may fetch aromatic or bitter leaves from the woods, and make a decoction of them, wring them in water, or in some way extract their properties. Perhaps he may add a small scraping of a snake’s head, of a few nuts or seeds, or of some mysterious articles in his bundle of charms. There is an endless variety of procedure.
Mr. Comber was recently watching a ‘doctoring’ at Ngombe. A chief, Lutete, was sick, and the people were very anxious about him. The doctor called for a fowl, a string was tied to its leg, and the other end to Lutete’s arm. After some mysterious actions, and placing some white marks with pipeclay upon the body of the sufferer, he proceeded to push the complaint from the extremities into the body, from the body into the arm, and finally succeeded in drawing the disease down the arm, through the string, and into the unfortunate fowl, which doubtless was little the worse for its vicarious position, until the doctor had it killed for his evening meal.
There is far more knavery than skill in all their doctoring. If the disease does not yield to such treatment, other doctors are called in; and as matters become more serious, it is evidently not a simple case of sickness, for it will not yield to skilful physicians; it must be a case of witchcraft. The sufferer now becomes terribly anxious, and Nganga-a-moko (the charms doctor) is called in. His duty is to tell what and why the patient ails. He may say that it is a simple sickness, and prescribe accordingly. Or if he deems it really serious, he declares it to be a case of witchcraft. He professes to be able to ascertain who is ‘witching’ the sufferer; but as it is not his business to mention names, he does not do so, neither do people inquire. Having made thorough diagnosis, he shouts to the witch, who is spoken of as Nximbi (x = sh), to let his patient alone, to let him live. ‘Does he not know that this wicked course will bring its deserts? If he persists in destroying his victim the witch doctor will surely find him out.’ Then all the people join in calling upon the unknown Nximbi to relinquish his victim. The agony of mind of the sufferer, and of those dear to him, can be imagined.