chap, xii.] TAKING A CENSUS. ' 287 



And the twelve sacred krisses had great virtue. And 

 when any sickness appeared in a village one of them was 

 sent for ; and sometimes the sickness went away, and then 

 the sacred kris was taken back again with great honour, 

 and the head men of the village came to tell the Eajah 

 of its miraculous power, and to thank him. And some- 

 times the sickness would not go away; and then everybody 

 was convinced that there had been a mistake in the 

 number of needles sent from that village, and therefore 

 the sacred kris had no effect, and had to be taken back 

 again by the head men with heavy hearts, but still with 

 all honour, — for was not the fault their own % 



