BionuY — The Sierra Lenne Cannihals. 53 



One of the bags contains a package enveloped in numerous wrappings of 

 dirty black cloth tied round with a piece of string, and inserted in a blue 

 cotton bag. This bag is thrust into an old red sock, and this again into 

 another that apparently was its fellow, and all these are enclosed in a 

 white bag spotted with red. The inside package is wound about with fine thread, 

 underneath which is hair, which encloses a roll of paper with Arabic writing 

 on it ; this paper contains a quantity of leaves like broken tobacco-leaves. 

 The second white cotton bag contains a lasimois or charm composed of 

 unending windings of some black cloth. The third bag contains two tau- 

 shaped iron crosses, a piece of bamboo, and a boat. The stems of the crosses 

 are lapped with cotton, and to the top of each is tied a cowrie shell. There 

 are three sections, each about 6 inches long, of a split bamboo enfolded in 

 many strands of bark string. The model, in wood, of a dug-out canoe is 4^ 

 inches long ; into it has been packed a paper with Arabic writing ; the stern of 

 the boat and a corner of the paper had been passed through fire and scorched, 

 and then rolled in two wrappings of black cloth. The third package is a 

 coarse cotton bag containing a goat's horn, which is filled with the leopard 

 medicine or actual Borfimor. The horn has holes in the base and point, 

 through which a string is passed for hanging. There is also a pebble made of 

 some earthy matter and lime, in one side of which is incorporated a cowrie 

 shell. The pebble is wrapped in what appears to be a blood-stained bag. In 

 this bag were three pieces of string — a red, a blue, and a white string. 



The Borfimor bag containing the leopard and other powerful medicine is 

 worshipped as a fetish. Sacrifices are made to it, and the " king " or priest 

 rubs the Borfimor with blood. During the ceremony the people wear no 

 clothes ; they tie the Borfirmor up, and anoint it, and pray to it, asking that 

 they may get power, money, and slaves : that no trouble may come to them, 

 and that the English may not know what they do. " For," said a black man, 

 " I fear the white man more than God." • 



Many years ago Sir Philip Smyly, now Chief Justice of Sierra Leone, when 

 he first came to the colony, was making some inquiries in connexion with a 

 Human Leopard ease he was conducting, and, in course of his investigations, 

 was told, as nearly as he can remember it, the following story as to the origin 

 of Borfimor : — Long ago, in the hinterland of Sierra Leone, north of Sherbro, 

 there lived three tribes who had what might be described as a fighting 

 connexion with each other. One tribe lived at Taiama in the Imperri country, 

 and the other two lived a day's march either side of it, one in Mendiland and 

 the other in the Sherbro country. The Mendi and the Sherbro had a quarrel, 

 and Mendi war-boys were sent to settle it. On their way to try conclusions 

 the Mendi war-boys stopped for the night with their friends at- Taiama.- 



