Chap. XXV. ABSENCE OF IDOL- WORSHIP. 523 



tion. In two or three other places, parts of the human body 

 are also employed to mediate between man and the spirit 

 world ; but a cruel character can no more be ascribed to the 

 African religion, as a whole, on such grounds as these, than 

 cannibalism can be imputed to the whole African family, 

 because human flesh is eaten in one or two places in Africa. 



The idea of witchcraft flows naturally from their religious 

 belief. The evil-disposed may, by a knowledge of the bark 

 and roots of plants, inflict disaster. A horn, or rude image, is 

 sometimes made use of as a means of preserving the medi- 

 cines of defence, and is worn as an amulet. These images, 

 horns, or other articles, called greegrees, or jeujeus, are not 

 held sacred for a moment after the medicine is found to have 

 lost its power ; and mere idol-worship, which they seem to indi- 

 cate, is as much ignored among the natives, as the worship of 

 pictures and images is asserted to be in the churches of the 

 more enlightened. A greegree, or fetish, is thrown away as 

 useless as soon as the consecrating nostrum is discovered to 

 be inoperative for the purpose for which it was procured. On 

 this subject Mr. Wilson, whom we have quoted before, gives 

 much information, which, from observation elsewhere, we have 

 found to be the fruit of accurate personal investigation. 



In our course westwards, we at first passed over a 

 gently undulating country, with a reddish clayey soil, 

 which, from the heavy crops, appeared to be very fertile. 

 Many rivulets were crossed, some running southwards into 

 the Bua, and others northwards into the Loangwa, a river 

 which we formerly saw flowing into the Lake. Further on, 

 the water was chiefly found in pools and wells. Then still 

 further, in the same direction, some watercourses were said 

 to flow into that same " Loangwa of the Lake," and others 

 into the Loangwa, which flows to the south-west, and enters 

 the Zambesi at Zumbo, and is here called the "Loangwa 



