Teegeak. — On a Phase of Hyimotisni. 91 



aud the utmost that remained on his mind or came to him 

 with the recovery of his own will was that he might have 

 done something foolish. If the attention of either of these 

 men was arrested, as I have said, by word, sign, or a meaning 

 glance, from that moment until the influence was removed 

 the latah man would do whatever he was told or signed to do 

 without hesitation, whether the act signified \\as difficult, 

 dangerous, or painful. When once under this influence any 

 one present could give the order and the Idtah man would 

 instantly obey it; not only that, but even at some distance 

 (as in the coco-tree incident) he appeared to be equally subject 

 to the will imposed on his actions. 



" A curious thing about both these men was that, having 

 attracted the attention of either, if you said ' Kasim, go and 

 hit that man,' he would invariably repeat what was said word 

 for word, including his own name, while he carried out the 

 order. When the person hit turned on him, Kjisim would 

 say, ' It was not I who hit you, but that man who ordered me.' 

 I have seen Kasim the younger, when the man influencing 

 him put his own finger in his mouth and pretended to bite it, 

 imitate the action, but really bite his finger hard. Similarly 

 I have seen him, in imitation, and without a word being said, 

 take a lighted brand from the fire, and he would have put it 

 in his mouth if the experiment had been carried so far. 

 Some one told him one day to jump into the river, and he did 

 not get out again till he had swum nearly 200 yards, for the 

 stream was both broad and deep, with a terrible current, and 

 infested by crocodiles. If at any moment you called out 

 ' Toloncj ! Kasim' (Help! Kasim), the instant he heard it he 

 would jump up, and, crying ' Tolong ! Kasim,' dash straight to 

 you over all obstacles. If then you had put a weapon in his 

 hand and told him to slay any one within reach, I have not 

 the slightest doubt he would have done it without hesitation. 



" I have said there was a ladderless watch-tower outside 

 the stockade. The police wanted firewood ; they were not 

 allowed to burn the logs forming our walls, but at the top of 

 the watch-tower there were also log walls that they were told 

 they could burn. They were lazy, however, and did not see 

 how they were going to get up, so they ordered Kasim the 

 younger to climb up, which he did, as he had climbed the 

 coco-nut tree, and when once there they told him to throw 

 down logs until they thought they had enough. I watched 

 that operation, and the feverish haste with which the man 

 swarmed up one of the supports, gained the platform of the 

 tower, and threw down huge logs as though his life depended 

 on it was rather remarkable. I gave orders that the man's 

 infirmity was not to be used for this purpose again, but in my 

 absence I know that when more firewood was wanted Kasim 



