Fetichism in West Africa; forty years' observation of native customs and superstitions . not havedone that. Why? Because somewhere and sometimeit will follow us and will bite us. Let us go back to refused, and insisted on our proceeding with the days might better have yielded to their request. It was as if Iwere under an Ancient Mariners curse. My snake was asbad as his albatross. My men either could not or would went wrong. They worked without heart andunder dread. What they built that day was done with somany mistakes that I had to tear it down. I did not fullya
Fetichism in West Africa; forty years' observation of native customs and superstitions . not havedone that. Why? Because somewhere and sometimeit will follow us and will bite us. Let us go back to refused, and insisted on our proceeding with the days might better have yielded to their request. It was as if Iwere under an Ancient Mariners curse. My snake was asbad as his albatross. My men either could not or would went wrong. They worked without heart andunder dread. What they built that day was done with somany mistakes that I had to tear it down. I did not fullyappreciate at that time, but I do not now think that theywere intentionally disobedient or recalcitrant. Just as wellcompel a crew of ignorant sailors to start their voyage on aFriday. The fear of ominous birds and other animals isover all Africa. In Garenganze, according to Arnot, manyhave a superstitious dread of the horned night-owl. Its cryis considered an evil omen, which can only be counteractedeffectually by possessing a whistle made out of the windpipeof the same kind of THE FETICH IN CUSTOMS 199 Jackals, wild dogs, also are very much disliked. Theweird cry of one of these animals will arouse the people of awhole village, who will rush out and call upon the spirit-possessed animal to be quiet and leave them, or to come intothe village, and they will feed and satisfy it. When travelling, they are careful to notice the directionthis animal may take. Should its cry come from the direc-tion in which they are going, they will not venture a stepfarther until certain divinations have been performed thatthey may learn the nature of the calamity about to The chameleon is an object of dread to all natives whereverI have lived. I have never met, even among the most civ-ilized, any man or woman who would touch one. For friend-ship, or to make a sale, they would bring it to me at theend of a long stick, in my various efforts at zoological andother collections. The
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