240 Seven Years in Central Africa. 
salt is gathered. The heat of the sun seems to draw the salt 
out of the ground in the form of an efflorescence, which is so 
abundant, that from the space of two yards square they will 
perhaps be able to sweep together 50 lbs. of salt. Msidi's salt- 
pan is opened once a year with a religious ceremony, and two 
human victims are sacrificed in order that the process of salt- 
gathering that year may not be interfered with by the spirits 
of departed chiefs. 
A similar course is pursued in nearly all their occupations. 
They seek to prevent disaster, and to assure themselves of success 
by means of human sacrifices. And it is indeed surprising to 
see how even the poor victims themselves seem to enter into 
the spirit of the delusion, taking farewell of their friends, and 
going quietly to be sacrificed, and many of them even delighting 
in being called to do so at the king's pleasure. No especial 
selection appears to be made in providing the victims, but 
the king merely says that one and another are to be taken and 
slaughtered. 
RIGHTS IN LAND. 
All persons in the Garenganze seem to have equal rights, so far 
as land and forest are concerned. They can cultivate wherever 
they please, and have only to go to the forest for firewood or 
timber when it is wanted. In some parts of Africa attempts are 
made to restrict the use of the land, although there is plenty 
of it, but in the Garenganze this is not so. Perhaps the only 
rights connected with the land are what may be called hunting 
rights. Minor chiefs and headmen over certain districts reserve 
to themselves the right of organising what are called " fire-hunts." 
All the people are then called out, the grass is set on fire, and the 
wild animals are chased up the ravines and valleys and killed in 
great numbers. At one fire-hunt on the Lufira 200 elephants 
were, to my knowledge, killed in a few days. 
CULTIVATION OF THE SOIL. 
The cultivation of the ground is considered a purely domestic 
duty. It really devolves upon the female portion of the com- 
munity, although the men help in the heavier work of tilling the 
ground and cutting the corn when ripe. The sowing, and also 
the watching of the growing corn, is left to the women. When 
