UNEASINESS OF ROGALA--HE FEARS THE NEW MOON MAY SEE AND BEWITCH HIM--HE
BUILDS A SMALL HOUSE AND HIDES IN IT--HE HAS AN ATTACK OF FEVER, WHICH
HE ASCRIBES TO WITCHCRAFT
NOT long after this Shinshooko and Alapai went away, saying that they
would return in three or four days and that Rogala would take care of
me.
Rogala seemed to be in an uneasy frame of mind. Something seemed to be
disturbing him. I said nothing on the subject, for I felt sure that he
would tell me at the proper time.
One morning he left the camp all alone, and returned in the afternoon
with a big load of palm leaves. The following day he went again into
the forest by himself, and returned with a big load of bark. That
afternoon he began to build a very small house, and roofed it with the
palm leaves, and then made a sliding door of bark. I wondered at his
doings, and I asked him why he made such a small house.
He answered: "Oguizi, two days from now will be the day of the new
moon, and though we cannot see the moon, on account of the trees, her
eyes can penetrate everywhere. The new moon is especially angry and
hungry on that day. She looks down over our country and seeks whom she
can devour, and we poor black men are very much afraid of her on that
account, and we hide ourselves from her sight on that night." After a
pause he continued: "From the time of the new moon to that of the full
moon many people die, and many amongst those are the ones whom the new
moon saw on her appearance in spite of all the precautions they may
have taken.
"So the night of the new moon I will go into the little house I have
just built, and remain silent all that night, for if I spoke the new
moon would know where I was. I am going to bring plenty of firewood
for you." Then, with great earnestness and imploring eyes, he said:
"Please, Oguizi, put the wood yourself on the fire, and do not call me
out of the house, for if I come out the moon is sure to see me and I
shall be a doomed man." And as he uttered these last words he shuddered
with fear, and then added: "Rogala, if seen by the new moon, could not
be with you the next moon, for he would surely die before then."
The following morning Rogala collected a large quantity of firewood,
enough to last a few days. Towards noon he spoke to his "ogana," or
idol, thus: "You know that I love you with all my heart. I believe in
you. Protect me from the spears, arrows, and guns of my enemies. Let
all those who try to bewitch me and afflict me with illness or bad luck
in hunting and fishing, die. Let our people find out the witches and
sorcerers that cause sickness and death amongst us."
Towards noon on that day he took his gun and went hunting, leaving
Ndova and Andekko behind. Two hours afterwards he returned with a
gazelle, or "nchombee," on his back, and laid the animal at my feet,
saying: "I have killed this. Please take all you want for yourself."
Andekko was looking with a hungry eye towards the nchombee, but the
long stick of Rogala kept him at a proper distance. I cut off one of
the forelegs and threw it to the dog. Ndova was chattering at the same
time, looking searchingly at Rogala. The sounds he uttered seemed to
mean, "Have you brought me no berries, fruits, or nuts?" Rogala had
brought him nothing, and he was very much disappointed.
I chose half of the nchombee; then Rogala broiled the other part on
charcoal, and when it was cooked took almost all of it and went into
the forest, whither I followed him. He walked but a short distance, and
then stopped before some very large leaves. He plucked a few, and
put them together on the ground, and laid the meat of the nchombee upon
them, saying: "Olombo and Mombo, this nchombee is for you. You know
that I love you, and that I always give you the best part of the game I
kill." After this sacrifice we returned to the camp.
[Illustration: _Rogala and his idol._]
Soon after he entered the little house he had built, taking his bag
with him, and shut the door behind him. I heard him speak to his idol.
When he came out, his body was painted here and there. In the hollow of
his chest was a white spot, in the middle of his forehead a white line
between his eyes, and there were long white stripes along his arms. He
wore all the mondahs his bag contained. He came towards me, and looking
at me, said: "Oguizi, sunset is soon coming, and I must go into the
little house, and I shall remain there until after sunrise. You have
plenty of firewood. You have meat. There is plenty of water in the
spring, so you will be neither thirsty nor hungry."
Before entering the house, he called aloud on the spirits of his
ancestors to watch over him, said good-night to me, then disappeared
into his little hut, and shut the door so that the new moon could not
possibly see him.
I found myself alone in the camp. Ndova and Andekko were my
companions. Ndova entered his house and soon after was asleep. Andekko
stretched himself by the fire. I wondered at all I had seen and the
wonderful animals I had killed since I had been in that great forest;
then putting lots of wood on the fires, I lay down to sleep. In the
middle of the night Ndova uttered several shrill cries of fear which
resounded strangely. I jumped out of my bed, revolver in hand, lighted
a torch quickly, and went to his house, followed by Andekko, who had
been lying by my side. Ndova's eyes glared, his hair stood erect. He
gave several grunts, and jumped from one part of his house to the
other. Something had evidently disturbed him. Looking carefully on the
ground, I saw the trail of a huge snake.
While all this was going on within his hearing, Rogala did not dare to
say a word. All was perfectly silent in his little house. When he came
out in the morning, he said to me: "The new moon did not see me."
In the afternoon Shinshooko and Alapai made their appearance. They had
gone into the forest to hide, fearing that the moon would mark them
also for destruction.
The following day Rogala went hunting and returned with a very high
fever. He had had a sudden chill on the way. His skin was very hot,
and he had a very violent headache. I made him lie down, and lighted
several fires round him to act as blankets. I was afraid he had an
attack of malignant fever, which carries off people very quickly,
sometimes in less than twelve hours. I gave him a very large dose of
quinine, and bathed his burning head with cool water from the spring. I
watched over him all night.
He was better the next day, and said to me: "Oguizi, some persons have
bewitched me; they are jealous, for you are my friend, and you love me,
a poor slave, and they say, 'Why should the great Oguizi love Rogala?'
and they want me to die."
I replied, "Rogala, nobody wants you to die."
"Yes," he replied very earnestly, "somebody wants me to die, but
fortunately I have a powerful mondah which is stronger against
witchcraft than the machinations and incantations of the sorcerers or
witches."
While he was talking, I said to myself: "I suppose that if Rogala
should die while with me, the people would say that I had caused his
death; that I wanted his spirit to follow me when I left the country
because I loved him." I remembered that a man had died the day after
I had left a village, and the people there to this day believe that I
caused his death for this reason.
So I was very anxious about Rogala, for not only should I regret his
death, but I could not foretell what would happen afterwards.
But he got quite well soon, though his face began again to show signs
of anxiety. He seemed almost afraid of our camp, and even suggested
that we might build another camp at some other place. He hinted that
the place had been bewitched.
"By whom?" I asked, laughing.
"I do not know," he answered.
"Only your friends Shinshooko and Alapai have been here. You do not
mean to say that they wish you to be ill and die? Do not be afraid," I
said earnestly, in order to convince him. "You will not die; the Oguizi
will keep you with him."
These words seemed to reassure him somewhat, but I could see that he
was still anxious.