Chap. IX. PANGOLA. 197 



eyes. Again a sharp turn brings us upon a native, who has 

 seen us from afar, and conies with noiseless footsteps to get 

 a nearer view. 



On the 23rd of June we entered Pangola's principal village, 

 which is upwards of a mile from the river. The ruins of a mud 

 wall showed that a rude attempt had been made to imitate 

 the Portuguese style of building. We established ourselves 

 under a stately wild fig-tree, round whose trunk witchcraft 

 medicine had been tied, to protect from thieves the honey of 

 the wild bees, which had their hive in one of the limbs. 

 This is a common device. The charm, or the medicine, is 

 purchased of the dice doctors, and consists of a strip of palm- 

 leaf smeared with something, and adorned with a few bits of 

 grass, wood, or roots. It is tied round the tree, and is believed to 

 have the power of inflicting disease and death on the thief who 

 climbs over it. Superstition is thus not without its uses in 

 certain states of society ; it prevents many crimes and 

 misdemeanors, which would occur, but for the salutary fear 

 that it produces. 



Pangola arrived, tipsy and talkative. — " We are friends, we 

 are great friends ; I have brought you a basket of green maize 

 — here it is ! " We thanked him, and handed him two fathoms 

 of cotton cloth, four times the market- value of his present. No, 

 he would not take so small a present ; he wanted a double- 

 barrelled rifle — one of Dixon's best. " We are friends, you 

 know ; we are all friends together." But although we were will- 

 ing to admit that, we could not give him our best rifle, so he 

 went off in high dudgeon. Early next morning, as we were 

 commencing Divine service, Pangola returned, sober. We 

 explained to him that we wished to worship God, and invited 

 him to remain ; he seemed frightened and retired : but after 

 service he again importuned us for the rifle. It was of no use 



