514 A PROPHETIC FRENZY. 



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 



Seople or strangers, and kept a sharp look-out on the 

 ttle battle-axe. It seemed to me a case of extasy 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 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 sufficiently 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 continued 

 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 their shields, as in the case of my first company. 

 We were looked upon as unarmed, and an easy prey. We 

 prepared against a night attack by discharging and re- 

 loading our guns, which were exactly the same in number 

 (rive) as on the former occasion, as I allowed my late 

 companions to retain those which I purchased at Loanda. 

 We were not molested, but some of the enemy tried to 

 lead us towards the Bashukulompo, who are considered 

 to be the fiercest race in this quarter. As we knew our 

 direction to the confluence of the Kafue and Zambesi, 

 we declined their guidance, and the civil head-man of the 



