260 



The natives do not believe in natural death, even when it be 

 the result of accident. Every one is killed by the sorcery of 

 another trilje. This fact, with the infanticide so widely practised, 

 is in great measure the cause of the thinness of the population. 

 It means practically the doubling of the death-rate. A man dies 

 — it may he from snakebite. The snake was forced to kill him 

 by the magic arts of some one in a hostile tribe. And some one 

 of that tribe must die. The strange thing is that the tribe 

 which so loses a member will not retaliate. They wait until one 

 of their own people dies, wdien, of course, they too must have a 

 victim. The rule is that the victim is murdered wherever found. 

 But sometimes an embassy is sent and a victim demanded. I 

 have heard of a case where a great man having died from snake- 

 bite, and the old women having declared that the sorcery came 

 from a tribe about a hundred miles away, such an embassy w^as 

 sent. They demanded pro gravitate causae three victims, and were 

 satisfied. I must say I do not believe this statement to be true. 



It is of no avail to try argument by induction on this point 

 with a blackfellow. You may tell him that his fathers have all 

 died before him, that therefore he too must die. The most you 

 will get him to admit is this : " They were sick ; I am well ; I 

 shall not die." 



The sorcery in question is of various kinds. This is the most 

 common: "Wild dog. Blackfellow been take'm out fat." For 

 years I laughed at this, and tried by ridicule to beat down the 

 widespread belief. On one occasion a very intelligent Cherite 

 got angry with me. He said you whites understand many things 

 — you know how to make steam engines, tine houses, gardens, etc. 

 — but this matter you do not understand. I was convinced from 

 his manner that there was something behind it all which he could 

 not make plain to me. If in ridicule I might ask : " Where is 

 the hole through which the fat was taken out ? " the answer 

 would be : " No ! you no more savey — him no more w^ant im hole, 

 that one doctor ; him too much savey no more hole." I do not 

 laugh at them any longer. I think I understand them. Rightly 

 or wrongly, they believe that by magic arts the victim is thrown 

 into a decline, from which death results. This, I am confident, 

 is the meaning of " take 'm out fat." 



I have said rightly or wrongly. For although in such matters 

 I believe nothing which has not been absolutely proved, and 

 which cannot by any scientific reason be accounted for — while I 

 know that science will smile incredulously at my admission- -I 

 must nevertheless admit that facts have come under my observa- 

 tion which have — well, staggered me. 



This brings me to the religion of these men. They believe in 

 a being superior to themselves, but evil. If ever they pray to 



