WONDER OF THE NATIVES AT MY WATERBURY CLOCK, MAGNET, MATCHES AND
MUSIC-BOX—CHARACTER OF MOMBO’S PLANTATION.
The following morning I got up before any one, and immediately wound my
Waterbury clock and hung it on the wall under the veranda. “Ticktock,”
it went. Close to it I put my music-box, which immediately began to
play, my magnet, and a box of matches. Then I went back into my little
house and kept quiet there watching through a crack to see what would
happen outside.
After a while Regundo came out. The noise of the clock and of the
music-box attracted his attention. He looked at them with wonder, but
did not dare to approach them. He went to his house and soon came back
with his wife, and the two kept looking and listening to the music and
the tick of the clock. Soon Oshoria, Ogoola, Ngola and Quabi made their
appearance and these warriors, who had faced death so many times without
fear, were afraid. They all remained silent and spellbound before the
Waterbury clock and the music-box.
I came out and we saluted each other. Regundo, pointing with his finger
to the clock, said: “Oguizi, are there many spirits in this box? Are
they speaking to you now, or are they talking among themselves?”
I did not answer, but laughed at his question. Then they all went away.
It is wonderful how fast news travels in the forest, and the news of my
arrival, and of the clock, the music-box, and the matches had spread far
and wide, and all the slaves of King Mombo, of his brothers, and of
other great men of the neighborhood came in the afternoon to see the
Oguizi and the wonderful things he had with him.
Quite a change had taken place in the appearance of all the women from
the day before. They had made their toilet in order to appear beautiful
before me. They had rubbed their bodies with a compound called “yombo,”
composed of oil and the powder made from a kind of odoriferous red wood
which made their bodies fragrant; each wore a string of beads round her
waist; their hair was filled with little clay-balls of the size of peas
mixed with “yombo.” They were more or less tattooed. Some had tattooing
peculiar to the tribe to which they belonged, which was thought most
beautiful among the people who used it. Some had two broad stripes made
of a mass of small spots drawn from the back of the neck, joining
another broad stripe imitating a belt which went round their waists.
Others had different figures on their stomachs, others broad stripes
starting from their shoulders, forming a triangle with the apex
downward.
Each woman brought a present of food to me, a bunch of plantains, or a
chicken, a basket of sweet potatoes, of peanuts, or eggs. I thanked them
for their gifts and gave to each a string of beads to put round her
waist. Then Regundo gave me a goat. Oshoria, Ogoola, Ngola, Quabi, laid
before me a huge python about eighteen feet long, two monkeys, a gazelle
they had killed in the morning, and said, “Oguizi, eat those.” And the
crowd shouted, “You shall never be hungry while you are with us.”
Suddenly a man I had not seen before made his appearance. I noticed that
the people looked upon him with reverence. He was entirely covered with
charms, and his body was painted in different colors. He was old, tall,
very dark, his teeth had been filed to a point. His body was tattooed
all over with strange figures of beasts and men. His name was Angooka,
and he was a great medicine-man who had the reputation of making most
powerful charms by incantations. He made “mondahs” to protect men
against witchcraft, and to make them invulnerable against spears,
arrows, or bullets; others of his “mondahs” were supposed to give long
life, and luck in hunting and fishing. When men started for warlike or
hunting expeditions, they would always send for Angooka beforehand, and
after numerous incantations he would tell whether they should go or not.
Above all he could find out who were sorcerers or witches.
Angooka, who was on one of his plantations, had come with his slaves to
see the Oguizi. The first thing he did was to look at the clock and
music-box and listen to them; but after all, though a great
medicine-man, he was not braver than the rest of the people on this
occasion and he would not come near the clock or music-box.
To all the natives the clock and music-box were supernatural things far
above their idols; spirits dwelt there talking to me in a language that
was very peculiar and that nobody but I could understand. I did not
wonder at their wonder, for they never had seen a clock or music-box in
their lives. How could such noise come out unless there were life
inside?
Raising my voice, I said: “Men and women look at me.” Then I took my box
of matches, and lighted one before them. A wild shout was uttered by all
at the same time. They did not seem to believe their own eyes. I shouted
again, “Look at me.” Then came a profound silence. I lighted another
match. Another shout of astonishment. Then with one voice they cried,
“Great indeed is our Oguizi, the friend of King Mombo.”
Then I took my magnet, and I told Regundo to give me the small knife he
had by his side. He did so. I placed it next the magnet where it held
fast. Another wild shout of wonder was the result. Then I told Ashoonga,
Regundo’s wife, to bring me an iron needle, one of their own make. Then
they saw the needle hang to the magnet without falling, and as I put the
needle upon the stool, upon which I had been seated, they saw the needle
fly to the magnet. There was a great silence during this exhibition of
the power of the magnet. Then rose a mighty shout from the throats of
all, even from Angooka, the great medicine-man.
I did not want Angooka to be jealous, so I made friends with him and
presented him with five matches. In his eyes it was a very great gift,
for which he thanked me and then he invited me to come to his
plantation. Then I called Regundo and Oshoria, and told them to fill
their pipes with tobacco, which they did. “Put them in your mouths, I
will light them with this,” I said to them, showing them a match at the
same time. As they seemed afraid, I said, “Be without fear, for I, the
Oguizi, am your friend.”
[Illustration: “_Then came a profound silence. I lighted another
match_”]
I lighted a match, put it over the pipe of Regundo and ordered him to
smoke. When they saw the smoke coming out of the pipe, a tremendous
shout rose. There was no mistake, their eyes did not deceive them; it
was real fire. Then Oshoria wanted his pipe lighted also and after him
nearly all the men and women filled their pipes and asked me to light
theirs for them also. I lighted over fifty pipes.
After this I called the great medicine-man, and taking my watch out of
my pocket held it to his ear. He jumped when he heard it tick, and
shouted his astonishment. Then I went into my little house and came out
with “Omemba,” the stick of King Mombo, and at its sight they all
shouted “We will obey you.” The penalty for any man taking “Omemba”
without its being given to him by King Mombo was death.
The hunters and I became good friends at once, and almost every evening
some of them came to see me. One evening as I was seated by a blazing
fire which threw its light around us, I said to those about me, “Tell me
how you travel and how you go hunting in this great forest.” Regundo got
up and replied, “In the forest there are many paths. These lead from one
village to another, or from one tribe to another, or to the plantations.
Among many tribes the paths used as highways of communication have to
pass through the villages, and if one wishes to avoid those villages he
has to go through the forest until he gets by. There are many hunting
paths. These are not easy to follow, for they are little used, and often
they are very intricate, and it is difficult to find the way back. There
are also paths used to mislead people. Often these end abruptly in the
forest, just as hunting paths do.”