AN ENGLISH PRISONER OF THE JAGGAS 181 



country, the natives tried to prevent them, and 

 only consented to their departure if one of the 

 white men was left behind as hostage for their 

 return. Andrew Battel being the only English- 

 man, was chosen for this purpose by the Portu- 

 guese, and remained for several months in the 

 country, as the Portuguese did not return to 

 fulfil their promise. He describes the Jaggas 

 as roving outlaws, having no fixed homes or 

 possessions, but " depending on war for the supply 

 of all they wanted," who spent most of their time 

 " continually triumphing, drinking, dancing, and 

 banqueting with man's flesh." They marched 

 through the country as a devastating army, living- 

 oil the land, cutting down the palm trees rather 

 than tap them for their wine, killing those who 

 opposed them, and enslaving the rest. They 

 killed all their own young children who were unfit 

 to march with them, and they replenished their 

 ranks from the youth of the countries they con- 

 quered. Battel says " they make war by en- 

 chantments, and take the Devil's counsel in all 

 their exploits." 



Superstitious to a degree, they reverence a 

 great image encircled by elephants' tcelh, each 

 one surmounted by a dead man's skull ; they 

 always consult the witch doctors before making a 

 journey or an attack. The Jagga Chief, wearing- 

 palm cloth across his middle, chains of shells in 

 his long hair and round his neck, " his body carved 

 and cut with sundry works and every day anointed 

 with the fat of men, sittcHi upon a stool " sur- 

 rounded by warriors auc! wiich doctors, and after 



