The Night of Heathenism. 
217 
Some of the early missionaries endeavoured boldly to 
shame the people out of such inhuman practices. Mr. 
Lyth found a Somo Somo woman in a very exhausted state, 
in consequence of sickness and starvation. Her husband 
was absent; and although two other women were living in 
the hut, they allowed her to starve and sink before their 
eyes, when a very little attention might have saved her. 
After five weeks of this treatment, Mr. Lyth took the 
matter into his own hands, and sent medicine and food 
daily to the sufferer. In a few days she improved greatly, 
so that Mr. Lyth anticipated a speedy return to her wonted 
health. What was his surprise, however, on sending his 
servant one morning with the usual portions of medicine 
and food, to receive a message stating that "the food was 
not wanted.^' On making inquiry it was found that the poor 
woman had that morning been strangled and buried. An 
old woman, a relative of the deceased, had come from a 
distance to be present at the funeral rites, and finding it 
likely that the destined victim would escape, had hastened 
the death and funeral. In another case, a poor girl had 
been ailing for a long time, and the chief, deeming it im- 
possible that she would ever be strong, had given orders 
that she should be buried alive. A grave was dug by 
some men, a few paces from the hut, where she lay all 
unconscious of the fate prepared for her. However, the 
poor invalid had noticed loud talking outside, and sundry 
strange exclamations, and, her curiosity getting the better 
of her, she crawled out to see what was going on. No 
sooner did she make her appearance than at a sign from 
the chief, she was seized hold of, and thrown into her 
grave. Terror-stricken, she shrieked, and begged for mercy, 
exclaiming, " Do not bury me ! I am quite well now ! " 
but all in vain. Two men kept her down, while others 
