Sentence:  It was voodoo, apparently, but voodoo of a more terrible sort than they had ever known; and some of their women and children had disappeared since the malevolent <WSD>tom-tom</WSD> had begun its incessant beating far within the black haunted woods where no dweller ventured. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A small joined pair of drums, beaten with the hands.