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Article REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. ← Page 5 of 11 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Review Of New Publications.
We now follow our author into the interior country , among a race of mortals living in the primitive innocence of nature , and uncontaminated by an intercourse with the luxuries and vices of polished life . The following account of a supposed witch , whom M . Le Vaillant met with among the lesser Nimiquas , must prove entertaining to our readers . ' In less than five hours we came in sight of a horde of the less Nimiquas : and , as my caravan might occasion an alarm , Schoenmaker advanced before
us to inform them who we were . This was the largest horde 1 had yet met with , having not less than fifty or sixty huts , separated into three divisions . At our approach , all the inhabitants assembled together . I had never before seen so many savages in a body ; so that it was a sight to me somewhat striking and awful . Curiosity prompted them all to advance . I was sur-¦ rounded by them . Every one wanted to see and come near me . All spoke at once ; so that I heard nothing but a confused humwhichthough
deafen-_ , , ing , was interesting to me , from the tone of friendship which it breathed . ' Presently a female voice was heard , which prevailed over all the rest , and occasioned a general ' silence . It was that of an old Hottentot named Kakoes , who passed for a witch throughout the whole country . The company opened to make way for her , and she advanced towards me , uttering the most frightful cries . Her howling alarmed me . I was apprehensive it announced the horror she felt at and that she would excite the '
my presence , horde to fall upon me , by representing me as a suspicious person or an enemy . Who could have thought it ? This bellowing was the expression of her good will . On coming up to me , she pressed my cheeks roughly with both her hands , and embraced me in a similar manner . These tokens of kindness were succeeded by others , mingled with skipping , jumping , and antics of all kinds . Now she spoke to me with inconceivable fire and volubility ; then addressing the company in words I did not understand , she pointed to
me with her hand , and applied her fist to the pit of my stomach . l My interpreter , KlaasBaster , was by me : but in vain did I request him to explain to me what the pythoness said . Scarcely had he begun to translate a single sentence , before she had finished ten more . At length expressing herself more clearly , with a gesture too significant for me to misapprehend , she demanded of me some of the water of my country . This very intelligible language I answered by a bumper of brandy , which I poured out into
a large goblet , and she took it off at a single draught . On this she began to play her pranks more violently than before : she danced , sung , laughed , and cried , all at once ; every now and then presenting me her goblet to fill . This was replenished so often , that at last , her tongue and limbs both failing her , it became necessary to carry the priestess back to her temple . ' Hitherto the sorceress had appeared to me only as a bacchanalian , a person possessed , or rather a mad woman . I perceived nothing of that craft ,.
. that air of'being inspired , that affectation of profound science , that quackery which so well suit her pretended art . Unable to' guess the means by which she had impressed on her comrades so high an idea of her superiority , I . enquired by what acts she had manifested her talents , and I discovered her reputation to be founded only on ignorance , prejudice , and ridiculous credulity . The only proof of her power they cited was , that her cattle were never attacked by the lions or ti : but it is to he observedher cattle
gers , consisted of no more than six sheep and three cows ; and as to those belonging to the horde , though very numerous , they were seldom attacked , because they had several war-oxen to defend them , beside their keepers . Thus the real sorcerers were the dupes of the sorceress , since they were the only protestors of her few beasts _
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Review Of New Publications.
We now follow our author into the interior country , among a race of mortals living in the primitive innocence of nature , and uncontaminated by an intercourse with the luxuries and vices of polished life . The following account of a supposed witch , whom M . Le Vaillant met with among the lesser Nimiquas , must prove entertaining to our readers . ' In less than five hours we came in sight of a horde of the less Nimiquas : and , as my caravan might occasion an alarm , Schoenmaker advanced before
us to inform them who we were . This was the largest horde 1 had yet met with , having not less than fifty or sixty huts , separated into three divisions . At our approach , all the inhabitants assembled together . I had never before seen so many savages in a body ; so that it was a sight to me somewhat striking and awful . Curiosity prompted them all to advance . I was sur-¦ rounded by them . Every one wanted to see and come near me . All spoke at once ; so that I heard nothing but a confused humwhichthough
deafen-_ , , ing , was interesting to me , from the tone of friendship which it breathed . ' Presently a female voice was heard , which prevailed over all the rest , and occasioned a general ' silence . It was that of an old Hottentot named Kakoes , who passed for a witch throughout the whole country . The company opened to make way for her , and she advanced towards me , uttering the most frightful cries . Her howling alarmed me . I was apprehensive it announced the horror she felt at and that she would excite the '
my presence , horde to fall upon me , by representing me as a suspicious person or an enemy . Who could have thought it ? This bellowing was the expression of her good will . On coming up to me , she pressed my cheeks roughly with both her hands , and embraced me in a similar manner . These tokens of kindness were succeeded by others , mingled with skipping , jumping , and antics of all kinds . Now she spoke to me with inconceivable fire and volubility ; then addressing the company in words I did not understand , she pointed to
me with her hand , and applied her fist to the pit of my stomach . l My interpreter , KlaasBaster , was by me : but in vain did I request him to explain to me what the pythoness said . Scarcely had he begun to translate a single sentence , before she had finished ten more . At length expressing herself more clearly , with a gesture too significant for me to misapprehend , she demanded of me some of the water of my country . This very intelligible language I answered by a bumper of brandy , which I poured out into
a large goblet , and she took it off at a single draught . On this she began to play her pranks more violently than before : she danced , sung , laughed , and cried , all at once ; every now and then presenting me her goblet to fill . This was replenished so often , that at last , her tongue and limbs both failing her , it became necessary to carry the priestess back to her temple . ' Hitherto the sorceress had appeared to me only as a bacchanalian , a person possessed , or rather a mad woman . I perceived nothing of that craft ,.
. that air of'being inspired , that affectation of profound science , that quackery which so well suit her pretended art . Unable to' guess the means by which she had impressed on her comrades so high an idea of her superiority , I . enquired by what acts she had manifested her talents , and I discovered her reputation to be founded only on ignorance , prejudice , and ridiculous credulity . The only proof of her power they cited was , that her cattle were never attacked by the lions or ti : but it is to he observedher cattle
gers , consisted of no more than six sheep and three cows ; and as to those belonging to the horde , though very numerous , they were seldom attacked , because they had several war-oxen to defend them , beside their keepers . Thus the real sorcerers were the dupes of the sorceress , since they were the only protestors of her few beasts _