Adventure Magazine Cover — page 55: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Crocodile’s Bride trying to keep them from climbing the bank. One missed his footing; there was a scrunching snap, and the wmfan had lost a leg. The smell of blood started a stampede among the crocodiles. The assembled natives in front retired from the edge of the bank. The boy whose leg had started the stampede was dragged hastily away by some of his companions, who spoke angrily at him for letting the hlwepus have a taste of his unsacred person. Gazi la se Foti shouted to the assembled natives— “Giima kaya.” (“Go back to the kraal.”’) They trooped back slowly to the kaya, protesting strongly against the umfan per- son for letting one of the lwepus bite his leg off. Some of the abafan were left behind to see that the crocodiles did not follow the crowd and eat up any of the worshipers. They had their hands full and were kept busy for quite some time banging and prod- ding the reptiles back with thick, long poles. They made a lot of noise which brought more crocodiles. It may be said by way of explanation that the crocodile is a very curious reptile. Any kind of a noise on the banks of a river will always bring a whole shoal of them. That is why the native worshipers line up a lot of drums before the sacrifice—to call up their gods, the crocodiles. As to the croco- diles, they may have learned from past in- cidents that wherever any noise is to be heard on the river-bank something edible for them would be there. An umfan, seeing that they were not making any headway in keeping the croco- diles down the bank, but that others were coming up to strengthen their numbers yelled— “Gijima u shaye; gijima u shaye.” (“Hit them and run; hit them and run.” “Ewe, Mashona,”’ (‘‘Yes, Mashona,”’) the others shouted as they broke their poles over the hlewpus’ snouts in great hilarity and ran away to the kraal. The immense crowd of assembled natives —those who were able to crowd in the kraal—were watching the girls of the well- kept hut playing tana toz as they chanted: “Zip! Tana tos. Navyemela ama pondo. Ugahla wande wela Awu!l Awul Awul” 47 (Zip! Tana toz Cut off his horns. Gahla has fallen down. Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah.’’) They swung into the chorus: “Nali sele, Emva kwe ndhlin ka bawo. Li timi uku suka? Li ti Ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta—ta!” (‘“‘There behind the hut, Behind my father’s house is a big frog. What will he do if we chase him away? He will Hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop—hop!’’) When they came to the words “He will hop” they squatted down and illustrated just how the frog would hop, which was very comical to see. The onlookers laughed and clapped their hands in approval. The girls were fine to look upon, with beautifully proportioned limbs. Their bronze complexion was smooth as velvet because of their use of red ocher and ani- mal fat. Their ages were from eight to eleven or twelve years. From among these bdeshes the one for the sacrifice would be taken. Sacrifices are made for different reasons and _ seasons. When the river overflows its banks in the rainy season, and it seems as if the whole countryside will be flooded, an elder girl will be sacrificed, so that ‘‘it” (the river) will “grow old” (go down) quicker. When the rainy season is delayed, and a prolonged drought is the portion of the tribe, with burned-up crops—the few that are cultivated—and cattle dying of thirst and the river dried up with the exception of dirty, slimy pools that swarm with croco- diles, a young beshe is offered for sacrifice, so that the river might “grow up” quickly. The sacrifice to be offered now was to bea young beshe, for the river was getting low. The znduna, Gazi la se Foti, walked about in and out of the huts talking to some men here and nodding to groups of abafan there, and then vanished. The girls played on with their games. One of the smaller girls was called into the well-kept hut and remained inside till the afternoon silence was shattered by the tre- mendous throbbing of six war drums. These war drums stand about five or six feet from the ground, and are about seven or eight feet in circumference. Three men can C@ Clooolkks (© iin