1865.] Religion de. among the Karens. 201 
the La responds by twisting and stretching the string till it breaks, 
and falls into the cup; or at least shakes and rings against it, 
A hundred witnesses could be produced, who have seen it done. 
Indeed the thread is of such slender material that a very little legerde- 
main would be required to break it under the weight of the bangle, 
and the bamboo is so slender, that still less would be necessary to 
make it spring up and down, and hit against the sides of the cup. 
But I have watched the whole ceremony, kept the crowd away from 
the machinery, and there was no more answer to the calls, than there 
was to the cries of the priests of Baal before Elijah. 
Prophets, or Necromancers, are said to have the power of going into 
the invisible world, and bringing back the La, when it has wandered 
away ; but the Elders warn their children against unrighteous prophets, 
who for the sake of gain, when they cannot find the La of the sick 
person, will bring the La of some other person in its place ; by which 
the disease is aggravated. 
Thus it would appear that a person may have another one’s La. 
The La is sometimes supposed to take the form or to inhabit insects. 
Thus when insects are flying around a light at night, the wish is often 
expressed that the Lis of beasts and demons may be burnt to death, 
while the Las of human beings may avoid the fire and escape. Here 
when an insect flies into the fire, it is said to be the La of a beast, but 
when it hovers around and flies away, it is regarded as the La of 
a human being. 
_ According to the representations of some, but the idea does not 
_ prevail extensively, each person has seven Las that are constantly 
‘devising his death; which is only prevented by a guardian spirit 








that sits on his head. When that spirit jumps down, the man is lost, 
for then one or other of the Las rushes on him and kills him. These 
Lis seem to be the personifications of evils, natural or moral. 
_ They are madness, epilepsy, lechery, wrath, the exhibition of dreams, 
the bearer of diseases andlanguor. ‘ If our mad Li comes, we become 
insane ; if our epileptic La comes, we are seized with epilepsy ; if our 
Techerous La comes, we become lost to shame; if our wrathful La 
comes, we are filled with anger, malice, and commit murder ; if the 
shower of dreams comes, we are overwhelmed with dreams; if the 
bearer of sickness comes, we are prostrated by disease ; and if languor 
comes, we feel unable to do anything, 

