THE PEOPLE OF THE CONGO. 275 
every one—child, woman, or man—who dies, somebody 
is suspected of having caused the death by supernatural 
means, and the horrid old nganga or “medicine man,” 
who holds the inquest over the corpse, is called upon to 
detect the guilty person, and generally fixes upon those 
possessed of worldly goods, in order that they may buy 
him off from his fell accusation. Should the accused 
however, either through poverty or the force of public 
opinion, be unable to evade the charge, he or she is 
compelled to take the casca,* the infusion of a poisonous 
bark ; and according as the potion is regulated in strength 
by the nganga, so the suspected tamperer with witchcraft 
either vomits up the poison aud recovers, dies at once 
from its effects, or retains it on the stomach and does 
not die, in which latter case the natives have rare sport in 
hacking the ill-doer to pieces with their blunt knives, or 
im “cooking” their victim over a slow fire. And yet 
when the fears and passions of these people are not roused 
they are gentle and effeminate, with many expressive 
words with which to caress and sympathise. ~ 
I have said just now that they are immoral—or, at 
least sensual—but this is hardly to be taken in the same . 
sense as the word is applied to vicious European com- 
munities. Their immorality rather arises from excess of © 
uxoriousness than from a love of vice. 
Adultery is not uncommon, and its penalties vary from 
capital punishment to a trifling fine, according to the 
station of the offender or the district he lives in. The 
women have little regard for their own virtue, either 
before or after marriage, and but for the jealousy of the 
men there would be- promiscuous intercourse between 
the sexes. Among the Ba-kongo women it is thought 
something honourable and praiseworthy to merit the 
position of a white man’s mistress, and a woman thus 
distinguished from her sisters is regarded with respect 
and consideration by her fellow countrymen. Moreover, 
though the men evince some marital jealousy amongst 
* The “ Muavi” of East Central Africa. 
Tt 2 
