204 FKOM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



but also a witch-doctor who had the power to keep the 

 heads aUve. Nor was he at all easy about his own head, till 

 I had taken a record of his voice and reeled it of! to him. At 

 that he was amused ; also he appeared to enjoy my gramo- 

 phone performance thoroughly, but all expression of wonder 

 seemed to have subsided with his fears. This is always a 

 disappointing experience with regard to one's attempts to 

 impress the natives with the marvels of our inventions. For 

 our physical powers they have a contempt that is reasonable, 

 and for our mental ones respect, and very little more. 

 They have not the imagination to measure the wonder of an 

 invention by the difficulties overcome in its achievement. 

 Their knowledge of things is shut out at a certain point as 

 the day is shut out by the night, beyond that is darkness 

 and white man's land, and in that region they accept without 

 surprise anything that a white man does. They have 

 made up their minds long ago that the white man can 

 do anything that he pleases in witch-doctoring, a term for 

 them including all things that are not to be understood. 

 So they cringe to the user of these unknown forces as dogs 

 cringe to their masters ; and, like dogs, they do not marvel 

 at him. 



Next morning I went out reconnoitring to find a path 

 into the Kagorra country, as I was anxious to find out a 

 little about its inhabitants, who, by all the accounts I could 

 glean of them, seemed to be interesting. But I had not 

 been long gone before the King of Dorroro and his horse- 

 men with much commotion galloped after me to prevent by 

 persuasion, backed by a friendly but firm show of force, my 

 carrying out my intention. For he said that I would 



