202 WITCHCRAFT. 



carrying his cloth (i.e., his dress) within a month is mine.' 

 They think that the black sand will make the person who 

 bewitched the deceased to go about naked; and, therefore, 

 should such a one be caught at such practices during the 

 month he is killed." ~'* 



Witchcraft and Charms. — It will be inferred from the 

 above, what indeed is the fact, that those who practise 

 witchcraft are accustomed to go about naked, but this is, of 

 course, done by night, and the lamia or outer dress is carried 

 on the head. To dance on tombs is said to be another action 

 commonly done by rnpamosavy or sorcerers. 



Although to practice sorcery was a capital crime, it appears 

 to have been very prevalent ; indeed the sorcery which 

 consists in a use of charms of various kinds is still practised 

 almost all over the island. When it was wished to do injury 

 to any one, a basket containing various small articles, each 

 having a symbolic meaning, was laid at his door. Shortly 

 before the revolution in 1863, Mr. Ellis had such charms 

 betokening evil to him laid at his door or window for more 

 than a week. " This charm consisted of a small basket, three 

 or four inches in diameter and depth, in which were two 

 pieces of granite stone, called ' death stones.' A hole was 

 burned in the basket, which indicated calamity by fire. 

 Amongst the contents were hedgehog's bristles, parts of 

 scorpions or centipedes, hair, earth said to be from a grave, 

 and other strange ingredients." f 



Charms or bdy (ply, in some parts of the country) are used 

 for all sorts of purposes : thus there are bdifaty, a cordial foi 

 exhilarating in circumstances of extreme sorrow or danger ; 

 bdifitia, a philtre or love charm; bdimahdry or bdirdtsy, a 

 malignant charm, &c. There were also certain charms thrown 

 towards an enemy before a battle as a means of ensuring 

 victory. And as soon as one goes away from the Chris- 

 tianised portions of Madagascar one meets with numbers of 

 charms worn by the people, and designed to protect from 

 various evils or to procure certain benefits. Thus, among 

 the Bara, Tanala, and east-coast tribes, every one carries 



* Antananarivo Annual, No. ii. p. 98. 

 t Madagascar Revisited, p. 271. 



