CH. X MYTHOLOGY OF TEE MINAEAS8EBS 257 



' In front of the house of the feast-giver there was a 



quadrangular footstool made of bamboo, and to this a cord 



was attached, decorated with flowers and leaves, which 



stretched to a neighbouring tree. This was to allow the 



gods to come down from the tree to receive the offerings. 



Within the house were all the friends and relatives of the 



old man, attired in hohday costume, and in the midst of 



them were several waHans, of whom one was obviously 



the chief. The chief priest danced about on two planks 



like a lunatic, singing the while, and swaying bunches of 



pahn leaves hither and thither. I was told that he was 



possessed of the god Lembej, and had been in that 



condition already five hours. At last, he fell exhausted to 



the ground. " He is now dead," cried the spectators. 



Four other walians covered him with a cloth, and the 



people said that they should now see a wonder — that they 



would cut off a piece of his tongue. It is true that they 



showed a piece of red flesh which they threw into the 



air and caught again, but in a moment I could see that 



it was only a piece of a cock's comb. Then one of the 



walians swung a censer calling upon the god Lembej, in a 



mumbling tone, to give him back his life, and then they 



began to whistle for his soul tq come back again. 



' But the soul seemed to be still unwilHng to hear them, 

 for the chief priest, stupid with sagoweer wine and heavy 

 with sleep, snored aloud. 



' At last he awoke and sprang up, but for a consider- 

 able time remained as if he were dumb. Afterwards, amidst 

 smoking and singing, the missing piece was fastened on 

 to his tongue again. He then chewed betel for a while, 

 and finally raised his voice to thank the gods for his de- 

 liverance. 



'All this time the sick woman lay upon a mat in a 

 corner, but nobody troubled about her. She was in the 



3 



