732 Account of the Origin, etc. of the [July, 



petition to prefer to their superiors, conceive that a similar propitiation 

 of Jishim and Mishim, or of the Chiris, will tend to the fulfilment of 

 their requests. And this, I think, is nearly the whole amount of rites 

 and ceremonies which their religion prescribes to the Bodo and Dhimals. 

 And anxious as I am fully to illustrate the topic, I will not try the 

 patience of my readers hy describing all that variety of black victims 

 and white, of red victims and blue, which each particular deity is alleg- 

 ed to prefer ; first, because the subject is intrinsically trifling ; and 

 second, because the diverse statements of my informants lead me to 

 suspect that the matter is optional or discretionary with each individual 

 priest prescribing these minutiae. I have mentioned the rude symbols 

 proper to Batho and Mainou. None of the other gods seem to have 

 any at all, though a low line of kneaded clay attached to the Thali 

 that surrounds the sacred Euphorbia in the yards of the Bodo is 

 said to stand for the rest of the divinities, who, as I have already 

 said, are wont to be worshipped collectively rather than individual- 

 ly ; and thus the sun, the moon and the earth, though adored by 

 Bodo and by Dhimal, have no separate rites, but are included in 

 those appropriated to the elemental gods. "Witchcraft is universal- 

 ly dreaded by both Bodo and Dhimal. Witches (Dain and Mhai) 

 are supposed to owe their noxious power to their own wicked 

 studies, or to the aid of preternatural beings. When any person is 

 afflicted, the elders assemble and summon three Ojhas or exorcists, 

 with whose aid and that of a cane freely used, the elders endeavour 

 to extort from the witch a confession of the fact and the motives. 

 By dint of questioning and of beating the witch is generally brought 

 to confession, when he or she is asked to remove the spell, to heal the 

 sufferer, means of propitiating preternatural allies (if their agency be 

 alleged) being at the same time tendered to the witch, who is, however, 

 forthwith expelled the district and put across the next river, with the 

 concurrence of the local authorities. No other sorcery or black art 

 save that of witches is known; nor palmistry, augury, astrology, 

 nor, in a word, any other supposed command of the future than that 

 described in the * Wa galeno' as the attribute, (for the nonce) of the 

 Deoda or vates. The evil eye cause some alarm to Bodo and to 

 Dhimal, who call it mogon nango and mlnojo respectively, and who 

 cautiously avoid the evil-eyed person, but cannot eject him from the 



