Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1891-04-10

mr. nOTlaS DcSeiOW, son Oh native
African King is now a student at Wlbra-
ham, Mass. He has recently publisheda
book, From the Darkness of Africa to
the Light of America" When a boy, his
father desired that his son should be sent
to an English Mission School to learn the
language. The queen, distressed that
her boy should leave her invoked the aid
OF the gods by the customary sacrifices.
Mr. Bcselow gives the following descrip-
ton
She had many animals killed and offered
to the Moon and Carnabah, beseeching
them to permit her son to remain in
Bendoo. In n town of her own, quite
large and prosperous one, northwest
from Bendoo, she had two prisoners killed
and used rs offerings to Camabah.
Beside all this. several of the slave wo-
men were compelled to take their newly
born babes, and TO come with mother
and me to Lake Peso. where the sacred
crocodlcs were kept. As the medicine
man. in his long. floating, white wooden
cloak. led us to the water s edge. can see
now in my minds eye, rs plainly as did
then. the red. hungry eyes OF the animals
as they swan within dozen feet of the
shore. Their great, gaping, Shiny
mouths, with the white, shiny, tauS-l.ke
teeth, opened as though they were eager
for the expected feast.
| Mother and knclt together with the
slave woman and their infants while the
priest stood in front of us, and delivered
a long harangue to the animals. re-
member distinctly of seeing tears drop
! from the eyes of one of the women rs she
I beut over her little babe who was Coorg
and throwing it's little hands into the air,
happily unconscious of the horrid fate
awaiting it. She quietly brushed the
tears away, however, for, If caught IN the
act of weeping for her child i'll all prob
ability her own life would have paid the
penalty. After the priest had finished his
long address he took the babes from their
mothers arms, one BY one, and anointed
their naked little bodies with fragrant
oils and salvcs. Then the mothers, IN
their supposed JOY at the proceedings,
were expected to dance and capcr about,
and sing propitiatory song to the gods
i'll which they fcrvenuy hoped that the
sacrifice would please them, and be sweet
and tender and toothsome. Bravely they
hid their feelings, and danced about.
throwing their arms into the air, and
screaming shrilly-perhaps in this way
venting their grici--as one after another
of their infants were cast into the waters
of the lake to the waiting, greedy ant
mails. watched with fascinated eyes rs
: the little black bodies disappeared in the
cavernous mouths of the crocodiles, leav-
ing long line of crimson blood dyeing
the still waters of the lake, Distinctly on
shore could we hear the monsters as they
cracked the bones of the unfortunate
babes, whose pitiful cries OF pain might
well have touched heart of iron; and all
the while the mothers danced and sang
madly, At last it was over, and only the
red eyes and cruel heads of the monsters
looking for more prey to devour, and the
bloodcrimsoned waters bathing the
shores remained to tell of the scene just
enacted.
Young as was, and used as was to
such scenes, which was as much matter
ofcourse as your Sunday morning ser
mon, remember felt throb of some
thing very ike pity as saw those moth
ers walk dejcctedly before us-with empty
4 arms. AS | write about it now, man
grown as am, and it comes to my mind
with all its fearful significance, | cannot
keep back the tears. May the one just
kind and merciful God free my native
land from custom so horrible! May
He endow me with such strength and
grace that I shall be able to help i'll
abolishing a system at once so cruel and
debasingl
| -
Sleep is an artist Of the night,