442 



THE XOKTHERX FORESTS. 



[rART IX. 



state ; no temples, no idols, no altars, prayers, or 

 charms ; and, in short, no instinct of worship, except, it 

 is reported, some addiction to ceremonies analogous to 

 de\il worship, in order to avert storms and hghtnmg ; 

 and when sick, they send for de\'il dancers to drive 

 away the e^-il spirit, who is beheved to inflict the disease. 

 The dance is executed in front of an offering of some- 

 thing eatable, placed on a tripod of sticks, the dancer 

 having his head and girdle decorated mth green leaves. 

 At first he shuffles with his feet to a plaintive air, 

 but by degrees he works Imnself into a state of great 

 excitement and action, accompanied by moans and 

 screams, and during tliis paroxysm, he professes to be 

 inspired "with instruction for the cure of the patient. 



So rude are the Veddahs in all respects, that they do 

 not even bmy their dead, but cover them with leaves 

 and brushwood m the jungle. They have no system 

 of caste amongst themselves ; but, singular to say, this 

 degi^aded race is still regarded by the Singhalese as of 

 the most honom^able extraction, and is recognised by 

 them as belonfjino; to one of the hiohest castes.^ This 

 behef originates in a legend to the effect that a Veddali 

 chased by a wild animal took refuge in a tree, whence 

 all night long he threw down flowers to diive away 

 liis pursuer. But in the morning instead of a ^^Id 

 beast, he found an idol under the tree, who addressed 

 him -s^dth the announcement, that as he had passed the 

 night in worshipping and offering flowers, the race of 

 the A^eddahs should ever after take the highest place in 

 the caste of the Vellales or cultivators, the most exalted 

 of all. The Veddahs smile at the story and say they 

 know nothing of it, but nevertheless they would not 

 touch meat dressed by a low-caste Kandyan. 



^ Lassen, in hh Indische AUeHhums- 

 kunde, vol. ii. p. 1002, sugg^esta 

 that the Veddahs may be the de- 

 scendauts of the degraded caste of 



lianibakanakos alluded to in the 

 Mahairanw ; but the conjecture is 

 undoubtedly en-oneous. 



