658 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



186 et seq.) that the " Arada " negroes are the true sectaries 

 of " vaudoux " in Hayti, and that the word " vaudoux" signifies 

 an all-powerful and supernatural being, on whom depend all 

 the events that take place in the world. This being only con- 

 sents to communicate with his worshipers through a high 

 priest, and still more through " the negress whom the love of 

 the latter has raised to the rank of high priestess." These two 

 are called the king and queen. They are the chiefs of the sect, 

 decide who shall be admitted to the society, receive the gifts 

 offered to the god, and, being the interpreters of his will, natu- 

 rally have great power. 



Let us look into this first. As has already been stated, the 

 word vodu should not properly be limited to the snake deity, and 

 in Africa Danh-gbi is not supposed to control the affairs of the 

 world. He is simply the god of wisdom and the benefactor of 

 man, the natural phenomena being under the control of other 

 gods. There is on the Slave Coast nothing answering to the king 

 and queen found in Hayti, but some such change might be ex- 

 pected, for it is improbable that any of the regular priesthood 

 were shipped across the Atlantic as slaves. In the intertribal 

 wars of the present day it seems to be the invariable rule to 

 enslave the masses and to strike off the heads of all chiefs, priests, 

 and men of eminence, whose skulls are carefully preserved, partly 

 as trophies and partly in order that the victory may not be 

 forgotten. From all the evidence now obtainable this seems to 

 have always been the custom ; and, as Captain Suelgrave tells us 

 that four thousand prisoners of war were sacrificed at the con- 

 quest of Whydah, it is probable that the " classes " were used up 

 in this manner. In Hayti the king takes the place of the Slave 

 Coast priest, and the queen is seemingly the result of a confused 

 recollection of the institution of the Icosio. In both places the 

 priests are the mouth-pieces of the god, who can only be con- 

 sulted through them. Of course, this must necessarily be the 

 case wherever there is a priesthood which depends upon the 

 people for a livelihood ; for, if any and every individual could 

 consult the gods himself, the office of priest, or mediator between 

 god and man, would be superfluous. 



To epitomize further from St. John : In Hayti the reunion of 

 worshipers never takes place except secretly, in the dead of 

 night, and in a place safe from any profane eye. There is an oath 

 of secrecy, which is the foundation of the association. Red seems 

 to be the favorite color, the king and queen wearing handker- 

 chiefs in which it predominates. The snake is present, confined 

 in a box. The meeting commences by adoration of the snake, 

 by protestations of being faithful to its worship and submissive 

 to its commands. Then, those who wish to consult the god, and 



