this manner were often compelled to undergo a public 
washing to cleanse themselves of all possible implication 
before they were again accepted by the village. 
The natives’ explanation of sorcery clarifies the need 
for locating all three pieces of skin. It was their belief 
that certain evil spirits caused all human ills. These 
spirits, however, invariably assumed a human form. 
Thus, any member of the society might even from birth 
have been dominated by one of these beings. So firmly 
entrenched was this belief, that a husband might unques- 
tioningly turn upon his wife, if her guilt were established 
by ordeal, and mutilate her along with the crowd. The 
peculiar significance of the skin was contained in the fact 
that these spirits were thought to survive on the flesh of 
their human victims. The retention of the symbolic 
chicken skin, therefore, signified the nature of that per- 
son’s food, while the expulsion of the flesh naturally ex- 
onerated him from all suspicion. 
In different regions of the island, various modifications 
of the basic procedure were introduced. In certain cases, 
the accused merely swallowed two pieces of the kernel 
wrapped in skin. Then without the rest of the standard 
ceremony, i.e., rice soup, ete., the effects were awaited. 
Another modification involved the pulverizing of the 
kernels on a rock. This debris was then made into an 
infusion with water and was fed to the accused. At 
times, the quantity of rice water or soup was strictly 
limited, a practice which resulted in increasing the tox- 
icity of the poison. Finally, one of the most ancient 
methods consisted in attaching the victim to two poles 
in the ground, and presenting him with two cups of the 
expressed juice. The accused had to drink these rapidly, 
and usually died quickly. Asin later practices, those who 
vomited were declared innocent. This latter method 
indicates the contrast between the early trials and the 
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