THE OltDEAL MUAVI. 399 



a short distance among grass a little taller than myself, an 

 animal sprang away from me which was certainly not an 

 antelope, but I could not distinguish whether it was a lion 

 cr a hyena. This abundance of carnivora made us lose all 

 hope of Monahin. "We saw footprints of many black rhi- 

 noceroses, buffalos, and zebras. 



After a few hours we reached the village of JSTyakoba. 

 Two men who accompanied us from Monina to Nyakoba's 

 would not believe us when we said that we had no beads. 

 It is very trying to have one's veracity doubted; but, on 

 opening the boxes, and showing them that all I had 

 was perfectly useless to them, they consented to receive 

 some beads off Sekwebu's waist, and I promised to send 

 four yards of calico from Tete. As we came away from 

 lionina's village, a witch-doctor, who had been sent for, 

 arrived, and all Monina's wives went forth into the fields 

 that morning fasting. There they would be compelled 

 to drink an infusion of a plant named "goho," which 

 is used as an ordeal. This ceremony is called " muavi," 

 and is performed in this way. When a man suspects 

 that any of his wives has bewitched him, he sends 

 for the witch-doctor, and all the wives go forth into the 

 field and remain fasting till that person has made an 

 infusion of the plant. They all drink it, each one holding 

 up her hand to heaven in attestation of her innocency. 

 Those who vomit it are considered innocent, while those 

 whom it purges are pronounced guilty, and put to death by 

 burning. The innocent return to their homes, and slaughter 

 a cock as a thank-offering to their guardian spirits. The 

 practice of ordeal is common among all the negro nations 

 north of the Zambesi. This summary procedure excited 

 my surprise, for my intercourse with the natives here had 

 led me to believe that the women were held in so much 

 estimation that the men would not dare to get rid of them 

 thus. But the explanation I received was this. The 

 slightest imputation makes them eagerly desire the test; 

 they are conscious of being innocent, and have the fullest 



