the conclusion that they
must be placed in the category of those things which are beyond the ken
of our philosophy. I might say that no one was allowed to approach
sufficiently close to touch the "ghosts,"--if such they can be termed;
and probably even if permission had been granted, the blacks would have
been in too great a state of terror to have availed themselves of it.

Each of these _seances_ lasted twenty minutes or half-an-hour, and were
mainly conducted in silence. While the apparitions were visible, the
witches remained prostrate, and the people looked on quite spellbound.
Gradually the phantoms would melt away again in the smoke, and vanish
from sight, after which the assembly would disperse in silence. By next
morning all the invited blacks would have gone off to their respective
homes. The witches, as I afterwards learnt, lived alone in caves; and
that they possessed wonderful powers of prophecy was evidenced in my own
case, because they told me when I came among them that I would still be
many years with their people, but I would eventually return to my own
kind. The warriors, too, invariably consulted these oracles before
departing on hunting or fighting expeditions, and religiously followed
their advice.

CHAPTER XVI

A teacher of English--Myself as a black-fellow--I rest content--An
unknown terror--Manufacture of gunpowder--A curious find--The fiery
raft--In the lair of snakes--A dangerous enemy--An exciting scene--A
queer sport--Respect for the victor--A vain hope--Sore
disappointment--Yamba in danger--A strange duel--My opponent greets me.

My two children were a source of great delight to me at this
time,--although of course they were half-castes, the colour of their skin
being very little different from that of their mother. The whiteness of
their hands and finger-nails, however, clearly indicated their origin.
They were not christened in the Christian way, neither were they brought
up exactly in the same way as the native children.

I taught them English. I loved them very dearly, and used to make for
them a variety of gold ornaments, such as bangles and armlets. They did
not participate in all the rough games of the black children, yet they
were very popular, having winning manners, and being very quick to learn.
I often told them about my life in other parts of the world; but whenever
I spoke of civilisation, I classed all the nations of the universe
together, and referred to