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PILLI CHARMS. 



ing to buy some of the plantains enquired their price; on being 

 told that eight were sold for a pice,* he offered to buy twelve for a 

 pice, which so irritated Abileenu, that he abused the other in very 

 indecent language, using among other expressions this — 'send 

 your mother to me with a bag to fetch plantains at twelve for a 

 pice.' Well, Bayi Appoo, who had only done what any other man 

 would have done when he wanted to buy any article from a bou- 

 tique, was very much provoked by this language, which he had not 

 deserved; therefore when he heard the expression " Send your 

 mother to me with a bag to fetch plantains at twelve for a pice," 

 he rushed towards the other intending to box his ears, but suddenly 

 checking himself he replied "very well, then I will send her to you 

 to-night," and he went away. That night about 12 o'clock there 

 came to Abileenu's boutique an old gray-haired woman. How she 

 got in after the doors had been fast locked, was more than Abileenu's 

 people could say. But there she was, sitting on a bag and looking 

 steadfastly with glowing fiery eyes at the sleeping Abileenu. In 

 a very short time Abileenu was heard to utter a loud, shrill scream, 

 and the next morning after daylight when the other people of the 

 boutique looked at Abileenu, they found him a cold corpse. One 

 of these boutique people himself told me all this." 



About eight years ago, the death of a young woman from the 

 bite of a Cobra in a village not far from Caltura was attributed to 

 a Pilli; to prove that it was so, her relatives argued that, although 

 death may follow the bite of a Cobra without there being any Pilli 

 in the matter, yet in this particular instance the snake, which 

 could have bitten many other people who were more in its way, 

 purposely avoided them all; and that, although many attempted to 

 drive it away from the neighbourhood of the house, yet it did not 

 only not leave the premises, but ran through the midst of the other 

 people, until it approached the young woman, and fastened its fatal 

 fangs in her. 



* A pice is three-eighths of a penny . 



