SWINGING-FESTIVAL AT PEDDANA, NEAR MASULIPATAM. 17 and was prettily situated on the raised mound of a large tank: it consisted of a small room about eight feet square, surmounted with the usual irregular dome, and had a few rude pillars in front, on which a shed might be erected. Its materials were brick and mortar, and it was altogether of a superior character to the ordinary temples of the village goddesses. Some men who were hanging about very willingly opened the low door, at our request, to let us see the idols: there were two of them, both representing the same deity. The oldest and most sacred one was a stone about three feet high by two broad, on which was rudely carved a female figure: it was at that time daubed all over with a yellow powder, and dotted with red spots, to make it look beautiful. The other image, though less sacred, was much gayer: it was a wooden figure of a woman about three feet high, and had only just come from Masulipatam, where it had been in the painter's hands, and had been freshly bedizened with every bright colour. It was dressed in a cloth like a native woman, and had a few garlands of flowers hung about its neck, and a nosegay stuck into one of its four hands. The people who showed us them maintained that these idols were the very goddess, and that she was deserving of all honour and worship. There was no swinging all this day, nor had there been any before, though this was the fourth or fifth day of the festival, which was to last ten days. The only ceremony which took place was the sacrifice of a sheep, by cutting off its head, before the temple. On the 27th, however, about four o'clock in the afternoon, we were made aware of the approach of the swinging car by the rude music and shouting of the crowd who were accompanying it from the village. It soon made its appearance, and passed our tent in the direction of the temple: it consisted of the wheels and axle of a rude cart, with a long beam placed lengthwise across the axle to balance it, and a stout beam, ten feet high, fixed perpendicularly in the axle: across the top of this was another long beam working on a pivot, from which the victims were to be suspended. We accompanied it toward the pagoda, but found that nothing could take place until the offering of rice was ready for laying before the idols. While this was being prepared by being boiled in four large earthern vessels, we mingled with the crowd, who amounted to about 200 persons, and talked with them about the folly and wickedness of the idol-worship. Some earnestly expressed their belief in the deity of the idols, and in the mighty power of the goddess, but the majority treated it as a laughing matter. When we urged them to abandon the worship, and particularly the brutal swinging-festival, their answer repeatedly was to this effect"Why should we give it up? the Company have hitherto encouraged us in it. Till a few years ago the Collector used to give money to the festival, and gentlemen used to come out from Masulipatam, and sit down on their chairs to look at it along with us. Why should we give it up? Let the Government forbid it, and we will stop at once; but till they do so, why should we take any step in abandoning it?" We fell in with the man who was to be swung that evening, and used every argument to prevent him from swinging, and at times he seemed half persuaded; but he was already somewhat stupefied by liquor, and his answer was, "I have often swung before"-and so saying he showed us about a dozen scars on his back-"and besides, I have received four rupees to swing, and have already c 3 18 SWINGING-FESTIVAL AT PEDDANA, NEAR MASULIPATAM. drunk half of it." While we were talking with him, the man who was to act as executioner came up, with the hooks in his hand, to call him away to the village to prepare for the ceremony; so taking off his dress, and giving it to his daughter, a girl about twelve years old, he went away in spite of all we could say. In the course of twenty minutes more the rice was ready, and laid out in a great heap upon a mat before the door of the temple; and presently the poor victim made his appearance in the distance, prepared for action. He was now rubbed all over, from the crown of his head to his feet, with turmeric-a yellow powder-and had his feet striped with red: a small cloth round his waist, and a small turban on his head, formed the whole of his dress, while round the calves of his legs were tied strings of little bells, which rattled as he moved. He came along dancing and leaping, flinging his arms and legs about like a maniac, sometimes bellowing, sometimes screeching, sometimes shouting in praise of the goddess, and altogether presenting a most disgusting and degrading appearance. The crowd of spectators were highly delighted, and called out, "See the power of the Ammavaru!" "Great is our goddess!" with other like expressions; and telling us that now he was possessed by, and actually represented, the goddess. For the next ten minutes he was a quiet and an unnoticed object, for two sheep were brought forward as victims to the goddess: one had its head quickly struck off, the other was led away a short distance to the swinging-car. When brought under the end of the swinging-beam, it was held down on the ground by three or four men, while the officiating priest, or executioner, produced his hooks, which were of the size and appearance of two shark-hooks, and, fitting on a moveable sharp point to one of them, ran it through the skin of the poor sheep's back: it took a little twisting and wrenching of the hook already in the back before the second hook, which was attached to the shaft of the first, could also be run through the skin, the sheep meanwhile twisting about in some pain. When both the hooks were inserted, the rope attached to them was tied to the end of the swinging-beam, and the sheep further secured by another rope, so that but little strain bore on the pierced skin: it was now well fastened, the beam was hoisted up by lowering the other end, and then run round on its pivot by four or five men, while the poor sheep hung at the end of it, about twenty feet from the ground. After this it was again lowered, the rope untied, the hooks drawn out, and the sheep let go: they told us it was now sacred, and would be allowed to roam at large without any risk of its being slaughtered. It was now the man's turn to undergo similar treatment; but instead of being swung near the pagoda, the car was rolled back about 150 yards from its former position, the man all the while dancing and shouting before it he was then brought under the end of the horizontal beam, and the executioner drew near with his hooks. He first struck, but not smartly, the part of the back which was to be pierced, and then pinched up the flesh two or three times in order to get a good hold of it. After fixing on the same little moveable point to the hook, he ran it through the skin of the small of the back of the man, taking up the flesh about an inch wide and a quarter of an inch deep. With a little twisting and wrenching the second hook was similarly inserted. All this time several SWINGING-FESTIVAL AT PEDDANA, NEAR MASULIPATAM. 19 men with drums kept up a great noise, and the crowd round about shouted as they saw the hooks applied. It is their saying and belief, that the man who swings does not feel any pain, in consequence of the protection of the good goddess; but on this occasion I heard the cry of pain which the poor man uttered, as the hooks entered his skin, clear above all the noise of the bystanders, and the expression of pain in his face was not to be concealed by all the daubing upon it. When the hooks were well secured in his back, the rope attached to them was fastened to the horizontal beam, about two feet from its end; and then, poor victim was hoisted up aloft. with no other support for his body, the At first he suffered a good deal, for he held himself steady by a loose rope hanging from the beam over his head by holding it with both his hands; but as the car was rolled up toward the pagoda, and when it had got about half way, he let go that rope, and began flinging his arms and legs about, so as to make us fear lest, by his exertions and jerkings, the skin of his back might give way, and he be thrown to the ground. 20 THE SUFFERINGS AND DELIVERANCE OF As soon as the car was brought back to its original position near the pagoda, he was let down, and the rope unloosed from the beam-the time during which he was suspended was exactly two minutes. The hooks, however, were not taken out of his back, and he ran wildly about, with the rope attached to them dangling after him. After some minutes they were taken out, and he was laid down on his face, while the executioner rubbed and pressed the wounds and the flesh round about them to squeeze out the congealed blood, and then rubbed into them turmeric powder to prevent further bleeding. This ended the day's ceremony, and the people began to move slowly toward the village, highly pleased with the afternoon's entertainment: the whole was over before sunset. The next day we did not stay to see a repetition of a scene which had so sickened us; but as we rode away in the afternoon we found much larger crowds than those of the preceding day gathering from the neighbouring villages, and preparations were being made on a larger scale for fresh swingings. THE SUFFERINGS AND DELIVERANCE OF JAMES GERBER, A TWICE-LIBERATED AFRICAN. IN our last Number we described the evil influence of the slave-trade, and the troubles which it has caused amongst the people of the Yoruba kingdom. We regret to say that wars for the purpose of capturing slaves still prevail. In Abbeokuta, where the Gospel is being preached, the people begin to see the evil of such practices; and as light increases they will be more and more anxious that the slave-trade should cease. But it is not more than three years and a half since our Missionaries reached Abbeokuta; and although much has been done-much more than we could possibly have expected-for which we desire to be thankful, yet much more remains to be done. Many of the Chiefs and people of Abbeokuta, persevere in their old ways. They harass the neighbouring tribes, particularly the Ijebbus, and are themselves attacked when they are going from one market to another. On these occasions the innocent often suffer with the guilty, and sons are seized and sold as slaves who have taken no part in kidnapping and slave-trading. per A Liberated African of the name of James Gerber, who had lived fifteen years at Sierra Leone, and had been a Communicant of the Church at Hastings, arrived at Badagry, with his wife and one child, in 1843. He was at first employed as a labourer in the Society's service. After a time he became a trader, dealing between Abbeokuta and Ijaye in various kinds of European articles. At the end of August 1848 he proceeded to Ijaye to sell some goods, and, having a brother residing there, a slave-dealer, he went to his house. A few days after, a number of people entered the yard of the house, and required Gerber and his brother to go with them to Ikumi, the Chief, who wished to see them. Distrusting the intentions of these men, they refused to do so. Gerber's brother was JAMES GERBER, A TWICE-LIBERATED AFRICAN. 21 immediately seized, his hands were tied behind his back, and he was then dragged, with one of his slaves, into the Chief's yard. While this was going on, Gerber had contrived to escape from them, and ran into his room, where he resolved to defend himself to the last. They then began to parley with him, assured him that there was no intention of injuring him, that the Chief had no thoughts toward him but those of peace, and wished only to see him. After such repeated assurances, Gerber at last yielded, and went with the people, who, however, were not satisfied until they were in possession of his weapons. On entering Ikumi's yard, Gerber, his brother, and his brother's slave, were commanded to prostrate themselves; and while they were in the act of doing so, Ikumi seized his sword, and smote, with the intention of killing one of them, he cared not which. The blow fell, not on the poor slave, nor on Gerber, but on his brother, and it slew him. The two survivors were immediately led away from the presence of the Chief, whose slaves they were now considered to be. Not long after, Gerber was taken, with many other Egbas, to a town called Ibatang, and sold there. Poor fellow! from the ill treatment he had met with his head and body had become all covered with sores, and when his new master wished to sell him, there was no purchaser. This enraged the man. He accused Gerber of practising witchcraft to prevent any one buying him. In his rage and fury he began to treat him with barbarous cruelty, such as poor slaves, when they become sick and unfit for sale, often meet with at the hands of their masters. He tied Gerber's hands upon his back, and fastened his head to two sticks, notwithstanding the entreaties of his two wives and his brother, who said he had committed no fault. "Let him die," was the man's answer : am able to pay for him." Poor Gerber's strength was gone, and he fainted away, when they loosed his bonds. 66 Who can fully conceive the miseries of a slave, the injustice and cruelty of which he is the subject? Mr. James Richardson, who travelled in the Great Desert in the years 1845 and 1846, thus describes some of these sad scenes, of which Africa is full This morning Haj Essnousee [the owner of the slave caravan with which Mr. Richardson was travelling] being on foot, called out for his camel to stop, in a tone which showed he had something of importance in hand. I turned to see what was the matter. I saw Essnousee bringing up a slave girl, about a dozen years of age, pulling her violently along. When he got her up to the camel he took a small cord, and began tying it round her neck. Afterward, bethinking himself of something, he tied the cord round the wrist of her right arm. This done, he drove the camel on. In a few minutes she fell down. A man attempted to raise her up. The slave-dealer cursed him, and desired him to let her alone. The wretched girl was then dragged on the ground over the sharp stones. Her wounded legs bled profusely, but she never cried or uttered a word of complaint. At length she was lifted up by some of the Arabs, and continued to hold on, the rope being bound round her body |