The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-05-09
Eswa---A Zulu Divination.

FROM iIuNclS III
The son of Pambeli, Chief, had died
suddenly, and the OWNERS, or witch doc
tors, were called upon to smell out the
abataki who had caused the young chief 5
death The Zulus are completely under
the power of the witch doctors. They be-
lieve thoroughly in bad men and women
who 20 about causing sickness and death;
they believe that these evil ones 90 about
at night accompanied by their familiars
wild cats and baboons), and lay poison in
the paths for people to step over, and on
the thresholds and in the fields to destroy
crops-thus sickness and death are attrib-
uted to their magic and malice. In the
course of the next day all the people gath
cred in the square before Pambei's house,
mass of silent, qnaking men and women,
for none knew whom the OWNERS would
convict Pambeli himself sat silent and
sorrow-stricken in the doorway of his hut;
before him the witch-fnders. There were
three hideous and revolving men wearing
various charms upon their filthy bodies,
rows of cleaning teeth round their necks,
dried toads, with the eyes of animals and
snake skins tied to their waists, and Il
quantity of clanking metal bracelets on
ankles and arms. After some preliminary
incantations these three men suddenly
leaped forward and commenced their work
OF smelling out. Round and round the
great circle formed by the people they ran,
sometimes slowly with cunning gravity,
sometimes with almost incredible swiftness,
forever crying out one word, Eswa, and all
the people repeating it after them, some
times loudly-then it was dangerous-then
whispering it, crying it over and over again,
running, dancing, yelling, until the witch
finders, steaming with perspiration, had
dashed themselves into a state of historical
fury, shouting and shrieking with the Wild
est contortions Of face and limb, till after
one tornado of final violence, they swooped
with the rapidity of eagles upon one startled
girl, touched her with forked stick and
cried Eswa, at their loudest, while the
covering crowd brcathed freer the next
moment, and then repeated the fatal word
in one last overwhelming shout. 1t was all
over, the trial was finished, the victim was
selected, and naught remained but the
penalty to be pronounced. At the supreme
moment of selection the people dropped
away on either side and the girl stood alone,
the focus Of all eyes. After one fearful
glance all round, after one second of tense
rigidity, the woman fell forward in stupor
of pitiable terror 1t was a sight no man
could ever forget When those appointed
by the witch doctors touched her she rose
shrieking and struggling, but seeing
probably knowing-the hopelessness of it
all, she fell again at their feet. Late that
night one of our Kaffir lads-an English
speaking mission boy called Tom Oupe-
came in and told US he woman had been
taken to the woods, bound to tree, her
body smeared all over with wild honey, a
small train of it tbickly laid near a white
ants nest, and left. When the moon crept
above the tops of the trees, Wood and !
rose, buckled on our revolvers and cartridge
belts, and then signaled Oupe quietly.
After going about mile the boy crouched
and pointed, and Wood and went forward
alone. There was partial clearing in the
forest, and through the trees we could see
the plain beyond, then a passing cloud
drifted by and obscured the light. We
two men stood close together, and waited
with our revolvcrs in our hands Nowhere
does the moon shine with such wonderful
radiance as in Africa All at once Cyril
gave an inarticulate cry of horror and dis
NAV; he was covered with thousands OF
crawling things Shiny millions were at our
feet, and before us--in the white moon
light-was the poor girls body tied naked
at the foot Of tree, eaten to death by
ants.