JEWISH NOTIONS. 
259 
with himself. The mast had that day been greased, 
and while lowering himself by a rope it gave way, and 
he fell upon the spare anchor, and from thence, much 
cut, overboard. Two of his boys threw themselves 
after him. Frij had gone down, but they succeeded 
in tying him to a life-buoy, to which all three clung 
till picked up exhausted. He added, that for their 
devotion the captain gave them 1 5 and 1 1 dollars re- 
spectively. 
One of our men became possessed of a devil, as was 
believed, for several hours. He was seized with fits so 
violent as to require being held down. In this insen- 
sible state he was asked where Speke was ? Would 
this march end successfully ? To which he replied, 
that " Our journey would be prosperous, but there 
would be delays." All Seedees believe most firmly 
that devils have this power, and that there are a 
great variety of them, some English, some Abyssinian, 
others Mombas, &c. — in fact, every country or district 
has its devil, some more difficult to get rid off than 
others, the English being about the worst. Is this 
African idea a remnant of tradition ? It has some 
resemblance to the Jewish notions mentioned in 
Scripture. 
The moon shone bright and inviting to-night, 
though we had a shower during the day, and the men 
till 11 o'clock made a playground of the space in 
front of my hut, singing, mimicking, and acting with 
considerable grace and great humour. The operatic 
song of the Unyamuezi, from the gesticulations and 
perambulations of the performer, who invented words 
as he proceeded, was highly amusing. They were 
chiefly in compliment to myself — that God had sent 
