Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 20, 1909.djvu/49

Rh before Makuka can fight Mayaji he must call the neighbouring chiefs together and lay his case before them, and, if they consent to his fighting the other chief, he will give them some pigs to ensure their friendship and neutrality. They will see that no other chief goes to help Mayaji, or in that case they will take Makuka's side. By his pig's meat Makuka enters into an alliance with the consenting chiefs, and thus gains an open field and non-interference while he is fighting his enemy. It may take Makuka many months to collect the necessary pigs and lay in a stock of gunpowder. When all is ready war will be proclaimed.

On the proclamation of war between two towns, a strong charm is made by the nganga taking a frog and killing it; then he takes some twigs from three trees, the "lembanzau," the "lolo," and the "mfilu"; these four things are carefully burnt together, and the ashes made into a paste by the addition of some water. This paste is put into small snail shells, one of which is given as a charm to each fighting man. Then the men walk round one of the above trees, and on returning to the town some palm wine is mixed with the paste remaining in the saucepan, and all drink of it. After each one has drunk a little of this mess, the nganga takes the saucepan down to the road leading to the town which is to be attacked, and places the saucepan in the road. Each man has to jump over the pot, but, if one stumbles or touches the pot with his foot while jumping, he is not allowed to go, for the omen shows that he will be killed. Should he persist, force is used to keep him in the town. The frog is used in making this charm because they have noticed that the frog's heart pulsates (or as they say, "lives") for some time after it is taken out of the body. It shows tenacity of life. While the war lasts men are not allowed to go to their wives or have any intercourse with women.