Savage Africa, 
27 
look upon it as the remains, in a corrupt state, of some 
purer primeval religion. This latter idea seems borne out 
by the fact that fetishism is nearly always associated with 
some idea of a supreme spirit, and a land of departed 
spirits. Among many of the West African tribes are to be 
found names for God ; and Bishop Callaway says of them : 
" The natives have a traditional belief in a Creator ] they 
have some dim notion of a great overruling spirit or power." 
There are also relics of a faith in God, among the Basutos 
and Bechuanas. A traveller, Emil Holub, says of the 
Marutse people in South Central Africa, that they believe 
in an invisible omniscient Being, who regards minutely the 
doings of all, and deals with each one as he pleases." Some 
travellers have stated that the tribes near the Nile basin are 
destitute of any idea of religion ; but this statement would 
seem to be more correct, if applied to some of the tribes in 
the interior, for contact with Mohammedan Arabs would 
inevitably be the means of diffusing some knowledge of 
religious matters. 
Among the Nigritian and Bantu tribes, the custom of 
praying to the departed spirits of chiefs and other worthies 
is much followed. Some of the people keep images to 
represent these departed friends, and present offerings of 
food and drink to them, although hiding these images jea- 
lously in some corner ot his tent. Dreams are regarded as 
visits from these departed friends, and hints or commands 
given in those dreams, are religiously carried out. In other 
parts of the country, on the contrary, the people live in 
mortal terror of evil spirits, and follow many observances 
in order to drive them away. " On the Gold Coast there 
are stated occasions when the people turn out in numbers, 
generally at night, with clubs and torches, to drive away 
the evil spirits from their towns. At a given signal the 
