The Magic Island

Layout 2

THE MAGIC ISLAND

Books by

W. B. Seabrook

Adventures in Arabia

The Magic Island

A drawing of a voodoo priest riding a goat walking over a pile of bones with dancers in the background

See page 20 “Here are deep matters, not easily to be dismissed by crying blasphemy.”

The Magic Island

By W. B. Seabrook

Illustrated with drawings
by Alexander King
and photographs by the author

New York

The Literary Guild of America

1929

Copyright, 1929, by

Harcourt, Brace and Company, Inc.

I

The illustrations by Alexander King
reproduced by the Knudsen Process

Printed in the United States of America
by Quinn & Boden Company, Inc. Rahway, N. J.

To

Maman Célie

for reasons which

appear hereafter

Contents

FOREWORD		3
Part One THE VOODOO RITES
I.	SECRET FIRE	7
II.	THE WAY IS OPENED AND CLOSED	16
III.	THE PETRO SACRIFICE	28
IV.	THE “OUANGA” CHARM	45
V.	GOAT-CRY GIRL-CRY	54
VI.	THE GOD INCARNATE	70
Part Two BLACK SORCERY
I.	THE ALTAR OF SKULLS	81
II.	“. . . DEAD MEN WORKING IN THE CANE FIELDS ”	92
III.	TOUSSEL’S PALE BRIDE	104
IV.	CELESTINE WITH A SILVER DISH	115
Part Three THE TRAGIC COMEDY
I.	A BLIND MAN WALING ON EGGS	127
II.	A NYMPH IN BRONZE	134
III.	“THE TRUTH IS A BEAUTIFUL THING”	142
IV.	A “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE PRESIDENT!”	150
V.	BUT THE TRUTH BECOMES SOMEWHAT TANGLED	162
Part Four TRAILS WINDING
I.	THE WHITE KING OF LA GONAVE	171
II.	THE BLACK QUEEN'S COURT	185
III.	A TORN SCRAP OF PAPER	194
IV.	PORTRAIT OF A “GROS NEGRE”	203
V.	“POLYNICE AND HIS WHITE	207
VI.	THE “DANSE CONGO”	219
VII.	“NO WHITE MAN COULD BE AS DUMB AS THAT”	227
VIII.	PORTRAIT OF A SCIENTIST	239
IX.	MORNE LA SELLE ADVENTURE	247
X.	THE SOUL OF HAITI	270
	283

List of Drawings by Alexander King

HERE ARE DEEP MATTERS, NOT EASILY TO BE DISMISSED BY CRYING BLASPHEMY	Frontispiece
LOUIS’ FACE GLOWED WITH A LIGHT THAT WAS NOT ALWAYS HEAVENLY	8
DORT DESSILES, WHO WAS A “PAPALOI”’	20
MAMAN CELIE, HIGH PRIESTESS OF THE MYSTERIES	27
THE “MAMALOI” IN A SCARLET ROBE	35
BLOOD-MADDENED, SEX-MADDENED, GOD-MADDENED . . . DANCED THEIR DARK SATURNALIA	42
BUT MARKED FOR DEATH BY THE VOODOO CURSE, THEY DIED	50
AT THE LEFT OF THE ALTAR WERE THE “RADA” DRUMS	59
AND AS SHE SANG, SHE WAS A DAUGHTER DOOMED TO DIE	67
THEY WERE STARING FIXEDLY AS ENTRANCED MEDIUMS STARE INTO CRYSTAL GLOBES	74
CROYANCE, LEADING THE NINE DEAD MEN AND WOMEN	82
STRANGE TALES ARE TOLD OF VOODOO IN THE BOUDOIR AND SALON	93
NO ONE DARED TO STOP THEM, FOR THEY WERE CORPSES WALKING IN THE SUNLIGHT	98
ANTOINE SIMONE, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, WAS ACTIVE IN BLACK SORCERY	112
FACE MAT GOLD LIKE A BYZANTINE POLYCHROME	154
HE HAD TO WHIP HER ONCE OR TWICE A YEAR	191
POLYNICE WAS SMARTER THAN ANYBODY	206
WHEN THE COMBAT BEGINS, THE TWO OWNERS REMAIN IN THE RING	215
SHE BEGAN A DANCE IN RHYTHM WITH HIS	246
DARK MOTHER OF MYSTERIES	277

The photographs are inserted at page 310.

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1930.

The longest-living author of this work died in 1945, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 79 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

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