25 Fines paid for judging (p. [92]).--All fines received by a native judge are periodically divided among the chiefs of the district, who combine to enforce the law. If a pig or a goat is given, then the meat is shared out or the market value put into the fund. The money or goods are divided according to the rank and influence of the chiefs, and he who might be called the chairman, or principal, received twice as much as any of the others.
26 No shelves (p. [95]).--Many years ago, after much persuasion, I induced some natives from the Zombo country to come into my house at San Salvador. The first thing they did was to scan with much eagerness the walls of my rooms, and on asking them what they were looking for, they replied, “We have always heard and believed that you white men bought up the dead bodies of the black people, stored them on shelves in your houses, and on the first good opportunity sent them to Mputu (Europe), where by your wonderful magic you returned the life of the corpses, and they then worked for you as slaves; but we cannot see the shelves.”
“But why did you think we bought corpses?” I asked, with much wonder and amazement.
“We can understand why traders come to this country,” they answered, “but we cannot understand why your kind of white men come, for you do not trade, so we think you have some wicked purpose underlying your presence in our land.”
Believing such ghastly things about us, their opposition to us and hatred of us were no longer a surprise to me. The wonder is that they did not murder all of us. We have had to live down their prejudices, remove their foolish beliefs about us, and turn their suspicions into confidence and love.
27 Trade gin (p. [99]).--Whatever ordinary gin may be, “trade gin” was the vilest concoction of fusel oil and other ingredients that was ever put on the market for human consumption. It always made the drinkers mad drunk, and was responsible for most of the quarrels and much of the fighting that took place among the natives. I have known a white man take to drinking it and be dead in less than a week, and undoubtedly it was the cause of many deaths among the natives. A dozen reputed pints in bottles, case, packing, etc., cost only half-a-crown the lot.
28 Law against the sale of spirits (p. [102]).--Since the time mentioned in the text a law has been passed limiting the sale of these “fire waters” within certain boundaries, and restricting the sale of them, so that neither white nor black can procure them without special “permits.”
29 Make them sell it (p. [102]).--Several traders have told me how much they hated selling such vile stuff to the natives; how they had protested against the sale; but that they were compelled to sell them as they yielded such large profits to their employers. Surely the curse of both God and man must ever rest on such gains!
30 His santu (p. [111]).--All the men and women in and around San Salvador, and a large proportion of those living in the other districts of the Lower Congo, have each a santu, from the Portuguese word sancto = a christian, or sacred, name.
At birth a native name is given to the boy (or girl), and later in life--at twelve or fourteen--the lad can take another name of his own choice if, for any reason, he is dissatisfied with his birth name, and allow his first one to be forgotten by disuse. While in their teens they also select a santu which is a Congoized form of a Portuguese name, as Manwele = Manuel = Emanuel; Nzwau = Jaõa = John; Petelo = Pedro = Peter, etc.; and the women take Madia = Maria = Mary, etc. To their santus they prefix “Dom” and “Donna” respectively.