C. Kirkpatrick Sharpe, Historical Account of Belief in Witchcraft in Scotland [1819] Morison, Glasgow, 1884.

W. G. Sold an, Geschichte der Hexenprocesse [1843], herausgegeben von H. Heppe. 2 vols. Gotta, Stuttgart, 1880.
AN ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF OCCULTISM
Ab : (Semitic magical month). Crossing a river on the 20th of that month was supposed to bring sickness. In ancient texts it states that if a man should eat the flesh of swine on the 30th of Ab, he will be plagued with boils.
Abaddon : (The Destroyer). Chief of the demons of the seventh hierarchy. Abaddon is the name given by St. John in the Apocalypse to the king of the grasshoppers. He is sometimes regarded as the destroying angel.
Abadie (Jeannette) : A young sorceress of the village of Sibourre, in Gascony. She was sleeping one day in her father's house while high mass was being said. A demon, profiting by the opportunity, carried her off to the Devil's Sabbath, where she soon awoke to find herself in the midst of a large company. She observed that the principal demon had on his head two faces, like Janus. She did not participate in the revelry, and was transported to her home by the same means as she had been conveyed thence. On the threshold she found her amulet, which, the demon had taken the precaution to remove from her bosom before carrying her off. She made a confession of all that had happened, renounced her sorcery, and thus saved herself from the common fate of witches and sorcerers — the stake.
Abaiis : A Scythian, high priest of Apollo, and renowned magician. In so flattering a manner did he chant the praises of Apollo, his master, that the god gave him a golden arrow, on which he could ride through the air like a bird, so that the Greeks called him the Aerobate. Pytha- goras, his pupil, stole this arrow from him, and accom- plished many wonderful feats by its aid. Abaris foretold the future, pacified storms, banished disease, and lived without eating or drinking. He made with the bones of Pelops, a statue of Minerva, which he sold to the Trojans as a talisman descended from heaven. This was the famous Palladium, which, protected and rendered im- pregnable the town wherein it was lodged.
Abdelazys : An Arabian astrologer of the tenth century, generally known in Europe by his Latin name of Alchabi- tius. His treatise on astrology was so much prized that it was translated into Latin and printed in 1473. Other editions have since appeared, the best being that of Venice (1503) entitled Alchabitius cum commento. Translated by John of Seville. (Hispalensis.)
Aben-Ragel : An Arabian astrologer, born at Cordova, at the beginning of the fifth century. He was the author of a book of horoscopes according to the inspection of the stars, a Latin translation of which was published at Venice, 1485, under the title of De Judiciis seu fatis stellarum. It was said that his predictions were fulfilled in a remarkable manner.
Abigor : According to Wierius (q.v.), Grand Duke of Hades. He is shown in the form of a handsome knight, bearing lance, standard, or sceptre. He is a demon of the superior order, and responds readily to questions concerning war. He can foretell the future, and instructs the leaders how to make themselves respected by the soldiers. Sixty of the infernal regions are at his command.
Abishai : (See Devil.)
Abou-Ryhan : An Arabian astrologer whose real name was Mohammed-ben-Ahmed, to whom is ascribed the intro- duction of Judicial Astrology (q.v.) Many stories were told
of him in the East, to show that he possessed in an extra- ordinary degree the power to read the future.
Abra Melin : (See Abraham the Jew.)
Abracadabra : A magical word said to be formed from the letters of the abraxas, and written thus : A A B A B R ABRA A B R A C A B R A C A A B R A C A D ABRACADA ABRACADAB ABRACADABR ABRACADABRA or the reverse way. The pronunciation of this word, according to Julius Africanus, was equally efficacious either way. By Serenus Sammonicus it was used as a spell to cure asthma. Abracalan or aracalan is another form of the word, and is said to have been regarded as the name of a god in Syria and as a magical symbol by the Jews. But it seems doubtful whether the abracadabra, or its synonyms, was really the name of a deity or not. (See Abraxas.)
Abraham, The Jew : (Alchemist and magician, circa, 1400). Comparatively few biographical facts are forthcoming concerning this German Jew, who was at once alchemist, magician and philosopher ; and these few facts are mostly derived from a very curious manuscript, now domiciled in the Archives of the Bibliotheque de 1' Arsenal, Paris, an institution rich in occult documents. This manuscript is couched throughout in French, but purports to be literally translated from Hebrew, and the style of the handwriting indicates that the scribe lived at the beginning of the eighteenth century, or possibly somewhat earlier. A distinct illiteracy characterises the French script, the punctuation being inaccurate, indeed frequently conspicuous by its absence, but an actual description of the document must be waived till later. A braham was probably a narive of Mayence, and appears to have been born in 1362. We find that his father, Simon by name, was something of a seer and magician, and that the boy accordingly commenced his occult studies under the parental guidance, while at a later date he studied under one, Moses, whom he him- self describes as " indeed a good man, but entirely ignorant of The True Mystery, and of The Veritable Magic." Leav- ing this preceptor, Abraham decided to glean knowledge by travelling, and along with a friend called Samuel, a Bohemian by birth, he wandered through Austria and Hungary into Greece, and thence penetrated to Con- stantinople, where he remained fully two years. He is found next in Arabia, in those days a veritable centre of mystic learning ; and from Arabia he went to Palestine, whence betimes he proceeded to Egypt. Here he had the good fortune to make the acquaintance of Abra- Melin, the famous Egyptian philosopher, who, besides entrusting to him certain documents, confided in him by word of mouth a number of invaluable secrets ; and armed thus, Abraham left Egypt for Europe, where eventu-
Abraham
Adam
ally he settled at Wurzburg in Germany. Soon he was deep in alchemistic researches, but these did not prevent him from espousing a wife, who appears to have been his cousin ; and by her he had three daughters and also two sons, the elder named Joseph and the younger Lamech. He took great pains to instruct both of them in occult affairs, while, on each of his three daughters, he settled a dowry of a hundred thousand golden florins. This con- siderable sum, together with other vast wealth, he claims to have gained by travelling as an alchemist ; and whatever the truth of this statement, he certainly won great fame, being summoned to perform acts of magic before many rich and influential people, notably the Emperor Sigismund of Germany, the Bishop of Wurzburg, King Henry VI. of England, the Duke of Bavaria, and Pope John XXIII. The remainder of Abraham's career is shrouded in mystery, while even the date of his death is uncertain, but it is commonly supposed to have occurred about 1460.
The curious manuscript cited above, and from which the foregoing facts have been culled, is entitled The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra.-Melin, as delivered by Abraham the Jew unto his son Lamech. This title, however, is rather misleading, and not strictly accurate, for Abra-Melin had absolutely no hand in the opening part of the work, this consisting of some account of Abraham's own youth and early travels in search of wisdom, along with advice to the young man aspiring to become skilled in occult arts. The second part, on the other hand, is based on the documents which the Egyptian sage handed to the Jew, or at least on the confidences wherewith the former favoured the latter ; and it may be fairly accurately defined as dealing with the first principles of magic in general, the titles of some of the more important chapters being as follows : " How Many, and what are the Classes of Veritable Magic ? " " What we Ought to Take into Consideration before the Undertaking of the Operation," " Concerning the Convocation of the Spirits," and " In what Manner we ought to Carry out the Operations." Passing to the third and last part, this likewise is mostly derived straight from Abra-Melia ; and here the author, eschewing theoretical matter as far as possible, gives information about the actual practice of magic. In the first place he tells how " To procure divers Visions," " How one may retain the Familiar Spirits, bound or free, in whatsoever form," and how " To excite Tempests," while in one chapter he Ireats of raising the dead, another he devotes to the topic of transforming oneself into " divers shapes and forms," and in further pages he descants on flying in the air, on demolishing buildings, on discovering thefts, and on walking under the water. Then he dilates on the Thaumaturgic healing of leprosy, dropsy, paralysis, and various more common ailments such as fever and sea- sickness, while he offers intelligence on " How to be be- loved by a Woman," and this he supplements by directions for commanding the favour of popes, emperors, and other influential people. Finally, he reverts to the question of summoning visions, and his penultimate chapter is en- titled, " How to cause Armed Men to Appear," while his concluding pages treat of evoking " Comedies, Operas, and all kinds of Music and Dances."
It is by employing Kabalistic squares of letters that all these things are to be achieved, or at least, almost all of them, and lack of space makes it impossible to deal with the many different signs of this sort, whose use the seer counsels. But it behoves to ask what manner of personal- ity exhales from these curious pages ? What kind of temp.erament ? And the answer is that Abraham is shown as a man of singularly narrow mind, heaping scorn on most other magicians, and speaking with great derision of nearly all mystical writings save his own and those of his
hero, Abra-Melin Moreover, he inveighs fiercely against all those who recant the religion in which they were bred, and contends that no one guilty of this will ever attain skill in magic ; yet it should be said, in justice to the seer, that he manifests little selfishness, and seems to have striven after success in his craft with a view to using it for the benefit of mankind in general. His writings reflect besides, a firm belief in that higher self existing in every man, and a keen desire to develop it. {See Flamel.) Abraxas : (or Abracax). The Basilidian (q.v.,) sect of Gnostics, of the second century, claimed Abraxas as their supreme god, and said that Jesus Christ was only a phantom sent to earth by him. They believed that his name con- tained great mysteries, as it was composed of the seven Greek letters which form the number 365, which is also the number of days in a year. Abraxas, they thought, had under his command 365 gods, to whom they attributed 365 virtues, one for each day. The older Mythologists placed him among the number of Egyptian gods, and demonologists have described him as a demon, with the head of a king and with serpents forming his feet. He is represented on ancient amulets, with a whip in his hand. It is from his name that the mystic word, Abracadabra (q.v.) is taken. Many stones and gems cut in various symbolic forms, such as the head of a fowl, a serpent, and so forth, were worn by the Basilidians as amulets. Abred : The innermost of three concentric circles represent- ing the totality of being in the British Celtic cosmogony. (See Celts.) The stage of struggle and evolution against Cythrawl, the power of evil. (See also BardJas.) Absolute (Theosophist) : Of the Absolute, the Logos, the Word of God, Theosophists profess to know nothing further than that it exists. The universes with their solar systems are but the manifestations of this Being, which man is capable of perceiving, and all of them are instinct with him, but what man can perceive is not the loftier manifestations but the lower. Man himself is an emanation from the Absolute with which he will ultimately be re-united. Abyssum : A herb used in the ceremony of exorcising a haunted house. It is signed with the sign of the cross, and hung up at the four corners of the house. Aeherat : (See Cagliostro.)
Achmet : An Arabian soothsayer of the ninth century. He wrote a book on The Interpretation of Dreams, following the doctrines of the East. The original is lost, but the Greek and Latin translations were printed at Paris, in 1603. Aconee (Jacques) : Curate of the diocese of Trent, who became a Calvinist in 1557, and came to England, While there he dedicated to Queen Elizabeth his famous work, on The Stratagems of Satan. This book, however; is not, as its title might indicate, a dissertation on demono- logy, but a spirited attack on intolerance. Adalbert : A French pseudo-mystic of the eighth century. He boasted that an angel had brought him reMcs of extra- ordinary sanctity from all parts of the earth. He claimed to be able to foretell the future, and to read thoughts. " I know what you have done," he would say to the people, " there is no need for confession. Go in peace, your sins are forgiven." His so-called " miracles " gained for him the awe of the multitude, and he was in the habit of giving away parings of his nails and locks of his hair as powerful amulets. He is even said to have set up an altar in his own name. In his history of his life, of which only a fragment remains, he tells us of miraculous powers bestowed by an angel at his birth. He showed to his disciples a letter which he declared had been brought to him from Jesus Christ by the hand of St. Michael. These, and similar blasphemies were put an end to by his being cast into prison, where he died. Adam, Book of the Penitence of : A manuscript in the Library
Adam
Adonai
of the Arsenal at Paris, which deals with Kabalistic tradition. It recounts how the sons of Adam, Cain and Abel, typifying brute force and intelligence, slew each other, and that Adam's inheritance passed to his third son, Seth. Seth, it is stated, was permitted to advance as far as the gate of the Earthly Paradise without being threat- ened by the guardian angel with his naming sword, which is to say that he was an initiate of occult science. He beheld the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge, which had become grafted upon each other so that they formed one tree. This is supposed by some to have symbolised the harmony of science and religion in the Kabala. The guardian angel presented Seth with three seeds from this tree, directing him to place them within the mouth of his father, Adam, when he expired. From this planting arose the burning bush out of which God communicated to Moses his holy name, and from a part of which Moses made his magic wand. This was placed in the Ark of the Coven- ant, and was planted by King David on Mount Zion, grew into a triple tree and was cut down by Solomon to form the pillars, Jachin and Boaz, which were placed at the entrance to the Temple. A third portion was inserted in the threshold of the great gate, and acted as a talisman, permitting no unclean thing to enter the sanctuary. Cer- tain wicked priests removed it however for purposes of their own, weighted it with stones, and cast it into the Temple reservoir, where it was guarded by an angel, who kept it from the sight of men. During the lifetime of Christ the reservoir was drained and the beam of wood discovered and thrown across the brook Kedron, over which our Saviour passed after his apprehension in the Garden of Olives. It was. taken by his executioners and made into the cross. In this legend we can see a marked similarity to those from which the conception of the Holy Grail arose. Man is restored by the wood through the instrumentality of which Adam, the first man, fell. The idea that the Cross was a cutting of the Tree of Knowledge was widespread in the middle ages, and may be found in the twelfth century Quete del St. Graal, ascribed to Walter Map, but probably only redacted by him. All the Kabalistic traditions are embodied in the allegory contained in the Book of the Penitence of Adam, and it undoubtedly supplements and throws considerable light on the entire Kabalistic literature. Adam, (L'Abbe) : About the time that the Templars were being driven from France, the Devil appeared, under various guises, to the Abbe Adam, who was journeying, attended by one of the servants from his convent, to a certain part of his abbacy of the Vaux de Cernay. The evil spriit first opposed the progress of the worthy Abbe under the form of a tree white with frost, which rushed towards him with inconceivable swiftness. The Abbe's horse trembled with fear, as did the servant, but the Abbe himself made the sign of the Cross, and the tree disappeared. The good man concluded that he had seen the Devil, and called upon the Virgin to protect him. Nevertheless, the fiend shortly reappeared in the shape of a furious black knight. " Be- gone," said the Abbe. " Why do you attack me far from my brothers ? " The Devil once more left him, only to return in the shape of a tall man, with a long, thin neck. Adam, to get rid of him, struck him a blow with his fist. The evil spirit shrank and took the stature and counten- ance of a little cloaked monk, with a glittering weapon under his dress. His little eyes could be seen darting and glancing under his cowl. He tried hard to strike the Abbe with the sword he held, but the latter repulsed the strokes with the sign of the Cross. The demon became in turn a pig and a long-eared ass. The Abbe, impatient to be gone, made a circle on the ground with a cross in the centre. The fiend was then obliged to withdraw to a little distance. He changed his long ears into horns, which
did not hinder the AbM from boldly addressing him. Offended by his plain-speaking, the Devil changed himself into a barrel and rolled into an adjoining field. In a short time he returned in the form of a cart-wheel, and, without giving the brother time to put himself on the defensive, rolled heavily over his body, without, however, doing him any injury. After that he left him to pursue his journey in peace. (See Gaguin, Regne de Philippe le Bel, and Gerinet, Hist, de la Magie en France, p. 82.)
Adamantius : A Jewish doctor, who became a Catholic at Constantinople in the time of Constantine, to whom he dedicated his two books on Physiognomy, or, the art of judging people by their faces. This book, full of con- tradictions and fantasies, was printed in the Scrip- tores Physiognomoniae veteres, of Franzius, at Attembourg, in 1780.
Adamnan : (See Scotland.)
Addanc of the Lake : A monster that figures in the Mabinogi legend of Peredur. Peredur obtains a magic stone which renders him invisible, and he thus succeeds in slaying this monster, which had daily killed the inhabitants of the palace of the King of Tortures.
Adelung, (Jean Christophe) : A German author, born in 1732, who has left a work entitled, Histoire des folies humaines, on Biographie des plus celebres necromanciens, alchimistes, devins, etc. (Leipsic, 1 785-1 789.) A delung died at Dresden in 1806.
Adepts are men who after stern self-denial and by means of consistent self-development, have fitted themselves to assist in the ruling of the world. The means by which this position is attained is said to be long and arduous, but in the end the successful one has fulfilled the purpose for which he was created and transcends his fellows. The activities of Adepts are multifarious, being concerned with the direction and guidance of the activities of the rest of mankind. Their knowledge, like their powers, say Theoso- phists, far exceeds that of man, and they can control forces both in the spiritual and the physical realm, and are said to be able to prolong their lives for centuries. They are also known as the Great White Brotherhood, Rishis, Rahats, or Mahatmas. Those who earnestly desire to work for the betterment of the world may become appren- tices or chelas to Adepts, in which case the latter are known as " masters," but the apprentice must first have practised self-denial and self-development in order to become suffi- ciently worthy. The master imparts teaching and wisdom otherwise unattainable, and helps the apprentice by com- munion and inspiration. Madame Blavatsky (q.v.) al- leged that she was the apprentice of these masters, and claimed that they dwelt in the Tibetan Mountains. The term Adept was also employed by mediaeval magicians and alchemists to denote a master of their sciences.
Adhab- Algal : The Mohammedan purgatory, where the wicked are tormented by the dark angels Munkir and Nekir.
Adjuration : A formula of exorcism by which the evil spirit is commanded, in the name of God, to do or say what the exorcist requires of him.
Adonai : A Hebrew word signifying " the Lord," and used by the Hebrews when speaking or writing of Jehovah, the awful and ineffable name of the God of Israel. The Jews entertained the deepest awe for this incommuni- cable and mysterious name, and this feeling led them to avoid pronouncing it and to the substitution of the word Adonai for " Jehovah " in their sacred text. This custom still prevails among the Jews, who attribute to the pro- nouncement of the Holy Name the power of working miracles. The Jehovah of the Israelites was their invisible protector and king, and no image of him was made. He was worshipped according to his commandments, with an observance of the ritual instituted through Moses. The
Adoptive
Africa
term " Jehovah " means the revealed Absolute Deity, the Manifest, Only, Personal, Holy Creator and Redeemer. (See Magic, God, Egypt, Kabala.)
Adoptive Masonry : Masonic societies which adopt women as members. Early in the eighteenth century such societies were established in France, and speedily spread to other countries. One of the first to " adopt " women were the Mopses. The Felicitaries existed in 1742. The Fendeurs or Woodcutters were instituted in 1763 by Bauchaine, Master of a Parisian Lodge. It was modelled on the Carbonari, and its popu- larity led to the establishment of other lodges, notably the Fidelity, the Hatchet, etc. In 1774 the Grand Orient Lodge of France established a system of three degrees called the Rite of Adoption, and elected the Duchess of Bourbon as Grand Mistress of France. The rite has been generally adopted into Freemasonry, and various degrees added from time to time, to the number of about twelve in all. Latin and Greek mysteries were added to the rite by the Ladies' Hospitallers of Mount Tabor. The greatest ladies in France joined the French lodges of adoption. The Rite of Mizraim created lodges for both sexes in 1819, 1821, 1838 and 1853, and the Rite of Memphis in 1839. America founded the Rite of the Eastern Star in five points. In these systems admission is generally confined to the female relations of Masons. The Order of the Eastern Star and that of A doptive Masonry were attempted in Scotland, but without success.
Adrameiech : According to Wierius (q.v.,) Chancellor of the infernal regions, Keeper of the Wardrobe of the Demon King, and President of the High Council of the Devils. He was worshipped at Sepharvaim, an Assyrian town, where children were burned on his altar. The rabbis say that he shows himself in the form of a mule, or sometimes, of a peacock.
Adventists : (See America, U.S. of.)
Aeromancy : The art of foretelling future events by the observation of atmospheric phenomena, as, for example, when the death of a great man is presaged by the ap- pearance of a comet. Francois de la Tour Blanche says that aeromancy is the art of fortune-telling by means of spectres which are made to appear in the air, or the re- presentation by the aid of demons, of future events, which are projected on the clouds as if by a magic lantern. " As for thunder and lightning," he adds, " these are concerned with auguries, and the aspect of the sky and of the planets belong to the science of astrology."
Aetites or Aquilaeus : A precious stone of magical properties, composed of oxide of iron with a little silex and alumina, and said to be found in the stomach or neck of the eagle. It is supposed to heal falling sickness, and prevent untimely birth. It should be worn bound on the arm to prevent abortion, . and on the thigh to aid parturition.
Africa : (See Arabs, Egypt, Semites. The north of Africa is Mohammedan. This applies also to the Sudan and the Sahara. For Moorish Magic and Alchemy see Arabs. Instances of Arabic sorcery will also be found in the article " Semites." In West Africa Obeah is practised, for which see West Indies.)
Magic in savage Africa is of the lower cultus, and chiefly of the kind known as " sympathetic." (See Magic.) But spiritualistic influence shows itself in fetishism, the cult of the dead, ju-ju or witchcraft, and the cult of the witch- doctor.
Bantu Tribes. Among the Zulu and other Bantu tribes the cult of witchcraft was practised, but in secret, foi the results of detection were terrible. For the tracking of the witch, a caste of witch-finders was instituted, called " witch- doctors," whose duty it was to " smell out " the offenders. These were nearly all women.
" It is not difficult to understand," says Lady Barker, " bearing in mind the superstition and cruelty which existed in remote parts of England not so very long ago ; how powerful such women become among a savage people, or how tempting an opportunity they could furnish of getting rid of an enemy. Of course they are exceptional individuals ; more observant, more shrewd, and more dauntless than the average fat, hard-working Kaffir women, besides possessing the contradictory mixture of great physical powers and strong hysterical tendencies. They work themselves up to a pitch of frenzy, and get to believe as firmly in their, own supernatural discernment as any individual among the trembling circle of Zulus to whom a touch from the whisk they carry is a sentence of instant death."
The Zulu witch-finders are attended by a circle of black girls and women, who, like a Greek chorus, clap their hands together, and drone through a low monotonous chant, the measure and rhythm of which change at times with a stamp and a swing. Not less necessary is a ceremonial dress ; for such things appeal directly to the imagination of the crowd, and prepare them to be readily influenced by the necromancer's devices. The " Isinyanga," " Abangoma " or " witch-finders," whom Lady Barker describes for us, were attired with an eye for effect which would have done credit to a London theatre. It will suffice to depict one of them, by name Nozinyanga. Her fierce face, spotted with gouts of red paint on cheek and brow, was partly overshadowed by a helmet-like plume of the tall feathers of the sakabula bird. In her right hand she carried a light sheaf of assegais or lances, and on her left arm was slung a small and pretty shield of dappled ox-hide. Her petticoat, made of a couple of large gay handkerchiefs, was worn kilt-wise. But if there were little decoration in her skirts, the deficiency was more than compensated by the bravery of the bead-necklaces, the goat's-hair fringes, and the scarlet tassels which covered her from coat to waist. Her ample chest rose and fell beneath the baldric of leopard skin, fastened across it with huge brazen knobs, while down her back hung a beautifully dried and flattened skin of an enormous boa-constrictor.
When the community had resolved that a certain mis- fortune was due to the witches, the next step obviously would be to detect and punish them. For this purpose the king would summon a great meeting, and cause his subjects to sit on the ground in a ring or circle for four or five days. The witch-finders took their places in the centre, and as they gradually worked themselves up to a frantic state of frenzy, resembling demoniacal possession, they lightly switched with their quagga-tail one or other of the trembling spectators, who was immediately dragged away and butchered on the spot. And not only he, but all the living things in his hut — wives and children, dogs and cats — not one was left alive, nor was a stick left stand- ing. Sometimes a whole kraal would be exterminated in this way, and the reader will perceive how terrible the cruel custom could be made to gratify private revenge or to work the king's tyrannical inclinations.
A terrible little sorceress is described by Lady Barker under the name of Nozilwane, whose weird wistful glance had in it something uncanny and uncomfortable. She was dressed beautifully for her part, in lynx skins folded over and over from waist to knee, the upper part of her body, being covered by strings of avild beasts' teeth and fangs, beads, skeins of gaily-coloured yarn, strips of snake's skin, and fringes of Angora goat fleece. This, as a decora- tion, was both graceful and effective ; it was worn round the body and above each elbow, and fell in soft white flakes among the brilliant colouring and against the dusky skin. Lynx-tails depended like lappets on each side of
Africa
Africa
her face, which was over-shadowed and almost hidden by a profusion of sakabula feathers. " This bird," says Lady Barker, " has a very beautiful plumage, and is sufficiently rare for the natives to attach a peculiar value and charm to the tail-feathers ; they are like those of a young cock, curved and slender, and of a dark chesnut colour, with a white eye at the extreme tip of each feather." Among all this thick, floating plumage were interspersed small bladders, and skewers or pins wrought out of tusks. Each witch-finder wore her own hair, or rather wool, highly greased and twisted up with twine until it ceases to wear the appearance of hair, and hangs around the face like a thick fringe, dyed deep red.
Bent double, and with a creeping, cat-like gait, as if seeking a trail, out stepped Nozilwane. Every movement of her undulating body kept time to the beat of the girls' hands and their low crooning chant. Presently she pre- tended to find the thing she sought, and with a series of wild pirouettes, leaped into the air, shaking her spears and brandishing her little shield like a Bacchante. Nowamso, another of the party, was determined that her companion should not carry off all the applause, and she too, with a yell and a leap, sprang into the dance to the sound of louder grunts and harder hand-claps. Nowamso showed much anxiety to display her back, where a magni- ficent snake skin, studded in a regular pattern with brass- headed nails, floated like a stream. She was attired also in a splendid kilt of leopard skins, decorated with red rosettes, and her toilet was considered more careful and artistic than any of the others. Brighter her bangles, whiter her goat-fringes, and more elaborately painted her face. Nozilwane, however, had youth and a wonderful self-reliance on her side. The others, though they all joined in and hunted out an imaginary enemy, and in turn exulted over his discovery, soon became breathless and spent, and were glad when their attendants led them away to be anointed and to drink water.
Central Africa, The magical beliefs of Central and Eastern Africa are but little known. They are for the most