IV.] THE AFRICAN NEGRO: II. 109 



1624. Since that time the speech of the " Mociconghi," as 

 Pigafetta calls them 1 , has undergone but slight phonetic or other 

 change, which is all the more surprising when we 

 consider the extreme rudeness of the present Mushi- 

 Kongos and others by whom it is still spoken with 

 considerable uniformity. Some of these believe themselves 

 sprung from trees, as if they had still reminiscences of the 

 arboreal habits of a pithecoid ancestry. 



Amongst the neighbouring Bambas, whose sobas were formerly 

 ex ojfirio Commanders-in-chief of the Empire, still dwells a 

 potent being, who is invisible to everybody, and although mortal 

 never dies, or at least after each dissolution springs again into life 

 from his remains gathered up by the priests. All 

 the young men of the tribe undergo a similar trans- christfarT' 

 formation, being thrown into a death-like trance by Doctrines. 

 the magic arts of the medicine-man, and then re- 

 suscitated after three days. The power of causing the cataleptic 

 sleep is said really to exist, and these strange rites, unknown 

 elsewhere, are probably to be connected with the resurrection of 

 Christ after three days and of everybody on the last day as 

 preached by the early Portuguese evangelists. A volume might 

 be written on the strange distortions of Christian doctrines 

 amongst savage peoples unable to grasp their true inwardness. 



In Angola the Portuguese distinguish between the Pretos. that 

 is, the "civilised," and the Negros, or unreclaimed 

 natives. Yet both terms mean the same thing, as Kabindas and 



also does Ba-Fiof, "Black People," which is applied 



in an arbitrary way both to the Eshi-Kongos and 



their near relations, the Kabindas of the Portuguese enclave north 



of the Lower Congo. These Kabindas, so named from the 



seaport of that name on the Loango coast, are an extremely 



intelligent, energetic, and enterprising people, daring seafarers, 



1 "Li Mociconghi cosi nomati nel suo proprio idioma gli abitanti del 

 reame di Congo" {Relatione &c., Rome, 1591, p. 68). This form is remark- 

 able, being singular (Moci= Mushi} instead of plural (Eshi); yet it is still 

 currently applied to the rude " Mushi-Kongos " on the south side of the 

 estuary. 



- Often written Ba-Fiort with an intrusive r. 



