MoDjADjE, A Native Queen. 247 



A most profitable sphere for these Kaffir doctors is Basutoland. 

 I was once told by an assistant of a travelling doctor the way in which 

 they cheat the poor, stupid people there. He said they provided 

 themselves with beans growing in the Low Country, called " brand- 

 boontjes," on the pods of which a reddish dust is found. The 

 slightest contact with this causes a continual itching sensation, which 

 is scratched until big blisters arise. With this dust they covered the 

 stones at night-time, on which the men were going to sit the next 

 morning when holding a council. The doctor, who has rested quietly 

 during the night in this kraal leaves the next morning. After the 

 men have occupied their seats to hold their council all start to scratch 

 themselves. Then they get uneasy and apprehend the worst. Quickly 

 the doctor with his assistant is called back to give aid, and to ease 

 them of their apparent epidemic disease. The doctor looks exceed- 

 ingly dubious at this sudden and, according to his diagnosis, very 

 dangerous disease, as he intends to get as much as possible out of 

 them. And for less than a nag or a heifer he is not able to offer any 

 help. One by one they are attended to, he rubs the spots in question 

 with a very expensive medicine, as he says, which, however, is nothing 

 else than green soap. After this has acted for a while, he washes it 

 off, and immediately the patient is cured. At this result all are 

 greatly astonished, including the patient, while the doctor gains the 

 horse or cow. 



In a similar way all their medical cures are, with few exceptions, 

 swindles. Most dangerous and demoralising is the medicine they use 

 for destroying germinating life. Through this nearly 50 per cent, 

 of the women are ruined. They also know different sorts of poison, 

 some killing quickly, others very slowly. These they use to mingle 

 with the food. And, as mentioned already, they sell medicines 

 against ghosts, and to cure any disease of mind or body. 



One of my colleagues and myself once carried out a fine practical 

 joke on one of these witch-doctors, whom we met on a journey. The 

 doctor had decked himself with medicine-bags in front apd behind. 

 My colleague said to me : " Look here, I will just cheat this fellow." 

 Quickly he put a stone into his mouth, which made his cheek swell 

 out, then he bent his head and started to complain to the doctor with 

 a most pitiable face about excessive pains, and asked him for help. 

 Willingly the doctor produced an ointment. But the patient said : 

 " No, my friend; before I can trust you, you must tell me by your 

 dice what kind of illness I suffer from." " All right," said the 

 doctor, ''but you must throw them yourself." My friend agreed, 

 and he had to do it several times. A crowd of people had already 

 assembled around us, and watched the proceedings. On a sudden the 

 doctor declared in a solemn way : " Now I have got it; the cause is 

 a fistula in the gums ; you are a great smoker, and through permanent 

 contact of the gums with the tobacco the fistula has been caused." 

 " Is it truly what the dice tells you? " asked my friend. The doctor 

 replied in the affirmative. Now the stone was produced, and my 

 colleague said to the doctor: "Look here, my friend, this is the 

 whole cause of the illness." The spectators all split their sides with 

 laughing, and the poor old doctor withdrew with shame. 



