The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-02-10
ZULU MAGIC.
Performances of
Witch Doctors.
A Professor OF tho Blacis Art In Ilstound-
cd by tlie Tricks of Native Jug
glcrs in Southern
Africa.

i During the Zulu war, says Prof. Kcl-
! lar, the wcll-known magician, in an
}articlc in the North American Review,
was i'll South Africa, travelling north
Through Iululand. In Dunn's rescrva-
3tion, two hundred miles north from
Durham, in Natal, | saw Il witch doctor
cvitatc the form of young Zulu by
awaving tuft of grass about his head,
9lmid surroundings calculated to i'm
press themselves deeply upon the most
5>rosaic imagination. 1t was evening
jtnd the witch doctor, WHO belonged to
he class moro than once described by
aiidcr lla~gard with great ACCURACY.
WAS as revolving in his appearance as
j he high caste faliirs had been pleasing.
~ number of fallirs had gathered
bout our camp fire and l had given
hem some illustrations of my own
kill. They seemed puzzled, but were
hot specially curious One of them
tolc away and after some minutes re-
burned with their own conjurer, the
witch doctor in question. After con
Sidcrable solicitation from the natives,
ahc intricaccs of which my knowledge
the Zulu language did not enable me
f.ultc TO penetrate, the conjurcr, who
NJ first seemed reluctant to give his
aonscnt TO an exhibition of his powers
s]cforc mo, took Il knob kerry or club
4 nd fastened it at the end of IL thong
a iawlide about two feet long. A
3oung native, tall and athletic. whose
Aycs seemed TO be fixed upon those of
Ahe conJurcr with an apprchensive
HtcadfastncSs, took his own knob kerry
md fastened il ut the end OF Il similar
Thong of hide. The two then stood
7 bout six feet apart, in the full glare of
Nc fire, and began, all the while in
81 lcncc. to whirl their knob llcrrics
Hbout their heads. noticed that when
We two clubs seemed in their swift
#iSht, almost to come in contact, q
8oark OF flame passed. or appeared I'd
lass, from one of them to the other.
q he third time this happened there was
w explosion, the spark appeared to
%urst, the young mans knob kerry was
&lattcrcd to pieces, and he fell to the
ground apparently lifclesss. The witch
sfoctor turned to the high grass few
Vet behind us and gathered handful
~ stalks about three feet long Stand
8lg in the shadow and away from the
%rc he waved. with n swift motion, en-
getty similar to that Of the clubs few
Minutes before, the bunch of grass
Jround the head of the young Zulu, who
Ivy as dead in the freight. In mo-
Il lcnt or two the grass seemed to ignite
'l its flight, although the witch doctor
$'as not standing within twenty feet of
salc fire, and burned slowly, cracking
#udibly, Approaching more closely the
3>rm of the native in the trance the
@onjurcr waved the flaming grass gently
!8ver his figure, about foot from the
8csh. TO my intense arnazemcnt the
Il ecumbent body slowly rose from the
ground and iloatcd upward in the air to
#ie height of about three feet, remain
#ig in suspension and moving up
!$nd down, according as the passes of
s le burning grass were slower or faster.
rs the grass burned out and dropped to
z]nc ground the body returned to its po-
4 ltion on the ground, and after few
Masses from the hands of the witch doc
! pr the young Zulu lcaped to his feet,
apparently none the worse for his Won
8erful experience.