28 
Central Africa, 
whole community starts up, commences a most hideous 
howling, beat about in every nook and corner of their dwel- 
lings, then rush into the streets with their torches and clubs, 
like so many frantic maniacs, beat the air, and scream at 
the top of their voices, until some one announces the de- 
parture of the spirits through some gate of the town. After 
this the people breathe more easily, sleep more quietly, and 
enjoy better health.'* 
Witchcraft is strongly believed in among the African 
people of almost every race and tribe. Evils of all kinds 
are attributed to its agency, and every death in the tribe is 
ascribed to its means. This belief is the cause of unlimited 
suffering and injustice among the natives, seeing that an 
accusation of dealing in witchcraft is so easy to bring, so 
difficult to rebut, and so certain to bring down upon the 
head of the accused person, blind, unreasoning, cruel re- 
venge. The arts of magic which priests practise, the ordeals 
of various kinds in order to discover crimes, and some 
observances of fetishism, are closely allied to witchcraft. 
In some parts of the continent, reptiles are worshipped. 
On the Gold Coast, and among certain of the Bantu tribes, 
the crocodile is sacred ; at Bonny, the shark ; at Dahomey, 
the elephant ; in other localities, monkeys, serpents, hyenas, 
and tigers are worshipped. Any snake that creeps up first 
to the grave of a dead chief, is supposed to be his spirit, and 
is from that time viewed as a sacred thing, receiving daily 
offerings of food, and prayers. This form of idolatry seems 
to be one of the most degrading ; and, in the case of sharks 
and other beasts of prey, leads to the daily sacrifices of 
human beings in order to furnish food for the objects of 
worship. In other parts of Africa, human sacrifices are 
offered. In Yoruba, Bonny, Old Calabar, Dahomey, 
Ashantee, and other parts of the West Coast, these dreadful 
