204 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



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

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

 I had taken* a record of his voice and reeled it ofE 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 dijQ&culties 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, Uke 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 



