MOZAMBIQUE TERRITORY, PORTUGUESE EAST AFRICA (1) 27 
furniture except for two beds made on the spot from rough poles 
across which sacking was nailed, one rickety old table, and two 
chairs. Fowls swarmed outside, but as there was no shade they 
spent most of their time on the veranda; two very matey birds 
insisted on laying their eggs under my bed on the concrete floor. 
The breed had to be seen to be believed—their necks were natu- 
rally bare, and their feathers were mostly turned up the wrong 
way. Any temporary absence from the kitchen—a rondavel about 
twenty yards from the house—on the part of the cook was the 
signal for a mass attack by the monstrous hens, who perched on 
any uncovered pots, devouring the contents and leaving their drop- 
pings all over the kitchen table. 
I found out afterwards that the neighboring farmers were 
greatly amused at the thought of me, a young Englishman, shar- 
ing the conditions under which old Krantz lived, and they 
wondered how long I would stick it. Their fears were soon 
justified, for I contracted a very bad attack of diarrhea which 
remained with me for more than a fortnight. However, such trifles 
did not dull my enthusiasm. The local bird-life was interesting, 
and I noted the haunts of many rare species I hoped to collect. 
During mealtimes I learned much from Krantz of the local native 
customs and the activities of the witch-doctors. Many of their 
more inhuman customs had vanished in face of European law 
and influence, but still existed in the more remote parts. Disease 
is not well understood by primitive peoples, and here death was 
usually attributed to some sort of spell cast on the victim by an 
enemy. It was customary in such cases for the relatives to consult 
a witch-doctor to find the culprit. These all-powerful creatures 
were not concerned with doing any detective work or hearing the 
evidence of various witnesses; their method was much more 
simple and direct. Any suspect was compelled to drink a power- 
ful poison, made up from a certain powdered bark, in front of 
the local assemblage. If he managed to vomit this deadly concoc- 
tion he was declared innocent; if not, his guilt was assured and he 
quickly died an agonizing death. 
Another revolting habit was the putting to death of twins by 
burying them alive in hot ashes, because they were supposed to be 
harbingers of misfortune. 
