The ‘ Kols” of Chota-Nagpore. 187 
to house, until before the morning dawn they had succeeded in ex- 
tinguishing, as they supposed, the whole race.” On the suppression 
of the disturbances, the return of the refractory Hos to order was as 
sudden and decisive as had been their relapse into barbarism. The 
survivors of the families who had suffered at once emerged with confi- 
dence from their hiding-places, and of the cases of witchcraft-murder, 
thus or otherwise brought to notice, the perpetrators were in almost 
every instance prosecuted to conviction. 
It was melancholy to have to condemn men who themselves artlessly 
detailed every incident of the crime with which they were charged. 
The work of retribution was a sad task, but it was rigorously carried 
out, and we have not since then had a single case of witchcraft murder 
in the Colehan. That the belief in the existence of witches and sorcerers 
is consequently extirpated, cannot be hoped. Nothing but their 
conversion from paganism could effect this. I am convinced that 
in most instances the prisoners, who in their examinations detailed 
the most marvellous effects of imputed sorcery, were sincere believers 
in all that they narrated. 
One of them, named Mora, saw his wife killed by a tiger, which 
he followed till it led him to the house of a man named Poosa whom 
he knew. He told Poosa’s relations what had occurred, declaring to 
them that Poosa had, in the form of a tiger, killed and eaten his 
wife. The relatives appealed to, did not for a moment discredit the 
charge. They said they were aware that Poosa did possess the 
imputed power of metamorphosis. They brought him out and, deliver- 
ing him bound to his accuser, stood by whilst Mora deliberately put 
him to death, 
In explanation of their having so acted, they deposed that Poosa 
had one night devoured an entire goat and roared like a tiger, whilst 
he was eating it ; and on another occasion he informed his friends he 
had a longing to eat a particular bullock, and that very night that 
very bullock was killed and devoured by a tiger ! | 
From their having lived so long together, it is not surprising that 
we should find the religious ceremonies of the Oraon and Moondah 
almost identical. The Oraons have adopted the religion of the 
Moondah, but they retain some features of their original faith which 
indicate that it was in many essential points different from that to 
which they have conformed, | 
