he soul, and committed murder on earth to
awaken mercy in heaven! "At certain villages between Manyanga
and Isangila there are curious eunuch dances to celebrate the new
moon, in which a white cock is thrown up into the air alive, with
clipped wings, and as it falls towards the ground it is caught and
plucked by the eunuchs. I was told that originally this used to be a
human sacrifice, and that a young boy or girl was thrown up into the
air and torn to pieces by the eunuchs as he or she fell, but that of late
years slaves had got scarce or manners milder, and a white cock was
now substituted." [197]

The Mandingoes are more attracted to the varying moon than to the
sun. "On the first appearance of the new moon, which they look
upon to be newly created, the Pagan natives, as well as
Mahomedans, say a short prayer; and this seems to be the only
visible adoration which the Kaffirs offer up to the Supreme Being."
The purport of this prayer is "to return thanks to God for His
kindness through the existence of the past moon, and to solicit a
continuation of His favour during that of the new one." [198] Park
writes on another page: "When the fast month was almost at an end,
the Bushreens assembled at the Misura to watch for the appearance
of the new moon; but the evening being rather cloudy, they were for
some time disappointed, and a number of them had gone home with
a resolution to fast another day, when on a sudden this delightful
object showed her sharp horns from behind a cloud, and was
welcomed with the clapping of hands, beating of drums, firing
muskets, and other marks of rejoicing." [199] The Makololo and
Bechuana custom of greeting the new moon is curious. "They watch
most eagerly for the first glimpse of the new moon, and when they
perceive the faint outline after the sun has set deep in the west, they
utter a loud shout of 'Ku?!' and vociferate prayers to it." [200] The
degraded Hottentots have not much improved since Bory de St.
Vincent described them as "brutish, lazy, and stupid," and their
worship of the moon is still demonstrative, as when Kolben wrote:
"These dances and noises are religious honours and invocations
to the moon. They call her _Gounja_. The Supreme they call
_Gounja-Gounja_, or _Gounja Ticquoa_, the god of gods, and place him
far above the moon. The moon, with them, is an inferior visible god
--the subject and representation of the High and Invisible. They
judge the moon to have the disposal o