Story summary
Witch-Doctors summary
- 8 min read
- 10 parts
A professor finds his wife's photograph in a German officer's study, and the officer sends him off to die.
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Witch-Doctors at a glance
Summary: 8 min to read
- Reading time
- About 5 h4 h fast, 5 h 55 min slow
- Length
- 71,400 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1922by Charles Beadle
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
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Witch-Doctors in short
Witch-Doctors follows a collision of two certainties. Zu Pfeiffer is sure he can break a people by smashing its idol. Bakahenzie is sure the Unmentionable One must be fed and the rain depends on a king-god.
What Witch-Doctors is about
What would you do if a polite dinner host showed you a photograph of your own wife and called her his fiancée? That is the shock that starts the trouble in Witch-Doctors, a colonial adventure by Charles Beadle.
Gerald Birnier, an American professor of anthropology, gets the shock. Hermann von Schnitzler und zu Pfeiffer, a German lieutenant who commands the station at Ingonya, gives it. He plans to conquer a kingdom by smashing its idol. You get adventure, satire and a close look at how belief works.
Who it’s for. Readers who love adventure stories set in colonial Africa will enjoy its sly humor and sharp characters. It suits those drawn to tribal rituals, stage magic, rival faiths and contests of wit.
The story in 10 parts
Key idea 1 · free to read
A German officer plans to break a faith
At the Ingonya station, the day opens with a trumpet and a flag. Lieutenant zu Pfeiffer stretches out on his veranda in immaculate white and mixes cognac with his coffee. Every soldier and servant snaps to attention when he speaks.
His sergeant, Schultz, brings a report about the Wongolo country across the lake. It names a witch-doctor called Sakamata, who tried to overthrow the chief witch-doctor Bakahenzie, failed, and lost his rank. Schultz suggests marching in to crush the tribe. Zu Pfeiffer says no. He believes psychology can do more than artillery, and he plans to destroy the idol of the king-god and let the people's own faith fall apart.
Then Gerald Birnier walks in and asks for an elephant-hunting license. The lieutenant keeps him standing, questions him, sends him away, and decides that all Englishmen are spies.
Whoever plans to rule a people by breaking its faith had better know that faith first.
- 2Start free to read
A king-god is strangled so the rains may come
Roughly two hundred miles west of Ingonya, the city of the Snake stands on high ground overlooking banana foliage.
- 3Start free to read
A dinner party ends with a photograph
Zu Pfeiffer is a man of sudden changes.
- 4Start free to read
Birnier is marched away to be killed
Zu Pfeiffer spends a sleepless night talking to the photograph, then holds a mock trial.
- 5Start free to read
A girl, a love charm, and a doomed bride
Beneath the grand events runs a smaller story.
- 6Start free to read
The Eater-of-Men strikes by moonlight
Zu Pfeiffer forgets Birnier as soon as the expedition is ready.
- 7Start free to read
A professor becomes a god
Birnier, with his recovered gear, crosses the border and finds the Wongolo warriors saying that a white god has eaten their idol.
- 8Start free to read
Two idols, one wooden and one imperial
The book's sharpest idea is that the Wongolo and the Germans are more alike than either side thinks.
- 9Start free to read
Magic, reason and the madness of love
A second theme is the line between magic and science.
- 10Start free to read
How the story is told and how to listen
Beadle tells the book in short scenes that jump between the fort, the village, the forest and Birnier's thoughts.
Read all 10 key ideas, then the whole book
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Check yourself
How does zu Pfeiffer plan to undermine the Wongolo?
Right. “He believes psychology can do more than artillery, and he plans to destroy the idol of the king-god and let the people's own faith fall apart.”Not quite. “He believes psychology can do more than artillery, and he plans to destroy the idol of the king-god and let the people's own faith fall apart.”
Why does Bakuma seek help from Marufa?
Right. “Bakuma, a girl from a thatched hut, loves the young chief Zalu Zako.”Not quite. “Bakuma, a girl from a thatched hut, loves the young chief Zalu Zako.”
What connects Bakahenzie and zu Pfeiffer despite their different beliefs?
Right. “Each obeys his idol's imagined wishes and will kill at its supposed bidding.”Not quite. “Each obeys his idol's imagined wishes and will kill at its supposed bidding.”
Characters, plot and themes
Main characters
- Gerald Birnier An American anthropology professor who studies African beliefs and uses wit, tricks and nerve to survive among them.
- Zu Pfeiffer A vain German lieutenant who commands Ingonya, loves a photograph of Lucille, and wants to conquer the Wongolo country.
- Bakahenzie The chief witch-doctor of the Wongolo, a skilled actor who wants to keep his power whoever wears the crown.
- Marufa A wily old wizard who sells charms for ivory and weighs every side before he chooses one.
- Bakuma A young woman from a thatched hut who loves the heir and is marked as a sacrificial bride.
- Zalu Zako The young chief and heir of the king-god, who wants Bakuma and dreads the celibate godhood waiting for him.
- MYalu A scarred chief who pays tusks for Bakuma and switches sides when he sees a chance to win her.
- Mungongo Birnier's loyal servant, who believes his master is the greatest magician in the world.
How it ends (spoiler)
Zu Pfeiffer is brought naked to the Harvest Festival as the sacrifice. Birnier carries the idol to the spot, drags his enemy aside, drives a spear beside his chest, and cuts his own arm so that blood covers the victim. He cries that the god has taken his own. Later he gives zu Pfeiffer Lucille's letter, which shows she only teased him. The lieutenant accepts rescue so that he can face his court-martial, then struggles to apologize to Birnier. Birnier wonders whether he too bows to an idol.
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Questions about Witch-Doctors
What is Witch-Doctors by Charles Beadle about?
It is a colonial adventure about an American anthropologist, Gerald Birnier, who gets caught between a German officer's conquest and the priests of a Central African kingdom. He uses wit and magic tricks to survive and to protect a girl marked for sacrifice.
Who is Zu Pfeiffer in Witch-Doctors?
Hermann von Schnitzler und zu Pfeiffer is the German lieutenant who commands the Ingonya station. He is vain, cultured and cruel, and he plans to conquer the Wongolo by destroying their idol. His love for Lucille's photograph drives much of the plot.
Who are Bakahenzie and Marufa?
Bakahenzie is the chief witch-doctor of the Wongolo, a clever performer who keeps the king-god under his control. Marufa is an old wizard who sells charms and weighs which side will win. Both fight for power while the tribe faces invasion.
Is Witch-Doctors based on real events?
It is a novel, not a true story. It draws on real features of the period, such as German colonial stations, sacred kingship and taboo, and it cites real authors such as Robert Burton, but its characters and kingdom are invented.
What is the main message of the book?
The book suggests that idols take many forms, from a carved figure to a flag or a photograph, and that people of every race hand their will to symbols. It also shows how rational minds can be undone by jealousy and love.
Cite this page
“Summary of Witch-Doctors: the key points in 3 minutes.” Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/pages/witch-doctors-summary.
Library of Alexandria. (2026). Summary of Witch-Doctors: the key points in 3 minutes. https://libraryofalexandria.com/pages/witch-doctors-summary
“Summary of Witch-Doctors: the key points in 3 minutes.” Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/pages/witch-doctors-summary.
@misc{witch_doctors_summary_2026,
title = {Summary of Witch-Doctors: the key points in 3 minutes},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/pages/witch-doctors-summary}
}
Cite this edition
Beadle, Charles. Witch-Doctors. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/witch-doctors.
Beadle, C. (2026). Witch-doctors. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/witch-doctors (Original work published 1922)
Beadle, Charles. Witch-Doctors. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/witch-doctors.
@book{beadle2026witchdoctors,
author = {Beadle, Charles},
title = {Witch-Doctors},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/witch-doctors},
note = {First published 1922}
}
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