104 WILD LIFE UNDER THE EQUATOR. 
the poison was handed to him: without faltering for a 
single moment, but full of faith, he emptied the bowl at 
one draught. 
In about five minutes the poison took effect. He 
began to stagger about; his eyes were injected; his 
limbs twitched convulsively ; his voice grew thick; his 
veins showed themselves prominently, and his muscles 
contracted. His whole behavior was that of a drunken 
man. He began to babble wildly, and then it was sup- 
posed that the inspiration was upon him. The people 
beat regularly upon the ground with the short sticks they 
held, and sang in a sort of doleful voice— 
“Tf he is a witch, let the mboundow kill him, 
If he is not, let the mboundou go out.” 
Then at times Layibirie, Quengueza’s heir, and his 
nephews, Quabi, Adouma, and Rapeiro, asked if there 
was any man that wanted to bewitch King Quengueza. 
Olonga-Condo went on talking wildly, not answering 
the questions, which were repeated over and over again. 
At last he said— Yes; some one is trying to bewitch 
the King.” . 
Then came the query, ‘ Who?” 
By this time the poor fellow was fortunately hopeless- 
ly tipsy, and incapable of reasonable speech. He bab- 
bled some unintelligible jargon, and presently the in- 
quest was declared at an end. 
No persons had been accused, hence nobody was to 
be killed. But sometimes these doctors do mention 
names, and one of these days I may give you an account 
of murders committed in the name of witchcraft. 
The mboundou is a dreadful poison,* one from which 
* This mboundou pretty certainly belongs to a natural order that con- 
