AFRICANA. A. KING AND CO., PRINTERS TO THE UNIVERSITY. [Illustration: I—_Frontis._ THE POSTMAN. “Literature is likely to be an important means of elevating and purifying the native. All Africans, from the lad that writes his Grammar exercise to the postman that conveys a written message in a split wand, have a liking for _kalata_ (letters).”—Vol. II., p. 261.] AFRICANA; OR, THE HEART OF HEATHEN AFRICA. BY THE REV. DUFF MACDONALD, M.A., B.D., LATE OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND MISSION, BLANTYRE, EAST CENTRAL AFRICA. VOL. I.—NATIVE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS. “The proper study of mankind is man.” LONDON: SIMPKIN MARSHALL & CO. EDINBURGH: JOHN MENZIES & CO. ABERDEEN: A. BROWN & CO. 1882. [_All rights reserved._] TO H. H. M. THIS WORK IS INSCRIBED IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE GREATEST TRIALS PATIENTLY ENDURED FOR THE GOOD OF AFRICA. PREFACE. Heathen Africa is a wide world, but not so wide as might at first sight appear. A large part of the continent has been reached by Mahommedanism, and Christian Missions are everywhere making bold inroads, so that the portion of Africa left entirely to the light of nature is less than is often supposed. My main object is to contribute to a better understanding of the African heathen, and the reader acquainted with books on the “dark continent” will perceive that the greater part of the information given in these pages is entirely new. My knowledge was gained while I worked in the African Mission field. Unfortunately I arrived at the scene of my labours to find that the Directors of the Mission had set up a peculiar Civil Administration which, as might have been expected, soon gave rise to great difficulties. Hence, although I was labouring with increasing success, and daily gaining the confidence of the natives, I was suddenly recalled by the Directors.[1] Although no longer privileged to labour in Africa, I have still the deepest sympathy with its people, and am led to publish these volumes in the hope of stimulating Christians to more hearty endeavours in behalf of this dark land. A knowledge of these Africans is interesting for its own sake. Besides, we cannot believe that God has maintained such multitudes of human beings for so many generations without our being able to learn lessons from them.