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Volume 2 99 |
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A–Z |  |
HOW THEY USED TO CARRY OUT EXECUTIONS WITH POMP OF WIZARDRY AND TERROR IN CONGOLAND
| The decorated witch doctor, standing behind the criminal, has first to destroy his soul, in this mock execution, or otherwise prevent him from haunting the village. Then the players of the wooden tom-toms start a chant of cursings as the knifeman approaches. The prop, under the bent sapling, to which the prisoner is strung, is knocked aside, increasing the tension. The knifeman strikes through the neck, and the released sapling casts away the severed head |