Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-08-17

forget her but inside her unhappy heart was
fear. She was too old 10 have another child.
What would happen when she died?
Then disaster struck again
Her younger SON. still a child was playing
with other boys and took shelter beneath a
tree during tornado The ancient trunk
collapsed crushing him beneath it.
That night drums tapped the message that
the last child Of the Madjaj had gone to his
ancestors Fires of mourning were lit on the
Drakensberg and the chiefs trembled in their
kraals For death when not caused by the
OWNERS order is punishable Next day a
solemn court of councillors decreed that the
child had been killed by maevolent spirit
and that the spirit and his familiar must be
destroyed.
The body of the child was stretched in the
middle Of the r'gare on magnificent leopard
skin, its head towards the entrance where two
lion skulls grinned in the sunshine. About the
thorn walls small fetishes stood. guarded by
their priests. The witch-finder stopped over
the child and with an ancient copper knife
split the long sinew from beside the spine
other witch-men danced caperng wildly in
their wooden masks, cashing knobkerries on
shields At one end of the space a
number of figures hooded beneath capes of
grass and hdeous masks crouched eyes gilt
tering behind narrow Sits. Two tall priests
in cotton cloaks waited and between them a
terribly painted warrior white circles around
his eyes ochre bars across his face and a
long, befeathered assegai in his mighty fist
Somewhere in that silent hooded group was
the Madjaji but none knew which was she
and the witch-men sweated and yelled as they.
appeared to question their fetshes
81
to two flat strips of wood and began whirling
them about his head until the sinew stretched
and whining hum came from 1t. This was
the voice of the Bawenda spirit calling TO the
familiar of the devil who had killed the boy
1t would call him from wherever he was
hiding to the place of the murder.
All that day the OWNERS capered and
yelled until their voices were boodthirsty
croakings and the flat strips of wood moaned
and walled they spun about the q. liners
head. Men and women, crowding the r'gare
sweated and fidgetted, staring at each other
fearfully. Perhaps one would be compelled TO
move and thus be chosen as the murderer.
The sun was a scarlet ball behind the
black ramparts Of the Drakensberg The
wooden strips whirled, roaring now Then
there was yell from the entrance and two
warriors dragged terrified old man before
the dvner
10! Here is the murderer Kill"
Aye Kill! XIII" roared the relieved people
Wa What is this talk Of kill" quavered
the ancient II be Labeka come from my
kraal for rain medicine"
But it was useless The old. cloaked men
gripped the ancient forced him to his knees
against the wall and the executioner leaped
forward and his feathered assegai ripped into
the old mans chest.
But the government found out and the
eXecutioner was arrested, Men were coming
TO take the Queen too. it was said
No" said the killer The old man was
killed because he was a witch. 1t is my re-
sponsibility Mine alone"
He listened stolidly TO the sentence and
was hanged
But after that the British kept keen
eye on the doings Of the Madjaji. No more
could she solve her troubles by a sacrifice TO
her Gods
Perhaps she reflects, a mighty sacrifice
might bring back her daughter N'dodini
And so the Madjaj watches the brassy
sky,
When the rain does come, If il comes in
time, the Rain Queen will receive great gifts
from her people and the sprouting green
shoots will be the symbols of her great power
When black clouds roll up behind the blacker
Drakensberg, when the streams are muddy
torrents, the people will dance in the rain and
there will be great drinking of beer The
Queen will go to the graves of her sons. up.
there beneath the tall palms and pour beer
on their graves. And the maidens will battle
in the pools and they will sing songs in praise
Of the She Elephant Daughter Of the Water
Calabash Until the Next Drought.