810 PSYCHOLOGY. 



Human credulity in the way of therapeutics has similar 

 psychological roots. If there is anything intolerable (espe- 

 cially to the heart of a woman), it is to do nothing when a 



miles to see him. There happened, some months after, an uncommon 

 fatality amoug women in child-beariug. Two such uncommon events, fol- 

 lowing one another, gave a suspicion of their connection, and occasioned 

 a common opinion among the country people that the white ox was the 

 cause of this fatality." 



H. M. Stanley, Through the Dark Continent, ii. 388 : " On the third 

 day of our stay at Mowa, feeling quite comfortable amongst the people, on 

 account of their friendly bearing, I began to write in my note-book the 

 terms for articles, in order to improve my already copious vocabulary of 

 native words. I had proceeded only a few minutes when I observed a 

 strange commotion amongst the people who had been flocking about me, 

 and presently they ran away. In a short time we heard war-cries ringing 

 loudly and shrilly over the table-laud. Two hours afterwards a long line 

 of warriors were seen descending the table-land and advancing towards 

 our camp. There may have been between five and six hundred of them. 

 We, on the other hand, had made but few preparations except such as 

 would justify us replying to them in the event of the actual commence- 

 ment of hostilities. But I had made many firm friends among them, and 

 I firmly believed that I should be able to avert an open rupture. Whea 

 they had assembled at about a hundred yards in front of our camp, Safeni 

 and I walked up towards them and sat down midway. Some half-dozen 

 of the Mowa people came near, and the shauri began. 



" 'What is the matter, my friends?' I asked. ' Why do you come 

 with guns in your hands, in such numbers, as though you were coming 

 to fight ? Fight ? fight us, your friends ! Tut ! this is some great mis- 

 take, surely.' 



" Mundele,' replied one of them, . . . 'our people saw you yesterday 

 make marks on some tara-tara [paper]. This is very bad. Our country 

 will waste, our goats will die, our bananas will rot, and our women will 

 dry up. What have we done to you that you should wish to kill us ? 

 We have sold you food and we have brought you wine each day. Your 

 people are allowed to wander where they please without trouble. Why is 

 the Mundele so wicked ? We have gathered together to tight j'ou if you 

 do not burn that tara-tara now before our eyes. If you burn it we go 

 away, and shall be your friends as heretofore.' 



"I told them to rest there, and left Safeni in their hands as a pledge 

 that I should return. My tent was not fifty yards from the spot, but 

 while going towards it my brain was busy in devising some plan to foil 

 this superstitious madness. My note-book contained a vast number of val- 

 uable notes. ... I could not sacrifice it to the childish caprice of savages. 

 As I was rummaging my book-box, I came across a volume of Shakespeare 

 [Chandos edition] much worn, and well thumbed, and which was of the 

 same size as my field-book ; its cover was similar also, and it might be 

 passed for the field-book, provided that no one remembered its appearance 



