480 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION G. 



looked up, but she had also a vague idea of a wicked Spirit of the 

 same name who tempted to evil. Rowi-a (the ' ow ' pronounced 

 as in cow), seemed therefore to be the name of a Spirit whether of 

 good or evil. This belief was in no way due to contact with the 

 whites. It may here be stated that the natives, when feeling very 

 ill and near death, objected to the presence of a white man. They 

 also disliked under these circumstances to be on a bedstead and 

 always endeavoured to get down on the floor and lie in front of 

 the fire. 



As to the general chai'acter and disposition of our herione, 

 "poor Lallah," to use the words of her kind guardian, "was very 

 passionate, sulky, and (when she was his wife) very jealous of 

 King Billy, but very kind-hearted and very faithful. Her grief 

 after her husband's death was something terrible. She was 

 passionately attached to her dogs." Though unable to read, she 

 was delighted with pictures, and always evinced keen interest in 

 the illustrated London papers. Her notions of surgery, derived 

 from native teaching, were very decided. For headache, lumbago, 

 and some similar affections of a painful character, she regarded 

 local bleeding as the sovereign remedy. The bleeding was affected 

 by scarifications with sharp fragments of glass, and she herself 

 was recognised by her people as an accomplished operator. When 

 as much blood as required was obtained, hpemorrhage was stopped 

 by the application of moist clay, which, I have no doubt, was 

 thoroughly efficacious. For the relief of other local pains again, 

 she had much faith in the efficacy of the small bone (radius) of 

 the arm of a dead chief. King Tippo. The bone in the first 

 instance liad been charred in the fire, and when used was applied 

 to the affected part and firmly bound upon it. Tooth extraction 

 was occasionally eff^ected by tying a tendon from the tail of a 

 wallably to the peccant tooth and then jerking it out. Although 

 perfectly willing, however, to adopt somewhat vigorous, if not 

 heroic measures in the treatment of lier friends, she always 

 evinced in her own case a profound repugnance to medicine. I'he 

 only form in which she could be induced to take it was that of a 

 pill, during the exhibition of which she was wont to exhibit a 

 very distinct vein of humour, which I think interesting, not only 

 as a trait in her own character, but possibly in that of her race. 

 On the part of my previously quoted informant "the giving of this 

 pill meant about an hour's hard work," the process being described 

 as follows : — " Lallah opened her mouth to the widest extent. I 

 placed the pill as far back on the tongue as possible and jDushed 

 it onwards with a lead pencil. After this performance had been 

 successfully completed, 1 ^allah would give a little gulp and exclaim, 

 " Artful fellah, that. You think him gone. Here him is again," 

 at the same time putting the pill out in her hand. This would be 

 repeated a number of times, till at last she would ejaculate, "Pah- 

 wah now him crackney fine one," which signified the pill at 

 last had reached its destination ! She seldom required medicine, 



