PROPHETIC FRENZY. 345 



behaved very differently. They began by trying to spear 

 a young man who had gone for water. Then they ap- 

 proached us, and one came forward howling at the top of 

 his voice in the most hideous manner : his eyes were shot 

 out, his lips covered with foam, and every muscle of his 

 frame quivered. He came near to me, and, having a small 

 battle-axe in his hand, alarmed my men lest he might 

 do violence; but they were afraid to disobey my previous 

 orders and to follow their own inclination by knocking 

 him on the head. I felt a little alarmed too, but would not 

 show fear before my own people or strangers, and kept a 

 sharp look-out on the little battle-axe. It seemed to me a 

 case of ecstasy or prophetic frenzy voluntarily produced. I 

 felt it would be a sorry way to leave the world to get 

 my head chopped by a mad savage, though that, perhaps, 

 would be preferable to hydrophobia or delirium tremens. 

 Sekwebu took a spear in his right hand, as if to pierce a 

 bit of leather, but in reality to plunge it into the man if he 

 offered violence to me. After my courage had been suffi- 

 ciently tested, I beckoned with the head to the civil head- 

 man to remove him ; and he did so by drawing him aside. 

 This man pretended not to know what he was doing. I 

 would fain have felt his pulse, to ascertain whether the 

 violent trembling were not feigned, but had not much 

 inclination to go near the battle-axe again. There was, 

 however, a flow of perspiration, and the excitement con- 

 tinued fully half an hour, then gradually ceased. This 

 paroxysm is the direct opposite of hypnotism, and it is 

 singular that it has not been tried in Europe as well as 

 clairvoyance. This second batch of visitors took no pains 

 to conceal their contempt for our small party, saying to 

 each other, in a tone of triumph, " They are quite a god- 

 send !" — literally, " God has apportioned them to us." " They 

 are lost among the tribes !" " They have wandered in order 

 to be destroyed, and what can they do without shields 

 among so many?" Some of them asked if there were no 

 other parties. Sekeletu had ordered my men not to take 



