210 Religion &c. among the Karens. [No. 4, 
to smite the visitor if he came again. The next night, the supposed 
nephew was at the old man’s bedside again, and his uncle looked at 
him from head to foot, and he seemed to be his nephew so accurately 
in every part, that he could not use the sword against him. In the 
morning the nephew called, and asked if he had cut down his visitor. 
“No,” he replied, ‘‘ he was from one end to the other so exactly like 
thee, that I did not dare to strike him.” The young man sharpened 
up his sword and made his uncle promise to cut down the man when 
he came again without hesitation. This he did, and struck off his 
head at a single blow, when he immediately disappeared. Next 
morning it was reported that a man had died in the village during 
the night, and when the nephew went to look at the body, behold it 
was headless ;° ‘‘ so he then knew that a Na had attempted to devour 
his uncle.” 
The interchange of persons is sometimes represented as a change 
of skins. It is related that— 
“ Anciently there was a woman possessed of a N&a whose name was 
Po-kla, and she was as black as a crow. She would exchange skins 
with other people; and when she met with a woman with a white 
skin, she would put on the white skin and clothe its owner with her 
own black skin.” 
In one story she is said to be the black slave of a young man of 
property that went abroad and brought home a handsome white wife. 
Soon after his return, Po-kla succeeded in exchanging skins with her 
mistress, and took her place as her master’s wife, without her master 
suspecting the change. The mistress was now beaten and cruelly 
used by her former slave. 
At the time of early paddy, she was sent into the field to drive 
away the birds; when all the doves and little birds came around her 
daily. She charged the birds not to eat the paddy, and she had no 
occasion to run after them, for they remained with her in the booth all 
day long. She ordered the dove to go and bring her fragrant oil 
from her grandmother’s house ; but when the dove reached there, she 
broke her wings, and for a long time she was unable to return. So 
soon, however, as the wings healed, she picked up the bamboo joint, 
which contained the fragrant oil, unobserved, and flew away with it 
to her mistress. Her mistress anointed herself with the oil, and be- 
came herself again, and even more beautiful. 

