“Why do you look like that?” asked Stasch; “do you believe that there is another snake hidden in the tree?”
“No; Kali is afraid of ‘Msimu.’ ”
“What’s that, ‘Msimu’?”
“Evil spirit.”
“Have you ever seen a Msimu?”
“No, but Kali has heard the dreadful noise made by Msimu in the sorcerers’ huts.”
“So your sorcerers are not afraid of him?”
“The sorcerers fully believe in him; they enter our huts and tell us that Msimu is angry, and the negroes bring them bananas, honey, pombe (a beer made from a certain plant), eggs and meat, with which to propitiate Msimu.”
Stasch raised his eyebrows.
“I should think it would be delightful to be one of your sorcerers. But could this snake have been Msimu?”