TRANSVAAL WITCHES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVII, Issue XIX, 7 November 1896, Page 24

TRANSVAAL WITCHES.

A Calcutta correspondent) eends the following interesting narrative illustrating the clairvoyance of South African * witch doctors,’ the circumstances having occurred in the Transvaal:— ‘ Myself and friend were out on a hunting and prospecting trip with a Boer, and were travelling with a wagon and oxen, with, of course, our saddle horses for long distance work- .

• We had •• padded the hoof ” for a long distance this particular day, and about 2 o'clock we had outspanned some little distance from a 11 sprint,’ or small stream. The boys had gone to the water with the oxen, the game stew was in the threelegged iron pot over the fire and we had thrown ourselves down under the waggon to get a smoke and rest in the shade. • Nearly on the point of dozing off to sleep, I heard something moving in the grass, and not knowing what it might be, as we were far enough from civilization for it to be almost anything, 1 quietly got upon my knee to look over the grass, at the same time grasping my rifle ready for any emergency. But there was no necessity for that, as it was a Kaffir coming to the waggon, and from hie peculiar style of dress I knew him to be a “ witch doctor.”

• I had often seen these fellows, and had heard a great deal about what they could do in the way of telling past, present and future events, but, although the Boers employ and believe in them, I must say that up to this time I certainly had no faith in their powers, but I was fated to hear something this day which was more than passing strange, and has made me many times ask myself the question, •• What is it?” • The doctor had a belt of skins around his loins, a skin cap upon his head, with two or three long feathers stuck in it, and attached to his loin belt were two or three small bags made from kid or lamb’s skin. Upon coming up to the waggon, he saluted in Kaffir style and squatted upon his heels without further addressing us. After a while my friend asked : “ Shall we geo him to throw his * dol ossen ?’ ” —meaning for him to throw out of one of the bags the different articles it contained on to the ground, and according as they laid, to read things from them. These articles consisted of pieces of glass, crockery, bone, iron, stone, etc., in fact, an utterly worthless medley, but from which they profess to tell the past, present, and future. ‘ After asking him to throw them for us he agreed to do so, but demanded that we each give him sixpence, and loosening his bag he asked, •• For which boss shall I throw first?” My friend Bill was duly elected premier. After throwing the •• ossen ” out he immediately began by saying that “ two or three years ago the big boss went across the big waters to white man’s country, and during the time he was there he fell in love with a young lady. He was going to be married to her, but she died. Now he is engaged to another young lady in Pretoria, but although they are very fond of each other they will never marry, as her father will break the engagement because he has not money enough to please him.” • During the time the doctor was saying this he did not raise his eyes from the “ ossen.” It seemed as if he were really reading something from them ; and Bill and I were looking at one another in astonishment, as it was perfectly true that he was in Europe at the time mentioned, and while touring on the Continent fell in with a very nice, jolly German family t ravelling in the same direction, got very intimate with them, and eventually fell in love with the daughter and was engaged t > be married to her in the following September, when, to his great sorrow, she fell ill and died. Thus the past event told was correct. • It was also true that at the present time he was engaged to a young lady in Pretoria. 1 was a friend of both and am satisfied that they were very, very fond of each other, and were looking forward to a happy married existence, which they both deserved. The present was true. • Now comes the most curious part of the affair. About four months after this the young lady’s father really did break the engagement, stating that he did not think Bill was in a good enough position to keep his daughter as she had been in the habit of living, and be would not sanction the match. The future came true. • After having finished with Bill the doctor threw the “ ossen ” for me, but immediately picked them up and replaced them in the bag, saying *• they were too tired, they would not talk to him anymore.” Of course we knew there was something up, so I ordered him to throw them again, which he did. but only to gather them up as before. Upon using a great deal of pressure he at last said be did not want to hurt my feelings, as what they had to say was not pleasant news ; but upon my again commanding him to throw and read them he did so, and you can easily imagine that under the circumstances our curiosity was

raised to a great pressure to know what was coming for me. * Upon looking at them for some minutes he said : * The boss lives half an hour to foot, the other side of Proot Dorp. He is a married man and has two little daughters, and the youngest of them, about 18 months old, is so very ill that the medicine doctors say she can’t live, and her mother is walking about with her in her arms in a very excited state, and is saying, “ She will die, and her father will not get home in time to see her again.” * * Well, you can imagine that after the truths he had told about Bill, and knowing that what he was telling me about my residence, wife and family was also perfectly true, it gave ns both a bit of a shock,

especially myself. I tried to look cheerful and laugh it off, but could not, sb at last I took out my pocketbook and made a note of the day, time and words used by the doctor, and Bill initialed it and onr Boer friend said : •• Karels, it zal zeker de vaarhuit wes.” (Men, it is certainly the trnth.) * The matter was forgotten daring the next day or so, and it was about six weeks before we reached home—as we were some 400 miles north of Pretoria at the time — and just as I jumped off the waggon to embrace my wife and Children, she said: ** Oh ! Tom, darling, I am so glad yon have come, for our little Violet has been so ill that the doctors gave her up and said she would certainly die.” I then thought about the witch doctor, and immediately hauled out my pocket book, asking my wife what date the child was so ill. She immediately gave me the same date as that in my book and the time of day exactly corresponding. * When I asked her if she could recollect any particular thing she said in her excitement over the child’s serious state, she said : “ Yes, dear; I could think or say nothing else as I was carrying her about the bedroom but, * Ob, my little darling 1 I am afraid your dada will never see you again.’ ” ‘ Here is the whole thing. “ What is it ?”

* A Kaffir, you maysay, almost a savage, perfectly uneducated, did not understand a single word of English, had never seen us before—at least, not to our knowledge—comes out in the bush and for a shilling tells you the most thrilling truths, both past, present, and future ; in fact, what I consider most wonderful was his telling me the very words my darling wife was saying, in her great agony of mind, at the very moment he was telling me 400 miles away. * The affair has always been a great mystery to myself and friend. We have told of it many times to friends, some believing, others doubting it, and we still remain in ignorance of what it could be; therefore, I have at last come to the determination to ask some one to answer my question, “ What is it ?” ’ Without attempting to enter into details, our correspondent’s question may be answered in a few words. There are various methods of natural divination, divided into two broad classes. The first of these is based on the fact that the soul itself, from its own nature and essence, has some foreknowledge of future things, as well as a retrospective view of the past. By means of this soul power, acting as clairvoyance and clairaudience, the Kaffir saw the sick child and heard the spoken words. The second general class is based on the postulate that the soul, after the manner of a mirror, receives some secondary illumination. This may be set up by artificial divination (external signs, etc.} The casting of the bits of stone by the Kaffir, comes under the head of lithomancy. By observing the relative position of the various pieces, as regards sise, colour, etc., he formed a general idea or skeleton of the facts to be known, and with this as a basis he was able to become en rapport clairvoyantly with the exact facts of the past, and the probable facts of the future, so far as they had been mapped out by Karma. The whole operation comes within the range of natural laws, though they are little understood at present.