380 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 



brandy, and let the fetiche alone. Being absent for some 

 time, he said, on his return, that he had been at the vil- 

 lage ; that the King and his nobles were holding a pala- 

 ver, whether the}' should venture the fetiche or not, and 

 that they had asked him, whether he thought white men 

 would dare fire at it, and on hisanswering in the affirmative, 

 they exclaimed, " mindeele zaambie ra'poonga," white 

 men are gods." The Chenoo made his appearance the fol- 

 lowing morning, but without the fetiche, and was very de- 

 sirous to see the fowling piece fired, in which he was gra- 

 tified, and on perceiving the ball strike the mark fired at, 

 he seemed very much astonished, and went away without 

 saying a w^ord. In the evening he returned, with nearly 

 the whole of the inhabitants ; begged they would not 

 think of firing at his fetiche, for if they should hit it, and 

 this was known to the neighbouring Chenoos, they would 

 all make war upon him immediately ; an intreaty which 

 was uttered with so much real axiety in his countenance 

 as to leave no doubt of his being in earnest. 



Besides the individual fetiches which are selected by a 

 priest, or by the caprice of the wearer, various striking 

 objects of nature are held in general estimation. The 

 Taddi Enzazzi, or lightning stone, and the fetisch rock, 

 are objects of this kind. The latter is considered as the 

 peculiar residence of Seembi, the spirit which presides 

 over the river.. On the side of some rocks inhabited by 

 fishermen, round the point of Soonda, are a number of 

 raised figures, formed apparently with sand and ashes and 

 laid on wet, which, when indurated, appear like stone sculp-^ 



