The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1870-01-13
THE AFRICAN a. HOME.

ITO nnU NlcIlns. 1HcS Wdllcu W hliI Solllc
lbody. Old and young, were frantic with ;
ldesire for revenge on sorcercrs The Docto
came The people surrounded him, shouting
1--we have wizards among us. We have
sent for you to find them. DO find them out
for if you do not our people will be dying al
the time" The people did not seem to be
liable to breathe, for no one knew it his name
would be the one that should be called, anC
he be accused of the crime Of witchcratt
There is a very black woman young
woman-who lives in house having one
door only, with a large bunch of lilies grow
ing by the door Not far off is tree t.
which ogoulounyou birds come every day.
Scarcely had he ended when the crowd
roaring and screaming like so many beasts
rushed trantically for the place indicated
when to my horror, saw them enter the hui
of my good friend, Okandaga. and seize the
poor girl, who looked so frightened that
thought she had lost her reason shouted
with all the power Of my voice, You are
not going to kill the beautiful and good
Okandaga the pride and beauty Of the
village3 No." said I, you are not to kill
her" But my voice was drowned. They
f; dragged her from her hut and waved THEN
| deathly weapons over her head. They tore
her off, shouting and cursing, and as the poor
good African girl passed into the hands OF
her murderers, thought the big tree behind
which was looking might hide me from her
view But 10. she saw me, and with t terri
BILE shrek she cried, extending her arms
toward me-" Chally. Chally do not let me die.
Do not let these people kill me. l am not a
witch | have not killed AIpomo. Chally.
be q friend to me. You know how | have
taken care Of you-how | have given you
food how often | have given You water. =
,b1oI oil shook lil-a yaaN
1t vas a moment of terrible agony to me-
The blood rushed toward my head. seized
my gun and one Of my reyolvers which was
in my belt. | had a mind to fire into the
|crowd-shoot people right and left-send
dismay to them-rescue dear and kind Ok;n-
daga, who was now poor and helpless--who
had not friend; put her in a canoe, and
carry her down the river. But then, run
away-wherc too would have murdered
people Perhaps some of the ncphews of my
friend Qucngueza would be among those
should kill. Then what should | say to
Guengueza? Theywere too frantic and crazed.
The end would have been, ] should have been
murdered without saving the life of Okan-
daga. How | cried that same evening. |
remember it so well. ! cried Ike q child
would have given all had to save Okan-
dagas life. After ALL said ! to myself,
WUul tlli L IHtN ibith iltt lphuiil INC
banks of the Rembo, and bound her with
cords. Qucngueza, rs YOU know, was not
in Goumb. How much | wished he had
been. Presently silence fell again upon The
crowd. Then the harsh and demon like
voice Of the doctor once more rang over the
town. 1t seemed to me like the hoa1sc croab
of some death fore-telling raven. There is
an old woman not far from the kings palace
She lives in long and narrow house, and
just in front of the house are plaintain-trees
which come from the sprouts which We're
planted by Uganda, the kings eldest brother
who is now dead There is also, back OF her
house, a lime-tree which is now covered
with fruit. She has bewitched Mpomo.i
Again the crowd rushed off, This time they
seized Il princess.a niece of King Quengueza.
a nobe-hearted and rather majestic old
woman. As they crowded about her with
flaming eyes and threats of death, she rose
proudly from the ground, looked them in the
face untlinchingly, and, molioming them to /
keep their hands oft her, said Il will drink
the mboundon, for | am rot a witch; and
woe to my accusers if do not die = Again
Il third time. the dreadful silence fell upon
the town, and the doctors voice was heard
Oh, how hated that voice! There is 4
woman with six children-She lives on Il
plantation toward the rising sm--sIle too has
bcwitched Mpomo." Again there was Il /
furious shout, and the whole town seemed
to shake under the uproar of voices clamor-
ing for vengeance. A large squad OF people
rushed toward a plantation not far from the
village. They returned soon after, appear
ing frantic, as if they We're all crazy. and
Went toward the bank of the river, dragging
with them one of King Quengueza's slaves. |
a good woman who many and many a time
had brought me baskets OF ground-nuts, |
punches of bananas, and plantalns. Her
they took to where the two others We're.
Then the doctor descended the street of the
village. He approached the woman, and the
crowd surrounded them In a loud voice the
doctor recited the crime Of which the three
women were accused. As each accusation
was rccited the people broke on, in curses |
Each one rivaled his neighbor in cursing the
victims, fearful est lukewarnnesss should bring
a like fate. So Okondaga's father, mother
and sisters Joined in the curses. The king |
niece was cursed by her brothers and sons
and the poor slave by everybody. Ii was Il |
fearful scene to contemplate. Then Il pas
sage was formed in the vast crowd, and the
three women We're led to the river, where a
large canoe was in waiting. The eXectl- |
TONERS went in first, then the women, the |
doctor, and a number Of people we'll armed
with huge knives and axes. BY this time the
sweat ran down my face must have been
deathly pale as followed each motion of the |
people. Then the tam-tams beat and the
proper persons prepared the mboundou.
Quabi, Mpomo's eldest brother, who was to
inherit all of Mpomo's property, held the |
poisoned cup. At sight Of it poor Okanduga
began again to cry, and Qucugueza's niece
turned pale in the face, for even a negro face
at such times attains {; palor which is quite
perceptible. Three other canoes, fnll of
armed men, surrounded that in which the |
victims were. A mug full of mboundou was
handed to the old slave woman. next to the
royal niece, and last to the young and kind
Okandaga. AS they drank the multitude
shouted, ''lf they are witched, let the mboun-
dou kill them; if they are innocent, let the
mboundou go out.' 1t was the most exciting
scene in my life. My arrival in the cannibal
country was as nothing compared with this
Though horror froze my blood, my eyes were
riveted upon the spectacle. | could not help
it. Suddenly the slave fell down. She had
not touched the boats bottom before her
head was hacked off by a dozen rude swords,
the people shouting "Kil her Kill her?'
Next came Quengueza's niece. In an in
slant her head was off, and her blood was
dying the waters of the river. During ali
this time my eyes had been riveted on poor
Okandaga. l hoped that she would not fall,
but soon she staggered, and struggled, and
cried, vainly resisting the effects of the poison
in her system. There was a dead silence
the executioners themselves We're still--for