518 



account from his memoir, instead of inserting one less scienliiic 

 and satisfactory from my own manuscripts. 



" Having been visited by one of these conjurers, I resolved to 

 see clearly his mode of performing this operation ; and for that 

 purpose ordered him to seat himself on the floor of the verandah. 

 The sword he intended to use, has some resemblance to a common 

 spit in shape, except at the handle, which is merely a part of the 

 blade itself, rounded and elongated into a little rod. It is from 

 twenty-two to twenty-six inches in length, about an inch in bread ih, 

 and about one fifth of an inch in thickness ; the edges and point 

 are blunt, being rounded, and of the same thickness as the rest of 

 the blade ; it is of iron or steel, smooth, and a little bright. 



" Having satisfied myself with respect to the sword, by at- 

 tempting to bend it, and by striking it against a stone, I firmly 

 grasped it by the handle, and ordered him to proceed. He first 

 took a small phial of oil, and with one of his fingers rubbed a little 

 of it over the surface of the instrument ; then, stretching up his 

 neck as much as possible, and bending himself a little backwards, 

 he introduced the point of it into his mouth, and pushed it gently 

 down his throat, until my hand, which was on the handle, came in 

 contact with his lips. He then made a sign to me with one of his 

 hands, to feel the point of the instrument between his breast and 

 navel; which I could plainly do, by bending him a little more 

 backwards, and pressing my fingers on his stomach, he being a 

 very thin and lean fellow. On letting go the handle of the sword, 

 he instantly fixed on it a little machine that spun round, and disen- 

 gaged a small firework,, which encircling his head with a blue flame, 



