THE RAIN-MAKERS. 63 



sought after, and is often sent for from an amazing dis- 

 tance by a chief on whose dominions the periodical thun- 

 der-storms (which are often very partial) have failed to 

 descend. 



The modes in which they propitiate the clouds are 

 various. The one most commonly practiced is by col- 

 lecting a few leaves of each individual variety of tree 

 in the forest, which they allow to simmer in large pots 

 over a slow fire, while a sheep is killed by pricking it 

 in the heart with a "lemue" or long sewing-needle, 

 while the rain-maker is employed in performing a va- 

 riety of absurd incantations. The steam arising from 

 the simmering leaves is supposed to reach and propi- 

 tiate the clouds, and the remainder of the day is spent 

 in dances, which are joined in by all the tribe and kept 

 up till midnight, being accompanied with songs having 

 a long-continued chorus, in which all join, and the bur- 

 den of which is the power and praises of the rain-mak- 

 er. It often, ho.wever, happens that the relentless clouds 

 decline attending to the solicitations of the rain-maker, 

 and the fields of young corn become parched and witlv. 

 ered. Other schemes are then resorted to. A number 

 of the young men sally forth, and, forming an extens- 

 ive circle, they inclose the rocky face of some mount- 

 ain-side in which the rock-loving klipspringer is likely 

 to be met with, when, by gradually contracting their 

 circle like our Highlanders of old, they generally man- 

 age to catch alive sundry klipspringers, whose voices 

 are supposed to attract rain. The unfortunate little 

 antelopes thus captured are paraded round the kraal, 

 while the rain-maker, by pinching and tormenting 

 them, induces them to scream. But as it often hap- 

 pens that these and all his other machinations prove 

 unavailing, the rain-maker is at times obliged event- 



