A CLERK OF THE WEATHER. 189 
probably been a close observer of the weather, and dis- 
covered those delicate local indications of a coming 
change, with which people in all countries living much 
in the open air are familiar, and he very likely does not 
commence operations until he is pretty sure of success. 
As one of my objects in Fiji was to find out “all 
about the leaves,” I was anxious to be initiatedin an 
art productive of such astonishing results. A little in- 
quiry, however, convinced me that an initiation would 
make me rather an object of fear than respect. The 
adepts in the art of Vaka-drau-ni-kau-taka (literally, to 
effect with leaves) are in fact regular sorcerers, whose 
craft I thought it prudent not to join. Not satisfied 
with causing rain and sunshine, they exercise a direct 
and much more criminal influence over life and death, 
by working upon the superstitious fears of the natives 
to such an excess that it causes serious illness, if not 
death. They are identical with the disease-makers of 
Tanna, though not enjoying such a prominent position, 
and accomplish what European impostors effected, 
and in some districts still effect, by praying to death 
people silly enough to make themselves nervous about 
any influence these rogues pretend to exercise. Ifa 
Fijian wishes to cause the destruction of an individual 
by other means than open violence or secret poison, the 
case is put in the hands of one of these sorcerers, care 
being taken to let this fact be generally and widely 
known. The sorcerer now proceeds to obtain any arti- 
cle that has once been in the possession of the person 
to be operated upon. These articles are then burnt 
with certain leaves, and if the reputation of the sorcerer 
