262 
SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
which is good ; still it cannot but be acknow- 
ledged, that it clearly demonstrates that, in 
the breast of the wild untutored Kaffir now, as 
was the case with the polished, and more refined, 
heathens of olden time, there is an inherent 
feeling of the necessity of a sacrifice to propitiate. 
It also tacitly acknowledges, on their part, the 
admission of the great axiom of Christianity 
and philosophy, yiz, that they need some super- 
natural aid to assist them in the hours of their 
emergencies. 
Their acknowledgement of the Supreme Being 
in a twofold character, together with their belief 
in spiritual influence for good as well as evil, 
give very strong presumptive evidence that, at 
some past period of their history, they have had 
the knowledge of a "more excellent way of 
religion," than those faint and indistinct super- 
stitions which they now alone possess. 
This assumption is very materially strength- 
ened also by a further knowledge of their 
usages and traditionary observances. Their 
belief in, and reverence for, prophets is re- 
markable. They imagine that these are beings 
into whose bodies the spirits of their great 
departed chiefs have gone ; and that then they 
return to foretell great coming events. Amongst 
them, in latter days, was "Links" whose won- 
derful power over the Kaffirs, during the war 
