At these sacrifices the women have their own little demonstration with the children at the calves’-fold.
In the case of sacrifices by chiefs on great occasions, carcases are sometimes wholly burned.
Amulets and Charms are often worn by the natives, such as:—
1. Necklace of the long hairs of a cow’s tail plaited together. The cow furnishing the hairs [[20]]is held sacred and never killed or sold.
2. Seeds of the rhiza to keep away convulsions, worn by infants.
3. Pieces of “mooti,” medicinal wood, to keep away disease generally.
4. Leopard’s tooth to make him brave, &c., &c., and such things as love philtres are not unknown to the Kaffir beaux, in spite of the lobolo, or purchase system of getting a wife.
The Drugs that comprise the Native Pharmacopœia are very numerous and varied, and are dealt with and used as described in subsequent pages. Speaking generally, they are derived mostly from natural products. The vegetable kingdom supplies the greatest part in the form of roots, bark, wood, leaves, juice, flowers and fruit prepared in various ways and used as powders, infusions, extracts, and applications. Medicated baths are much used by some Kaffir specialists.
Those for internal use are most commonly purgatives or emetics, and for external use vesicants or irritants according to the degree of dilution or mode of application.
The animal kingdom also supplies some remedies, e.g., The skin of a python, powdered, used for soothing; Hide of Alligator; Ox Gall; [[21]]Snake venom with gall. Cantharides beetle (Mylabris), a severe irritant which has caused death in several known instances when administered too freely internally.