594 SUPERSTITIOUS TERRORS OF SAVAGES. 



a slave to his own wants, his own passions ; imperfectly pro- 

 tected from the weather, he suffers from the cold by night and 

 the heat of the sun by day ; ignorant of agriculture, living by 

 the chase, and improvident in success, hunger always stares 

 him in the face, and often drives him to the dreadful alterna- 

 tive of cannibalism or death. 



Wild animals are always in danger. Mr. Galton, who is 

 so well qualified to form an opinion, believes that the life of 

 all beasts in their wild state is an exceedingly anxious one ; 

 that " every antelope in South Africa has literally to run for 

 its life once in every one or two days upon an average, and 

 that he starts or gallops under the influence of a false alarm 

 many times in a day."* So it is with the savage ; he is always 

 suspicious, always in danger, always on the watch. He can 

 depend on no one, and no one can depend upon him. He 

 expects nothing from his neighbour, and does unto others as 

 he believes that they would do unto him. Thus his life is one 

 prolonged scene of selfishness and fear. Even in his religion, 

 if he has any, he creates for himself a new source of terror, 

 and peoples the world with invisible enemies. The position 

 of the female savage is even more wretched than that of her 

 master. She not only shares his sufferings, but has to bear 

 his ill-humour and ill-usage. She may truly be said to be 

 " little better than his dog, little dearer than his horse." In 

 Australia, Mr. Oldfield never saw a woman's grave, and does 

 not think that the natives took the trouble to bury them. 

 But, indeed, he believes that few of them are so fortunate as 

 to die a natural death, "they being generally despatched ere 

 they become old and emaciated, that so much good food may 



not be lost In fine, so little importance is attached to 



them, either before or after death, that it may be doubted 



whether the man does not value his dog, when alive, quite as 



* Trans. Etlm. Soc., New Ser. vol. iii. p. 133. 



