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nearer, 'the howls answering each other, until at length the leader of the band 

 runs in an all fours to the fire, followed by the others. They run after each 

 other round the fire imitating the actions of dogs, until, as before, the leading 

 old man jumps up, clasps his hands and shouts the native word for „wild dog u 

 All then join in precisely such a dance as I have before described. 



What may be called the „moral lessons u have, at first sight, a very 

 immoral appearance. and it is not easy to describe some of them. They repre- 

 sent in pantomimic dances varions offences against propriety and morality, and 

 the old men and the guardians point these representations by tellirg the novices 

 what will be the consequences should they, after leaving the initiation camp, 

 commit the represented offences. I have heard the old men say, for instance: 

 ,,If you do anything like that when you go back, you will be killed" — that is, 

 either by magic or by direct violence. That which is thus forbidden I can suf- 

 ficiently describe by saying that it includes, inter alia, disrespect towards the old 

 men, the interference with unprotected women or the wives of other men, and 

 those offences for which, it is said the Cities of the Piain were destroyed by ce- 

 lestial fire. 



Besides these representations there are many merely „magic dances", which 

 seem to be performed for the purpose of enabling the wizards to exhibit their 

 power of „bringing things out of themselves". The mode of dancing is precisely 

 that which I have described before, but the word shouted is either the name of 

 some particular magic object, as of the quartz crystal, or the name of some part 

 of the body, as head, legs, etc. which may become the subject of the magic 

 influence. 



Among these magic dances those of Daramulun and Ngalalbad are pre- 

 eminent. The former is to the word Daramulun, and the old men then show 

 all they can do in bringing up those substances with which it is said he pro- 

 vides them. 



The Ngalalbal dance is rendered very effective by being preceded by the 

 „duality" Ngalalbal, the wives of Daramulun. These are seen to glide from the 

 orest past the fire, and to disappear in the gloom beyond, to a slow and rather 

 melancholy air sung by the audience, the words of which may be rendered, 

 „Ngalalbal, you two Coming from afar, where are you going to?" Ngalalbal is 

 represented by two men shrouded in rugs precisely as are the novices, and each 

 protruding a boomerang from the small space left at the face. 



Throughout all these Performances there is the constant use of the „inverted 

 speech", and the novices are continually instructed by their guardians, and spe- 

 cially by one or other of the old men. 



One very significant part of the ceremonies remains to be noted, and I 



