FILL! CHARMS. 



89 



demons then come in great numbers to the scene, endeavouring in 

 every possible manner to frighten away the men, who however 

 take care before the commencement of the ceremony to fortify 

 themselves by charms and other amulets against these attacks. 

 When the charm is perfected, the mummy becomes animated, and 

 stands up. Then, certain other charms being pronounced over it, 

 the name of the intended victim written on an ola is tied round its 

 neck or its wrist; it then flies through the air like lightning to the 

 man, who is to be destroyed. If the latter happen to be himself a 

 man well learned in charms of this description, and if he recognize 

 the disguised demon instantly, he will be able by means of certain 

 other charms to send back the demon, who, when so sent, will and 

 must kill the person, who first roused him at the Jeewama, no 

 charm nor amulet of any kind being of any avail against him on 

 this occasion. But if the former fail to pronounce his charm, either 

 from not knowing one, or through fright, or from not suspecting a 

 Pilli demon in the animal before him, it will be all over with him 

 in a short time, no charms or any other demon ceremonies what- 

 ever helping him in the least, after the Pilli has once taken effect, 

 that effect being generally immediate death. 



If you ask a Cattadiya or any other Singhalese, who is at all 

 conversant with these matters, whether these Pilli charms are ac- 

 tually put in practice now, and whether they are really followed 

 by the wonderful results ascribed to them, he will first consider 

 you, if a Singhalese, to be a fellow spoiled by contamination with 

 Englishmen or by your English education, and then tell you that 



of exposing oneself to the influence of this Uncleanness, is sickness, and in the 

 | case of a man, who is already suffering from some sickness, the consequence 



will be to aggravate the disease. A man bitten by a mad dog, if exposed 



accidentally to this influence within three months, is supposed to get hydropho- 

 1 bia, and die most miserably. Hence this Uncleanness is greatly dreaded by the 



people, and none but the very nearest relatives will enter the garden of a house 

 : in which a person has died, the more distant relatives remaining outside the 

 I garden fence, 



