, 145; - told to go to St. Catherine, 167 - Kroo boys, their work on steamer, 3; - their curious names, 4; - give white men names, 4, 7; - boy tries to steal me, 5; - carries me out of the store, 5 - - L - - Law, making a new, 224; - peculiarity of native laws, 225; - fines imposed for breaking a law are shared, 226 - Leopard, ceremony after killing a, 176 - Life, petty and mean native, 58 - - M - - Markets, 227; - risks of attending, 229 - Marriage, Christian, 307; - releasing a niece from, 179; - sham struggle at, 189; - money, paying, 182, 187; - feast at, 189; - promises, 189 - Martyrs for the cause, 305, 306 - Mavakala, accused of witchcraft, 52; - denies his guilt, 52; - reason of the false charge, 53; - takes the ordeal, 55; - vomits it, 56; - other tests forced on him, 56; - is murdered, 57; - carcass left on hilltop, 57 - “Medicine man,” makes fetish for white man, 13; - visited by Satu, 20; - makes a charm for Satu, 21; - fails to cure Satu’s brother, 22; - searches for the witch, 49; - mode of procedure, 51; - accuses Mavakala of witchcraft, 52; - makes a luck fetish, 69; - rubs out evil spirits, 158; - exposure of, 166; - makes a hunting charm, 197; - makes a war fetish and charms, 214; - performs peace rites, 221; - makes trading charm, 251; - asks Bakula for a bribe, 247; - is fooled by school-boys, 263; - models of diagnosing, 275; - various kinds of, 274, 277, 280, 281 - Mikula finds the brass rod, 275; - takes services, 297; - conducts a funeral, 201; - his marriage, 307; - receives the gifts, 309; - talks to an inquirer, 320. - Mission station, working of, 148; - buying food, 149; - best way of bartering for goods, 150; - school, 151; - repairing, 153; - boys’ work in the garden, 154; - rules on a, 155; - talk with the boys, 156; - Saturday’s work, 157; - Sunday’s work--Sunday school, 159; - service, 161; - visit to a town, 162; - talk with the King, 164; - employments, 257 - Missionary meeting, native, 335 - Missionary, their talk about, 17; - is coming, 60; - driven from the town, 66; - is defended by Tonzeka, 93-97; - dresses the wounds, 100; - converses with Satu and his followers, 107-110; - native name for, 90; - visits Bakula, 270 - Mother of Bakula falls ill, 274 - - N - - Names given to Kroo boys, 4; - white men, 4; - missionaries, 90 - Ndoki, an evil bewitching spirit, 22, 23, 278, 281, 282, 283 - Nkwiya, spirit that can leave a person and travel without the body, - 232, 281 - - O - - Omens, kicking the foot, 19, 85; - snake on the road, 74; - cutting ordeal bark, 55 - Out-station work, 296; - Sunday at an, 297; - Communion at an, 298 - - P - - Pawn, redeeming a, 178 - Peace, ceremony of making, 220 - Pictures, native learns to look at, 255 - Plaited-Beard warns my companions against white men, 16; - angers the people against the coming white man, 60; - abuses a visitor, 62; - accompanies Satu, 74; - kicks his foot and returns to his town, 85; - is sent on an embassy, 131; - refuses to meet the white man, 172; - is not successful in hunting, 208; - accuses Bakula, 208; - reinvigorates his charm, 210; - is made Nenkondo, 224; - his crockery is broken, 239; - charges Bakula with stealing, 241; - submits to the ordeal, 247; - guards Bakula during the night, 290 - Prohibition of luck-giver, 71 - Proverbs, 33, 39 - Pudding, way to eat, 38 - - R - - Redeeming a pawn, 178; - a slave, 191 - Riddles, various, 9, 124, 125 - Ridge-pole, taking of chief’s, 219 - Road, dangers of the, 229, 231, 316 - Rules of the road, 234 - - S - - Sacrifices to charms, 26, 36, 70 - St. Catherine fails to help the King, 167 - Satu knocks his toes, 19; - bad omen, 20; - visits “medicine man,” 20; - arrives just in time to see his dying brother, 22; - arranges burial of his brother, 23; - receives the mourners, 26, - and their gifts, 27; - stops a serious quarrel, 63; - orders a luck fetish, 69; - goes to visit a chief, 73; - his toilet and dress, 86; - visits the white man, 106; - a long talk, 107-110; - afraid of witchcraft, 111; - a title falls to him, 131; - sends embassy to King, 131; - receives his title, 173; - redeems his brother, 178; - releases his niece from a hateful marriage, 179; - his quarrel with Dimbula, 203; - demands an apology, 205; - goes to war, 212; - accused of bewitching a slave, 219; - helps Bakula, 242 - Selfishness, heathen, 317 - Sickness, attempt to clear country of, 283, 284 - Smoking a chief, 273 - Superstitions about white men: - buying bodies, 16; - get cloth from the sea, 17; - wickedness of white teachers, 17, 18; - a luck-fowl dies, 271 - - T - - Teachers, need for native, 300; - teaching, 303 - Title falls to Satu, 131; - ceremony of giving the, 174 - Titles of King’s attendants, 145 - Toilet before meals, 28; - before entering a town, 86 - Tolls for bridges, 234 - Tonzeka receives Satu, 87; - gives him good entertainment, 90; - how to settle a palaver, 91; - defends the white teacher, 93-97; - is disturbed by the teaching, 95; - takes Satu to the white teacher, 106 - Trade goods taken for rubber, ivory, etc., 13 - Trading, 230; - fetish for helping, 231; - arrival of traders, 234 - Treatment of native chief, 273 - Tumbu sold for food, 43; - tells a story, 43; - wounded, 217; - witnesses for Bakula, 244; - tries to comfort Bakula, 249; - buries Bakula, 292; - takes me from his friend’s body, 293 - - V - - Visitors arrive, 59; - abused by Plaited-Beard, 62 - - W - - War fetish is made, 214 - Wardrobes, variegated, 87 - Welcomed to the station, 303, 311 - White men, native talk about, 13 - White man’s fetish, 13; - puts weight under scale, 14; - buys banana for rubber, 14; - cheats in paying out beads, 14; - is rubbed with cow-itch, 15; - wants to steal ivory trumpets but is shaved, 32; - accused of being dirty, 62; - why they live under the sea, 108; - will steal our country, 172 - White woman take services, 314 - Witch-doctors, names of-- - Kimbaji-mbaji = to-morrow, 21 - Ngang’a Ngombo = witch-finder, 50, 288 - Ngol’a nkasa = giver of the ordeal, 55; - ngang’a zumbi = luck-giver, 69; - ngang’a nkongo = giver of hunting skill, 194, 210 - Kimpovela, one who speaks on behalf of others, 198 - prayer of, 199, 207 - Nganga of war, 214 - Nganga of peace, 221 - Ngang’a mpungu = giver of trading and general good luck, 231 - Nganga who gives oil ordeal, 246 - Nganga to destroy evil spirit, 363 - Nganga a wuka = healer, 274 - Nganga a moko, 277 - Nganga with traps, 280 - Nganga a bitodi who spoke to spirits, 281 - Nganga various, 284 - Women regarded as inferior, 30, 38; - condition bettered by Christianity, 310; - white woman takes services, 314 - - _Richard Clay & Sons, Limited, London and Bungay._ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - ==JAMES CHALMERS== - ==His Autobiography and Letters.== - - By the late RICHARD LOVETT, M.A., - Author of “James Gilmour of Mongolia,” etc. - -Seventh Impression. With 2 Maps and 8 Portrait Illustrations, 511 pages. - Large crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 3s. 6d. In padded paste grain, round - corners, gilt edges, 6s. 6d. net. - -"Altogether no brighter or more skilful narrative of missionary -life--from the subjective as well as from the objective point of -view--has ever been published than this."--_The Spectator._ - -"It is the best missionary biography that has appeared during the last -twenty years. It is a book that will live and take rank as a missionary -classic. It is full of thrills, tremulous with pathos, glowing in its -passion, and sublime in its tragic ending. A book to be read and re-read -when the enthusiasm of humanity wanes, and we are tempted to let -fireside heroics take the place of action."--_The Daily News._ - - ==GRIFFITH JOHN== - ==The Story of Fifty Years in China.== - - By R. WARDLAW THOMPSON, D.D. - (Foreign Secretary of the London Missionary Society). - -Fifth Impression. With Two Maps and Sixteen other full-page - Illustrations. Demy 8vo, cloth gilt, 568 pages, 3s. 6d. - -"No one can read this story without being inwardly refreshed. The mere -adventure side of it is stirring to a degree. It reveals a Pauline -daring and endurance."--_Christian World._ - -"The story of Dr. John’s life is a very fascinating one, and it is told -by Dr. Wardlaw Thompson with much literary skill, and excellent taste -and judgment."--_The Westminster Gazette._ - - ==W. HOLMAN BENTLEY== - ==The Life and Labours of a Congo Pioneer.== - By his Widow, H. M. BENTLEY. - -With a Photogravure Portrait, Map, and 19 other Illustrations. 466 - pages, demy 8vo, cloth gilt, 6s. net (by post, 6s. 5d.). - -"This highly interesting memoir forms a worthy tribute to the honourable -life and devoted labours of a notable pioneer of Christianity in Darkest -Africa, who gave twenty-seven years to missionary work upon the -Congo.... The book forms an admirably interesting life-story of -successful mission work."--_The Standard._ - -"Important in itself as the record of a notable, heroic and consecrated -life, important also in the influence which it is sure to have on scores -of young men and women in our Churches."--_The Baptist Times._ - - ==TAMATE== - ==The Life and Adventures of a Christian Hero.== - By the late RICHARD LOVETT, M.A. - -With 2 Maps and 15 full-page Illustrations. Large crown 8vo, cloth gilt, - 3s. 6d. - -"Every boy and girl ought to possess it ... a vivid and inspiring -narrative."--_British Weekly._ - -"Tamate emerges from these pages a picturesque personality, with the -halo of true romance about him.... Mr. Lovett pictures the man as boys -love to have their heroes pictured.... A book which boys will relish and -adults will enjoy."--_Christian World._ - -"Not all the ingenuity which is spent on the making of blood-curdling -tales could devise anything so strange, so terrible as the scenes in -which Tamate bore his part, a part of unfailing courage and -cheerfulness. He was another Ulysses, shrinking from no danger, but with -a presence of Good Counsel always at his side."--_Spectator._ - - ==PIONEERING IN NEW GUINEA== - - By JAMES CHALMERS. - -Revised Edition. With 7 Illustrations, large crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 3s. - 6d. - -"We do not remember to have ever read a more interesting description of -a savage people."--_Glasgow Herald._ - -"The work is an admirable one, designed and carried out with skill and -judgment. The illustrations form a prominent feature among the many -attractions of a book deserving the most careful perusal and -consideration."--_Morning Post._ - - ==WORK AND ADVENTURE IN NEW GUINEA== - - By JAMES CHALMERS. - -New Edition. With 7 Illustrations, large crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 3s. 6d. - -This work describes seven years of work along the South-Eastern coast of -New Guinea. Mr. Chalmers knew more of this country than any other -European. He spoke the native languages, and his missionary journeys -gave him much knowledge of native habits, &c. He always travelled -unarmed, and was several times in imminent peril. The work abounds in -interesting and thrilling incidents. - -"An admirable sketch of life and work in New Guinea, where the triumphs -of Christianity are most indisputably shown.... The book is one of very -general interest, and should find readers in all ranks."--_Yorkshire -Post._ - - ==JAMES LEGGE== - ==Missionary and Scholar.== - By his Daughter, HELEN EDITH LEGGE. - -With Photogravure Portrait and twenty-two other Illustrations. Large - crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 3s. 6d. - -"There is not a dry page in this most fascinating Biography."--_Dundee -Courier._ - -"It is an interesting book and a valuable contribution to the history of -Chinese missions."--_Athenæum._ - -"A story well worth telling, and sure to find many appreciative -readers."--_Christian World._ - - ==THOMAS WAKEFIELD== - ==Missionary and Geographical Pioneer in East== - ==Equatorial Africa.== - By E. S. WAKEFIELD. - -Second Edition. With Portrait and 10 other Illustrations. Large crown - 8vo, cloth gilt, 3s. 6d. - -"From beginning to end the work is of absorbing interest."--_The -Christian._ - -"No one with a love for the foreign missionary cause will read this book -without a feeling of profound thankfulness for such a devoted worker. We -most heartily commend the work to readers of all ages."--_Methodist -Times._ - -"The story is romantic, adventurous, exciting, pathetic, and tragic by -turns."--_Daily News._ - -"The information conveyed, the vivid descriptions given, and the heroic -life portrayed, all in a style singularly appropriate and suggestive, -make the book delightful reading."--_Yorkshire Observer._ - - ==HENRY MARTYN== - ==Saint and Scholar.== - First Modern Missionary to the Mohammedans. - By GEORGE SMITH, C.I.E., LL.D., - Author of “Life of William Carey,” “Life of Alexander Duff,” etc. - -With a Photogravure Portrait and 9 full-page Illustrations, 580 pages. - Large crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 6s. - -"Dr. Smith fills up with healthy human detail what before lay in bare -outline. We have here a Martyn who can talk, laugh, and fall in love -like other people, but who, while relating himself wholesomely in this -way to the rest of his fellows, in what was special to his character and -work, still rises to heights that pierce the heavens."--_Christian -World._ - -"The author knows his subject well, has arranged his materials -skilfully, and carries the reader pleasantly along to the -end."--_Spectator._ - - ==THE BAGANDA AT HOME== - With one hundred pictures of life and work in Uganda. - By C. W. HATTERSLEY. - -80 full-page Illustrations, demy 8vo, cloth gilt, 5s. net. - - Mr. Hattersley knows more about Uganda and its people than any - author who is just now before the public. Would you know the - difference between the Uganda of Mtesa or the Uganda of King Daudi; - or how the British administer Uganda; or how the Baganda live from - day to day; or how the missionaries have given the people a system - of education; or how they marry in Uganda; or how the - sleeping-sickness is slaying its thousands; or how the Gospel has - won some of the most striking results in the history of Christendom? - Then this book will tell you. - - ==UGANDA BY PEN AND CAMERA== - By C. W. HATTERSLEY. - -Second Impression. With a Preface by T. F. VICTOR BUXTON, 34 - Illustrations, large crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 2s. - - "The narrative is a vivid and soul-stirring record of one of the - most remarkable movements in the annals of missionary - enterprise."--_Christian._ - - "Mr. Hattersley’s book is full of interesting details, from - which one may get a clear idea of the country and its - people."--_Spectator._ - - ==AMONG THE TIBETANS== - By ISABELLA L. BISHOP, F.R.G.S., - Author of “Unbeaten Tracks in Japan,” etc. - -With 22 Illustrations, crown 8vo, cloth, 1s. 6d.; also in paper cover, - 1s. - - "This is one of the brightest, most life-like, and most perfectly - balanced of Mrs. Bishop’s works."--_Spectator._ - - "A delightful book of travel, characterised by all the distinguished - writer’s purity of style, vividness of description, and attention to - detail, which make her books so interesting and useful."--_Record._ - - ==THE CROSS IN THE LAND OF THE - TRIDENT.== - ==Or, India from a Missionary Point of View.== - By HARLAN P. BEACH. - - Crown 8vo, cloth, 1s. - - "The trident, the three-pronged fork, which appears in every Siva - temple in India, has come to be regarded as the symbol of the Hindu - religion. This little book deals with missionary work in India, but - is in no sense a narrative. It, however, contains much matter which - will prove attractive to ordinary readers."--_English Churchman._ - - LONDON: THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY. - - - Transcriber’s Note - - Endnote 24, which merely cross-references endnote 19, is not - referred to directly anywhere in the text. - - Errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been corrected, - and are noted here. The references are to the page and line in the - original. - - 82.26 [“]Next morning the Wine-gatherer Added. - 163 Mbumb[u/a]’s record Replaced. - 395.6 [“]and you will be the tenth.” Added. - 396.8 [“]but where is the money?” Added. - 466.3 models of diagno[s]ing Inserted. - 467.27 takes [me] from his friend’s body _sic_ - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CONGO LIFE AND FOLKLORE *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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