LEOPARD MEN HUTTON. 535 



I have known personally a large number of Semas who are, or 

 claim to be, were-leopards or were-tigers. The Headman of Chipo- 

 ketami is one; Chekiye, chief of Aichi-Sagami, is another; Inaho, 

 chief of Melahomi, a man of great physical strength and endurance, 

 is perhaps the most notorious. Gwovishe of Tsukohomi and his 

 daughter Sukheli were only known to me by repute, Gwovishe's son, 

 Chekiye of Lukammi, more intimately. Kusheli of Litsammi, a 

 second woman were-leopard, has her home inside the frontier, and 

 has a most unenviable reputation. The Sakhuto above mentioned 

 died on July 19, 1916, as a result of the leopard which was occupied 

 by his projected soul 5 having been shot by Sakhalu of Sakhalu on 

 June 30 of that year. It was reported to the writer on July 4 that 

 Sakhalu had shot a were-leopard, but it was then believed to be 

 identical with one Khozhumo of Kukishe, and it was expected that 

 he would die when the news reached him, as the death of the man 

 concerned does not actually take place till he hears that his leopard 

 body has been killed. It was, however, Sakhuto who claimed the 

 leopard and who had the honor of dying to prove his claim. The 

 son of Yemithi of Lizotomi, whose leopard-cat body was killed at 

 Sagami, heard the news as he was returning to his village and ex- 

 pired on the spot for no other reason — a curious example of the 

 power of the Sema mind over the Sema body. 



Both Inato of Lumitsami and Inaho of Melahomi related to me 

 independently how, when they were going up together from Pusumi 

 to Lotesami, Inato managed to persuade Inaho to show his tiger 

 form. The latter lingered for a moment behind, and suddenly a 

 huge tiger jumped out on the path in front on Inato with a roar and 

 an angry waving of his tail. In a flash Inato had raised his gun, 

 but the tiger-Inaho jumped in time to avoid the shot, and disap- 

 peared. Since this Inaho has had an excellent excuse for refusing 

 to show his tiger form to anyone at all. 



It is also told of Kusheli of Litsammi that she cured her husband 

 of making sceptical and impertinent references to her lycanthropic 

 peregrinations by appearing before him in leopard form. His name 

 is Yemunga and he was returning from a business deal in Chatong- 

 bung when suddenly he saw a leopard blocking his path. Guessing it 

 was his wife, he laughed at it and told it to go away. It went on 

 and blocked the path a little further ahead. This time he threatened 

 to spear it, and it slid off into the jungle, only to reappear behind 

 him unexpectedly with a sudden growl. This frightened him, and 

 he ran home as fast as he could, the leopard pursuing till near the 

 village, where it disappeared. When he entered his house his wife 



* The Sema word is aghongn, which primarily = " shadow," but is used normally in 

 Sema eschatology for the soul of a dead person. 



