o58 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



therefore thought they were ar- 

 rived, that tlie feast was now to 

 be made ready, and that his death 

 would no longer be delayed. Pre- 

 sently he was told, that one of 

 the chief's brothers was returned 

 alone, and all the rest were lying 

 sick ; at which he rejoiced in se- 

 cret, hoping that God would mi- 

 raculously deliver him. This man 

 soon made his appearance, sat 

 down beside him, and began to 

 lament for his brother and family, 

 all of whom, he said, were stricken 

 witii sickness, and he was come 

 to request him to pray for them ; 

 for Yeppipo believed that his God 

 had done this in anger, Hans 

 made answer, Iiis God was indeed 

 angry, because they meant to eat 

 him, who was not their enemy, 

 and not a Portuguese : he pro- 

 mised, however, to do his best in 

 prayer if the chief would return 

 to his own house. The brother 

 replied, he was too ill to return ; 

 but that he knew Hans could cure 

 him if he would but pray. Hans 

 answered, if he had strength 

 enough to come home he would 

 cure him there. Accordingly, 

 home they all came. Yeppipo 

 called for Hans, and said to him. 

 You told me that the moon looked 

 angrily upon my house, and now 

 behold we are all stricken with 

 sickness. Your God has done this 

 in his wrath. Hans had forgotten 

 the conversation about the moon ; 

 being thus reminded of it, he 

 himself believed it to have been 

 prophetic, and replied, that God 

 was angry because they meant to 

 eat one who was not their enemy. 

 The chief protested that he should 

 not be eaten if he would but heal 

 them. In these protestations Hans 

 had but little confidence: the re- 



turn of that cannibal's appetite 

 was to be dreaded, but his death 

 not less so ; for the rest of the 

 settlement would suppose he had 

 occasioned it, and probably kill 

 him, lest he should bring upon 

 them further evil. He therefore, 

 as they desired, tried what the im- 

 position of hands would do for 

 the sick, not without some faith 

 himself in the application. A 

 child died first ; then Yeppipo's 

 mother, an old woman who had 

 been making drinking-pots at 

 Mambukabe, to be used at the 

 feast ; two of his brothers died ; 

 another of his children, and in 

 all eight of his family. Instead 

 of shaking his faith in Hans, this 

 only made him more urgent with 

 him to save him and his wife. 

 Hans told him there might be 

 some hope if he were truly deter- 

 mined on no account to suffer 

 him to be eaten, but otherwise 

 there was none. The sick savage 

 protested he had not the slightest 

 intention of eating him, and call- 

 ed the clan together and forbade 

 them ever to threaten him with 

 death, or even to think of killing 

 him. This contagion had made 

 Hans a dreadful personage. One 

 of the chiefs saw him menacing 

 him in a dream, and came to him 

 in the morning, faithfully pro- 

 mising, if he would be pleased to 

 spare him, that he would never 

 be the occasion of his death, and, 

 even if he were killed, that he 

 would not eat a bit of him. An- 

 other, who had never thoroughly 

 recovered a surfeit from the last 

 Portuguese whom he had eaten, 

 dreamt of him also, and in like 

 manner came and implored him 

 not to be his destroyer. The very 

 old women who had tormented 



