ABSTRACT
The head wife of one of them had accused a fellow wife of attempting to administer a “love potion” to their common lord, the effect of which would be to draw his affection from all others to the giver alone. In order to render the charm efficacious it is necessary to draw forth the soul of some person and imprison it amid fresh-plucked herbs in an earthen pot never before used. The origin of the “invisible juju” is given in the following legend which, in a slightly different form, was also found among the Ekoi. In the midst of the hidden court a great earthen pot or bowl must be set filled with fresh spring water. It is hard to forget the sadness of the patient voice as it uttered these words—not complainingly, but merely as stating a fact beyond human power to remedy.
