DOBUAN BELIEFS AND FOLK-LORE. 



417 



The man came back and told that the place where he had been 

 was turned upside down to keep people out, as on one occasion 

 some impertinent folk had ventured near and stolen drums from 

 the spirits. There are two mountains at Bwebweso which sleep 

 together at night, but are separate in the daylight. 



Those who hear this story say it is true, because the man and 

 the child, being bones and flesh, would indeed sleep on the ground. 

 That is quite right. The spirits would be in the roof. That is 

 quite right. We can also see the mountains apart in the day, and 

 we watch them close together as darkness comes. So this story 

 must be true. Neda, etc., etc. There is no god or chief in spirit- 

 land, but communistic principles prevail. 



Sorcery and Witchcraft. — Though the Dobuan does not fear any 

 god, and is not at all agitated concerning the presence of the 

 " shadow " of the departed, his life is made miserable by the powers 

 of the wizards and witches amongst his own people. In fact, the 

 whole life of the Dobuan is full of charms and counter-charms. 

 He is more afraid of wizards and witches than he is of evil spirits 

 of the woods. This is not surprising when it is believed that 

 wizards have the power of causing death in twelve different ways : — 



Sorcerers. — A wizard, after fasting from food and drinking 

 sea water performs special incantations in secret and then : — 



1) His touch will cause death. 



2) He can impale his victim with an imaginary stick. 



3) He can pierce the body with an imaginary spear, 



4) He can bewitch food left over after a meal, or a tuft of 

 hair or portion of clothing, and so cause death. 



5) He can bewitch food before it is cooked, and make it 

 poisonous. 



6) His hand placed secretly on the head of a child will 

 cause its death. 



7) He can send poison into the mouth of a person as he 

 is eating. 



8) He can kill by spitting at a person. 



9) He can cause a man to fall when climbing and so cause 



his death. 



(10) He can bewitch a fireplace so that food cooked upon it 



becomes poisonous. 



(11) He can poison the drinking water by putting into it a 



leaf which he has bewitched. 



(12) He can bewitch a sharp-pointed stick and cause a man 



to walk with his bare feet on the spot where he has 

 hidden it, so that it will pierce his victim's foot and 

 kill him. 



These and many other things he can do, but he must do them 

 secretly ; therefore no one must walk about alone. There must 

 always be two or three together. 



C2 



