Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 15, 1904.djvu/271

hut was despoiled of a considerable amount of clothing one evening while we were at dinner. Then my store hut was invaded on two separate occasions. All our efforts to trace the thieves were unavailing, so, without consulting my husband, I sent for old 'Mputing, and asked him to find the thieves for me. He volunteered to "doctor" me so that no one should be able to steal from me again. I consented, and, calling the servants, went outside to the store hut. One or two individuals had followed the "doctor" and our assembly was augmented by a couple of neighbouring servants. I opened the store hut door and stood by the old "doctor" at the entrance. He called for a vessel full of clear water into which he threw several pebbles, making mystic signs over them. These he made me take out and place on the side of the vessel, after which he told me to place it as it was on a shelf in the store hut, and to leave if for three sunrises, after which I might throw away the water, but I must keep the pebbles always, as they were charms. He then drew a circle round me, bade me bare my left arm up to the shoulder, and with many signs and incantations he proceeded to scratch my arm just below the shoulder and round the wrist with a wonderful looking instrument which he dipped into a nasty sticky dark substance. This I was forbidden to wash until it had thoroughly dried, and it was some days ere it completely disappeared. The next item in the programme was "throwing the bones." I stood in the centre of the mystic ring with the old doctor kneeling or rather crouching in front of me, and facing our most interested and impressed audience. The bones were "thrown" inside the circle. I was then told that my treatment was completed, and that henceforth I should be under the protection of the lightning god. 'Mputing then solemnly warned the onlookers that they or anyone else would meet with a speedy death if they tried again to rob me; then picking up his bag he bade me lumela (good-day), and departed to the village to warn