306 THE FOREST AXD THE FIELD. 



anomaly of nature, which ought to be classed in 

 the family of plagues, such as bugs, fleas, lice, 

 mosquitoes, and other vermin, for which it is very 

 hard to find any real use. 



The superstition of witchcraft is one of the 

 heaviest curses of the pagan races of Africa, for 

 death and every other misfortune in life is sup- 

 posed to be caused by this agency. It is believed 

 that a person possessing this mysterious art, has 

 unlimited power over the lives and destiny of his 

 fellow-creatures; that he can transform himself 

 into any animal, and has control over the elements. 

 He is supposed to be able to keep back rain and 

 cause famine, or to fill the land with pestilence 

 and sadness. Some tribes believe that the posses- 

 sion of this mysterious art is obtained by eating 

 the leaves of a certain forest tree ; others that it is 

 caused by a malignant spirit entering into a corpse. 

 As every death that occurs is ascribed to witch- 

 craft, it is supposed that some one of the community 

 is the guilty party, and anyone is liable to be 

 charged with the crime. Nothing is more uni- 

 versally deprecated than this odious art, and any- 



