Zanzibar and the East Coast of Africa [pp. 70-87]

82 ~anzibar and the East Coast of Africa. [July
life on these occasion~ is appalling, nd the horns, and others again shouted at the top
custom likewise obtains in many a petty of their voices, to t:he accompaniment of the
chiefdom; but in these latter cases the vic- clapping of their hands-altogether produc
tims are generally kept in suspense for many ing a most infernal din. The males and
months before the holocaust is finally con- females fbrming these couples remained in
summated. It is a very disgusting subject the same spot and danced close to, and in
to speak of, but I will hurry over it. The front of, each other, gesticulating, grinning,
deceased chief is kept above ground till he wagging their heads, and throwing their
has arrived at an advanced stage of decom- limbs into the most fantastic contortions of
position, so that there can be no doubt of which their bodies were capable, at the
of his being really dead. A variety of cere- same time that they kept constantly changmonies are then gone through, and prepara- ing their respective positions. As the wotions made for the interment. An immense men took the inside the men came out, and
circular and deep grave is dug in the alluvial vice versa; but they managed their moveearth, (this description of soil is the rule ments with so much regularity that all the
and rocks and stones the exception through- women were inside at once, and then the
out the greater part of Africa, that is not a men, so that the effect was at the sanie time
sandy desert). Five wooden stools are then grotesque and picturesque. The costumes
placed in the centre, and on these sit the were of the most scanty description, consistfive principal wives of the departed, whose ing mostly of a cloth round the loins; but
head rests on the lap of the oldest wife, and some of the women had a cotton garment
his arms and legs on those of the other four. from the shoulder to the knee. The defiRound this group squat closely together the cien~y, however, was made up for in anremainder of the unfortunate victims, some- other way: they all, men and women, had
times numbering several hundreds, and after strings of small calabashes, or gourds, fasta chorus of farewell from the doomed mass, ened round the legs from the knee to the
a host of blacks rush forward and shovel ankle. These had the pulp extracted, and
earth on them till they are completely cov- replaced by a small quantity of coarse gravel,
ered with some feet of mould. In spite of which, as they distorted and moved their
the superincumbent weight a heaving up limbs, produced a curious kind of rattling,
from below is noticeable for several minutes and, I must say, at the same time exhilarat-then all is still. Well, all this had taken ing, music. The excitement and novelty of
place just a week before I arrived on the the scene were so great that for the first
spot, and I was told that the wives so sacri- moment or two I could scarcely realize that
ficed were from one to two hundred in num- they were human beings who were so franber. Of course, for obvious reasons, I did tically disporting themselves. Then I almost
not approach the site of the interment, but wished myself converted into a black-their
contented myself with viewing the festive enjoyment seemed so intense; and it was
scene. You can fancy about three hundred with some difficulty that I could refrain
couples of men and women, of almost de- (young as I was at the time) from following
moniacal figures, (you will recollect what I the example of some of my attendant~, who
have said before about the disfigurement of became perfectly wild, and, seizing women
their faces and bodies,) forming a circle from the crowd around, thrust them into the
around a primitive band of musicians; some circle and began a dance as outrageous in
of whom banged away with ropes' ends on character as the rest.
copper or brazen vessels turned upside down, During these excursions I was enabled to
whilst others blew rams', antelopes', or cows' make a good collection of native weapons,