WAR THREATENED--OSHORIA ARMS HIS MEN--WE BLUFF THEM OFF, AND FALL
SICK WITH FEVER--THE MBOLA IVOGA, OR END OF MOURNING TIME--A DEATH
AND BURIAL--FINDING OUT THE SORCERER--THE VILLAGE DESERTED--I
BECOME VICEROY AT WASHINGTON.
News came that Oshoria, the chief of Guabuirri, a village situated at
the junction of the Ogobai and Anengue rivers, intended to stop me on
my way back to Washington. It was reported that he had assembled all
his fighting men, and was bent upon war.
Poor Damagondai was much troubled. He wanted no war. He sent his
brother down with a plate, a mug, and a brass pan, to propitiate
Oshoria. These were great presents. A plate, a mug, and a pan are
thought to be very valuable in the regions of the Anengue.
I was very angry. I had done no harm to the people of Guabuirri; I had
passed their village in peace. Oshoria wanted to exact tribute for my
passage; but he was not the king of the country, and I determined to
put down Mr. Oshoria.
We cleaned our guns, and I prepared my revolvers, and the next morning
we set out, without waiting for the return of the king's brother,
greatly to the dismay of Damagondai and of his peaceful people. But
nothing must stop us. We must return to Washington. My men swore that
they would fight to the death.
When we came in sight of Guabuirri, I saw that some of my fellows,
who, a short time before, were going to be so brave, began to show the
white feather. I therefore pointed to my revolver, and told them that I
would blow out the brains of the first man who failed to fight to the
last. They had a great respect for this wonderful revolver, and they
immediately answered, "We are men."
So we pulled down the stream and soon came almost opposite Oshoria's
people. I gave orders to make for the town. On the shore stood about
one hundred and fifty fellows armed with spears and axes, and led by
ten men who had guns. All of them were making a great noise.
My men were all well armed, and, if I remember well, there were only
sixteen of us. I had my revolver in one hand and a double-barrelled
gun in the other. The men all had guns, which were placed beside them
in such a way that the natives on the shore could see them. At this
piece of bravado, Oshoria's men became very civil. They retreated as we
approached the landing; and instead of continuing their war-shouts and
firing at us, they received us peaceably, and shouted to us not to fire.
Damagondai's brother hurried down to meet me, and announced that there
was no palaver: I must not kill anybody. I was then led to where
the quarrelsome Oshoria stood. Looking at him with a stern look, I
reproached him for his conduct, telling him that if anybody had been
killed, the palaver would have been on his own head. He said he had
been vexed that I did not stop to see him on my way up; and, after
making further excuses, added, "Aouè olomé," "thou art a man;" an
expression used in several ways, either to designate a smart man or
a rascal, or, in the best sense, a very brave man. I was content to
accept it as an intended compliment.
I was presented with fruits and fowls, and we were presently the best
of friends. To show them what I could do in the way of shooting,
I brought down a little bird which sat on a very high tree. They
all declared that I must have a very big shooting fetich; and they
reverenced me greatly.
The next morning, I left Oshoria, and once more I glided down the
placid waters of the Ogobai. I reached Washington in safety.
It was in the month of August, and the malaria of the Anengue marshes
began to tell on me. I fell sick with dysentery and symptoms of
malignant fever. In three days I took one hundred and eighty grains of
quinine, and thus happily succeeded in breaking the force of the fever,
which was the most dangerous of the two diseases. I was ill from the
18th to the 31st of August; and I did not regain my strength till the
9th of September. The Commi waited patiently for my recovery before
they would go through some of then ceremonies.
There was to be a _mbola ivoga_ at Biagano, that is, an end of the
mourning time, to be celebrated with ceremonies and a terrible noise.
When anyone of importance dies, the clan, or town, or the relatives,
cease to wear their best clothes, and make it a point to go unusually
dirty. No ornaments whatever, such as earrings or bracelets or beads,
are worn. This is the way they "mourn." Mourning lasts generally from
one year to two years. The ceremonies at the breaking-up of this
mourning are what I am now about to describe.
The man who had died left seven wives, a house, a plantation, several
slaves, and other property. All this the elder brother inherited;
and on him, as the heir, it devolved to give the grand feast. For
this feast every canoe that came brought jars of mimbo, or palm-wine.
Sholomba and Jombouai, the heir, with his people, had been out for
two weeks, fishing, and now returned with several canoe-loads of dry
fish. From his plantation a large supply of palm-wine was brought in.
The women and slaves had prepared a great quantity of food. Everything
needful was provided in great abundance.
In the village the people all got ready their best clothes and
furbished up their ornaments. Drums and kettles were collected for
music; powder was brought out for the salutes; and at last all was
ready for the mbola ivoga.
The seven wives of the deceased seemed quite jolly, for to-morrow they
were to lay aside their widows' robes, and to join in the jollification
as brides. The heir could have married them all; but he had generously
given up two to a younger brother, and one to a cousin. He had already
sixteen wives, and might well be content with only four more. Twenty
wives is a pretty good number.
No wonder the widows were glad to see the time of mourning over. For
two whole years they had been almost imprisoned in their husband's
house, hardly ever going out.
At seven o'clock three guns were fired off, to announce that the
widows had done eating a certain mess, mixed of various ingredients,
supposed to have magical virtues, and by which they are released from
their widowhood. This was the first part of the ceremony. They then
put on bracelets and anklets, and the finest calico they had. Some of
the Commi women wear brass anklets on each leg almost as high as the
knee, as you see represented in the picture. The weight must be between
twenty and thirty pounds on each leg. Besides these anklets, they wear
a few bracelets of the same material. On their necks they wear beads.
From early morning the guests had been coming, all bringing provisions
and mimbo (palm-wine) with them, and dressed in their best clothes.
There were several hundreds in all. The guests that lived far away had
come the day before. About nine o'clock all the guests sat down on
mats, spread about outside of the house of the deceased, and along the
main street. They were divided into little groups; and before each was
set an immense jar of mimbo, and food was spread before them. All began
to talk pleasantly, till, suddenly, the Biagano people fired off a
volley of about one hundred guns. This was the signal for the drinking
and eating to begin. Men, women, and children set to, and ate as much
as they could; and from this time till the next morning the orgies were
continued without interruption. They drank, they sang, they shouted,
they fired guns, and loaded them so heavily when they got tipsy that
I wonder the old trade-guns did not burst. They drummed on everything
that could possibly give out a noise. The women danced--such dances
as are not seen elsewhere! You may imagine what they were, when every
woman was so furiously tipsy.
This mbola ivoga would have lasted probably for several days, but the
victuals and palm-wine finally gave out.
Next day, about sunrise, Jombouai came and asked me to assist at the
concluding ceremony; for I had told him that I wanted to see every
scene of the mbola ivoga. His brother's house, according to the custom,
was to be torn down and burned--yes, burned to the ground, so that not
a vestige of it would remain to remind the people that once there stood
a house whose possessor was dead.
The people came around the house and fired guns; then, in a moment, as
if they were an infuriated mob, they hacked the old house to pieces
with axes and cutlasses; then they set fire to it. When the ruins were
burnt, the feast was done.
This is the way they go out of mourning among the Commi. The widows
were all married again, and, until another death should occur,
everything would go smoothly again.
Hardly were the rejoicings over, when Ishungui, the man who had
faithfully taken care of my house in my absence, lay at death's door.
He had gone out on Jombouai's fishing excursion, in order to catch fish
for the mbola ivoga which I have just described. He caught cold, and
had now a lung fever. The people called for me. I knew as soon as I saw
him that he must die, and I tried to prepare his mind for the change.
But his friends and relatives by no means gave him up. They sent for
a distinguished fetich doctor, and under his auspices they began the
infernal din with which they seek to cure a dying man. I am afraid the
cure is worse than the disease.
One of the Commi people's theories of disease is, that Obambou (the
devil) has got into the sick man, and as long as the devil remains in
the body there is no hope of curing the man. Now this devil is only to
be driven out by noise, and accordingly a great crowd surround the sick
man and beat drums and kettles close to his head, fire off guns close
to his ears, and in every part of the house they sing, shout, dance,
and make all the noise they can. This lasts till the poor fellow either
dies or is better; but I must say that he generally dies, unless the
operators get tired out first.
Ishungui died. He left no property, and his brother buried him in the
sand, without a coffin, in a grave so shallow (as is the custom) that,
when I came upon it some days after, I saw that the wild beasts had
been there and eaten the corpse.
The mourning was short in this case; it lasted only six days. There
were no wives or property; there was no feast. The relatives of the
deceased slept one night in his house, as a mark of respect.
Among the Commi it is the custom, when a man has died, to keep the
_nchougou_. The nchougou is a feast that takes place generally, if
not always, after the man has been dead six days. There is drinking,
eating, and dancing; but the rejoicing is not so uproarious as the
ceremony of the mbola ivoga. Then the mourning begins. I think you will
agree with me that the nchougou is a most extraordinary custom.
After Ishungui had died, it became necessary to discover the persons
who had bewitched the dead man; for the Commi said, "How is it that
a young man, generally healthy, should die so suddenly?" This they
did not believe to be natural; hence they attributed his death to
sorcerers, and were afraid that the sorcerers would kill other people.
A canoe had been despatched up to Lake Anengue to bring down a great
doctor. They brought down one of Damagondai's sons, a great rascal. He
had been foremost in selling me the idol, or _mbuiti_, of the slaves of
which I spoke to you, and he was an evident cheat.
When all was ready for the trial, I went down to look at the doctor,
who looked really diabolical. I never saw a more ugly-looking object.
He had on a high head-dress of black feathers. His eyelids were painted
red, and a red stripe, from the nose upward, divided his forehead into
two parts; another stripe passed around his head. The face was painted
white, and on each side of the mouth were two round red spots. About
his neck hung a necklace of grass, and also a cord, which held a box
against his breast. This little box is sacred, and contains spirits.
A number of strips of leopard's skin, and of skin of other animals,
crossed his breast, and were exposed about his person; and all these
were charmed and had charms attached to them. From each shoulder down
to his hands was a white stripe, and one hand was painted quite white.
To complete this horrible array, he wore around his body a string of
little bells.
He sat on a box. Before him stood another box containing charms. On
this stood a looking-glass, before which lay a buffalo-horn. In this
horn there was some black powder, and it was said to be the refuge
of many spirits. The doctor had also a little basket of snake-bones,
which he shook frequently during his incantations, and several skins,
to which little bells were attached. Near by stood a fellow beating a
board with two sticks.
All the people of the village gathered about this couple. The doctor
had, no doubt, impressed the people with his great power. His
incantations were continued for a long time, and at last came to the
climax. Jombouai was told to call over the names of persons in the
village, in order that the doctor might ascertain if any of those named
were sorcerers. As each name was called, the old cheat looked in the
looking-glass to see the result.
During the whole operation I stood near him, which seemed to trouble
him greatly. At last, after all the names were called, the doctor
declared that he could not find any "witch-man," but that an evil
spirit dwelt in the village, and many of the people would die if it
continued there. I have a suspicion that this final judgment with which
the incantations broke up was a piece of revenge upon me. I had no idea
until the next day how seriously the word of one of these _ougangas_
(doctors) is taken.
The next morning all was excitement. The people were scared. They said
their mbuiti was not willing to have them live longer here; that he
would kill them, etc. Then began the removal of all kinds of property,
and the tearing down of houses, and by nightfall I was actually
left alone in my house with a Mpongwe boy and my little Ogobai boy,
Macondai, both of whom were anxious to be off.
Old Ranpano came to beg me not to be offended; he said that he dared
not stay; that the mbuiti was now in town. He advised me as a friend to
move also; but nobody wished me ill, only he must go, and would build
his house not far off.
I did not like to abandon my house and settlement at Washington, which
it had cost me a good deal of trouble to build. I called a meeting of
the people, and it was with the greatest difficulty that I could get
some of my own canoe boys and a few men to come and stay at my place.
These began immediately to build themselves houses, and a little
village was built, of which I was now, to my great surprise, offered
the sovereignty. I remembered how the new king was made in the Gaboon,
and I did not know but that the Commi had the same custom. The thought
of the ceremony which precedes the assumption of royalty deterred me.
Finally, the men determined to have me as their chief, next to Ranpano;
and with this my ambition was satisfied.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: WOLF HUNTING.]