TABOO AND PENANCE 207 



further was much chaffed for having rendered 

 himself fetish again. 



There are curses similar to those still uttered 

 by superstitious peoples in European countries ; 

 and as these curses can be carried out by the 

 wizards through the medium of charms or fetishes, 

 and can be broken in similar ways, the witch 

 doctor has yet another hold on the people. 



Fetishism may on occasions help the European 

 traveller, for it is fetish for any native chief to 

 injure or steal from a person whose hospitality 

 he has accepted, and this is a most useful point 

 to remember when travelling through hostile 

 native territory. It is fetish also for a native to 

 break any of a white man's property ; and use 

 can be made of this if there is danger or im- 

 portunity, by letting a chief break an already 

 cracked glass, or plate. 



