ROADSIDEe shrineS. 177 a shrine or temple (sabo) of a lubare, begging to have offspring, and promising at the same time (like Samuel's mother) to dedicate the child to the spirit. After such a child is born, the mother revisits the shrine with the infant, and worships there the unseen spirit, thanking the same for the child, and nominally handing it over to the lubare. These little roadside shrines have generally no Maandwa, or priest, being simply a miniature hut in a clean-swept space. Every chief, and nearly every commoner, has one or more of these little temples, with an aloe or other solitary tree growing close by, on which are hung bits of charms of the most trivial description. Every house has charms hung on the door, and others laid on the threshold. A native does not venture out of doors in the morning until he first throws out an ugly bell-shaped charm, made of grass covered over with bark cloth. This is kept at the back of the door, and at dawn, whoever first gets up, opens the door, throws out the ball, saying, “Here, lubare, this is yours." These I must not omit to mention the Bafumo. seem to exist in every country of East Africa. They are called by the same name among the Wanyamwezi, and their office is to perform divination by killing a fowl, spilling its blood on or near the threshold, and examining the entrails. I have noticed the practice most frequently observed when a chief has fallen seriously ill. A. M. M. 12 The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.”—Psalm lxxiv. 20. "A few days ago Mtesa gave an order that every man in the country was to wear a bead on his wrist, under pain of losing his hand, and every woman to wear a bead on her waist, under pain of being cut in two across the waist.”—A. M. Mackay, 1st Jan., 1882. IF CHAPTER VI. CRUELTY OF THE HEATHEN. F anything were wanting to shame the selfishness and break down the optimism of many opponents of Christian missions, a perusal of the facts related in this chapter may do good. Which is the better, to enjoy our comforts and our luxuries with all self-complacency, telling Christians to leave the heathen alone in their simplicity, whilst the earth groans under its wickedness, or to bestir and deny ourselves to spread the light of truth and grace, and show them a better way? Mackay and his fellow-labourers in Uganda chose the thorny paths of self-denial, sometimes repelled and deserted, and left almost to starve for want of food, sometimes enjoying a brief period of acceptance and favour and personal comfort, but always living in uncertainty, and more or less apprehensive of danger. Feb. 1st, 1881.-Meantime, every crime and form of uncleanness is rampant in the country. Each day reveals to us fresh tales of iniquity and cruelty and oppression. One army has been sent east to murder and plunder. Not even the natives themselves can call it war: they all say it is for robbery and devastation. Another large army has been sent west to |