The “medicine” on which pagan Mende witnesses were sworn before the Special Commission Court was compounded every Monday morning by the Court interpreter, and consisted of a preparation of salt, pepper and ashes mixed with water. A spoonful of the mixture was taken by each witness when sworn; if there were many witnesses, fresh “medicine” had to be prepared later in the week. The oath administered in the presence of the Court and repeated by each witness was, in its English translation, as follows: “I (_name of witness_) swear by this medicine to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Should I tell a lie, if I go to the farm may snake bite me, if I travel by canoe may the canoe sink, and may my belly be swollen. I swear by my liver, my lungs, my kidneys, and my heart that, should I tell a lie, may I never be saved, but may I die suddenly.” ----- Footnote 9: Pp. 92–99. Footnote 10: “The Sherbro and its Hinterland,” p. 126. Footnote 11: When it suits his purpose a Mori man will insist that by his religion he can have nothing to do with such a heathen custom as the Poro; but one of the features of the Sierra Leone Hinterland is the remarkable way in which Mohammedan Mori men are associated with every form of secret society, magic, witchcraft, “medicine,” and every sort of trickery. CHAPTER III THE KALE CASE The Special Commission Court, consisting of Sir W. B. Griffith, President, Mr. F. A. Van der Meulen, and Mr. K. J. Beatty, commenced its sittings at Gbangbama in the Northern Sherbro District on the 16th December, 1912. Gbangbama is a town belonging to the Imperri Chiefdom, and is situate in the heart of the Mende country, having, within a radius of ten miles, several towns where murders committed in connection with the Human Leopard Society had recently taken place. The Court was held in a large barri[12] specially erected for the purpose. The prisoners were confined in a number of huts surrounded by a stockade, and were guarded by a company of the West African Frontier Force. Several members of the Freetown Bar were present for the purpose of defending various persons to be tried by the Court. The first two days were occupied chiefly with legal questions raised by counsel on the cases before the Court.