THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 551 



the massacre of male children ; she forbade the eating of woman's 

 flesh. But she hud to conquer an instinct in order to carry out 

 her views ; she fought against nature, and in time she was sub- 

 dued. As she grew older she became more cruel, more lustful, 

 and more capricious. She embraced a lover one day, and dined 

 off him the next. But finally she fell in love with a young man 

 named Culemba, a private soldier in her army. He was strong 

 and finely proportioned; cruel, bloodthirsty and remorselesSo 

 He possessed all the arts of flattery and insinuation. He studied 

 the nature of this extraordinary woman, and gained such influ- 

 ence over her that she married him publicly, and gave him the 

 half of her throne and kingdom. 



In the course of time she began to tire of married life. She 

 yawned sometimes, and Culemba knew that such yawns meant 

 danger to him ; she had begun to study his beautiful form as a 

 gourmand rather than as a lover. He hesitated no longer, but 

 inviting her to a grand feast, he entertained her magnificently on 

 the bodies of roasted infants and palm-wine served in the skulls 

 of her enemies. She drank the wine and died on the spot, 



Culemba displayed such violent grief, being scarcely restrained 

 from killing himself upon her body, that no one supposed he had 

 poisoned her. She was buried on a high hill, where a large vault 

 was excavated and divided into several cells, which were furnished 

 with the finest mats and skins. Her favorite drinks and dishes 

 were placed there. Clothed in her warrior's dress, she was 

 buried sitting on her throne in a commanding attitude. Her 

 body was accompanied to the grave by an army ; a herd of vic- 

 tims were sacrificed ; the musical instruments made a sound like 

 thunder; and above all rose the cries of the unhappy Culemba, 

 who succeeded to the throne. 



EXECUTION OF WOMEN ACCUSED OF WITCHCRAFT. 



WHILE Du Chaillu was among the Bakalai people he was made 

 a witness of many barbaric sights, but none that affected him so 

 much as the following: At the village of Gournbi, an old friend 

 of Du Chaillu's, named Mpomo, was taken violently ill, and his 

 condition was very much aggravated by the unearthly noises 



