THE ZAMBESI REGION. 
327 
child being led behind him. Bewildered as the poor 
little victim was, he was somewhat reassured by the 
direction they were taking; but all at once he was 
alarmed at the shrieks of a chieftain’s wife, whose house 
they were passing, and who, knowing the purpose on 
which they were bent, cried out in horror. 
At the river, the whole party, numbering nearly 
seventy, embarked and crossed to the opposite side. The 
myrimbas were left behind, but the large drums were 
taken over. Shortly after landing the king seated him¬ 
self on a little stool ; he made the executioner, a few 
of his own personal attendants, and the members of his 
secret council form an inner circle ; beyond them he 
placed the drummers; and outside these he ordered the 
rest of the company to group themselves, so as to con¬ 
ceal from the town the deed that was being perpetrated. 
The poor boy by this time had almost fainted from fear ; 
but when, at a nod from the king, the executioner seized 
him, he began to scream aloud with terror. The drum¬ 
mers were ordered to play with all their might, so that 
the piteous shrieks should not be heard ; several assist¬ 
ants were then summoned to hold the child, so that 
resistance was impossible, and the two doctors set them¬ 
selves deliberately to work to amputate finger after 
finger, and toe after toe. 
No drumming could drown the heart-rending cries of 
the sufferer. The people of Seslieke could hear him, in 
the midst of his torture, calling out, “ Ra, ra, kame, ra, 
ra ! ” (Father, 0 my father !) and “ umu umu bulaya ” 
(they are killing me !); but though a large crowd was 
thus made aware of what was going on, no one dared to 
raise a hand to rescue the miserable sufferer. 
When the doctors had finished their cruel operation, 
the hapless boy was strangled, and knocked on the head 
with a kiri. The whole party then returned to their 
boats, which were pushed off into mid-stream, where, as 
if by accident, they were formed into a circle ; but in 
reality, with the design of concealing the corpse as it 
was dropped into the water. Meanwhile the weeping 
mother had made her way down to the bank, and regard- 
