The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1890-03-12


''Spit on him with your raini
"Whirl him away in your breath!
make him as nothing-melt the mar.
row in his bones!
"Run into his heart and burn away tho
liesl,,
"Show all the people who is the true
Witch Finderi
"Let me not be put to shame in the
eyes of this white mani"
Thus he spoke, or rather chanted, and
all the while rubbed his broad chest-for
he was very fine man-with some filthy
compound of medicine al month.
After while, getting tired of his
song, / walked across the ironstone, to
where Indaba-zimbi sat by his fire. He
was not chanting at all, but his per-
Torrance was much more impressive.
1t consisted in staring at the eastern
sky, which was perfectly clear Of cloud,
and every now and again reckoning at
it with his finger, then turning round to
point with the assegai towards his rival.
For while 1 looked at him in silence.
He was a curious wizened man, appa-
rently over fifty years of age, with thin
hands that looked as tough as wire His
nose was much sharper than is usual
among these races, and he had queer
habit of holding his head sideways like
bird when he spoke, which, in addi-
ton to the humor that lurked in his eye,
gave him most comical appearance.
Another strange thing about him was
that he had single white lock of hair
among his black wool. At last spoke
to him:
'Indaba-zimbi, my FRIEND" l said,
"you may be a good witch doctor, but
you are certainly fool. 1t is no good
reckoning at the blue sky while your
enemy is getting start with the storm"
''You may be clever, but don't think
you know everything, white man." the
old fellow answered, in a high cracked
voice, and with something like grin.
"They call you Irontongue," went
on; ''you had better use it, or the Storm
Devil won't hear you"
"The fire from above runs down iron,"
he answered, $50 keep my tongue quiet.
Oh, yes, let him curse away, I'll put him
out presently. Look now, white man" -
I looked, and in the eastern sky there
grew cloud. At first it was small, but
very black. but it gathered with. extraor
binary rapidity. . u
This was odd enough, but as had
seen the same thing happen before it did
not particularly astonish me. 1t is by
no means unusual in Africa for two
thunderstorms to come up at the same
time from different points of the COM
pass.
"You had better go on, Indaba-zimbi,"
I said, ''the big storm is coming along
fast, and will soon eat up that baby of
yours" and pointed to the west.
Babies sometimes grow to giants,
white man. said Indaba-zimbi, beckon-
ing away vigorously. 'Look now at my
cloud-child. /"
looked; the eastern storm had spread
itself from earth to sky, and in shape
resembled an enormous man. There
was it's head, its shoulders, and it's legs;
yes, it was like huge giant travelling
across the heavens. The light of the
setting sun escaping from beneath the
lower edge of the western storm shot
across the intervening space in sheet
of splendor, and, lighting up the adj
vancing figure, wrapped it's middle in
hues of glory, too wonderful to be de-
scribed; but beneath and above this
glowing belt his feet and head were
black as jet. Presently, as I watched,
an awful flash Of light shot from the