Tttc " Kols" of Chota-Nacjpore. 187 



to house, until before the morning dawn they had succeeded in ex- 

 tinguishing, as they supposed, the whole race." On the suppression 

 of the disturbances, the return of the refractory Hos to order was as 

 sudden and decisive as had been their relapse into barbarism. The 

 survivors of the families who had suffered at once emerged with confi- 

 dence from their hiding-places, and of the cases of witchcraft-murder, 

 thus or otherwise brought to notice, the perpetrators were in almost 

 every instance prosecuted to conviction. 



It was melancholy to have to condemn men who themselves artlessly 

 detailed every incident of the crime with which they were charged. 

 The work of retribution was a sad task, but it was rigorously carried 

 out, and we have not since then had a single case of witchcraft murder 

 in the Colehan. That the belief in the existence of witches and sorcerers 

 is consequently extirpated, cannot be hoped. Nothing but their 

 conversion from paganism could effect this. I am convinced that 

 in most instances the prisoners, who in their examinations detailed 

 the most marvellous effects of imputed sorcery, were sincere believers 

 in all that they narrated. - 



One of them, named Mora, saw his wife killed by a tiger, which 

 he followed till it led him to the house of a man named Poosa whom 

 he knew. He told Poosa's relations what had occurred, declaring to 

 them that Poosa had, in the form of a tiger, killed and eaten his 

 wife. The relatives appealed to, did not for a moment discredit the 

 charge. They said they were aware that Poosa did possess the 

 imputed power of metamorphosis. They brought him out and, deliver- 

 ing him bound to his accuser, stood by whilst Mora deliberately put 

 him to death, 



In explanation of their having so acted, they deposed that Poosa 

 had one night devoured an entire goat and roared like a tiger, whilst 

 he was eating it ; and on another occasion he informed his friends he 

 had a longing to eat a particular bullock, and that very night that 

 very bullock was killed and devoured by a tiger ! 



From their having lived so long together, it is not surprising that 

 we should find the religious ceremonies of the Oraon and Moondah 

 almost identical. The Oraons have adopted the religion of the 

 Moondah, but they retain some features of their original faith which 

 indicate that it was in many essential points different from that to 

 which they have conformed. 



