Poor King Mombo was, you will see, excessively superstitious. He was often unhappy on that account. He was thinking almost all the time that some of his relations wanted to bewitch him in order to inherit his wealth, which was composed chiefly of wives and slaves. He wore what he firmly believed to be most potent “mondahs,” charms against witchcraft and evil spirits. He had a little idol, having the shape of a woman, called Makaylay, which he always carried with him wherever he went. At night he kept her by his side.
He was also a great believer in dreams, for these foretold to him what was to happen, and forewarned him of dangers to come. Often after something had taken place he would say to his people that he had had a dream in which the spirits of his ancestors came to him and told him of what was about to happen. He was most particular about his food. His forbidden food was buffalo meat, and no amount of gifts on my part could have tempted him to eat buffalo.
Here and there throughout the village were sacred houses, where spirits came to dwell during the night, while others had been built for idols.
One day King Mombo and I entered the house of Abamboo, one of the wandering spirits in which they believe. The face of the king showed that he was inspired with deep reverence. A little fire was burning. On one side was a bed for Abamboo to sleep on when he came to visit the village at night.
“Abamboo is a spirit which can send to men a great deal of evil,” said Mombo. “We have to do a great many things to propitiate his good will. He lives in many places, especially among the skeletons of the dead. He walks through the country, and if he is angry at any one he causes him to fall sick, and often condemns him to die. We cook food for him. We give him game, plantain, and sugar-cane, which we deposit in the forest.”
Next we entered the house where Pangeo and his wife Aleha dwelt. Pangeo was about two feet high. His tongue was of iron, sharp-pointed and came out about two inches from his mouth. His eyes were of iron; his legs were short and he had a very big stomach; his body was painted of different colors.
Aleha was of the same size. Her eyes were made of pieces of looking-glass. She wore enormous earrings of brass, had bracelets of brass, and her ankles were adorned with brass rings. She wore a necklace of cowry shells. King Mombo stood in awe before the idol; he spoke to Pangeo and told him how much he loved him, and then spoke to Aleha, saying the same to her.
After that, we entered the house of Makambi and Abiala. Makambi was a big idol, about three feet high. He wore a feather headdress and held a spear in his hand which he was ready to throw; his eyes were carved and painted red.
Abiala, his wife, held a pistol in her hand—which she had taken from her husband, as Mombo said to me in a whisper.
The king stood before Makambi and Abiala and told them how much he loved them—as he had done to Pangeo and Aleha. “You know I love you both,” he added in a loud voice. “I bring to you the products of the hunt and of the earth. Take good care of me—watch over me.”