182 



lOMBOCK. 



[chap, XII. 



to keep him on the mountain always, or perhaps he had 

 missed his way in coming do^TO again. And they were 

 debating wliether they should go and search for him, when 

 they saw him coming down with the two boys. And 

 wlien he met tliem be looked very grave, but said nothing ; 

 and then all descended together, and the procession re- 

 turned as it had come ; and the Rajah went to his palace 

 and the chiefs to their villages, and the people to their 

 houses, to tell their wives and children all that had 

 happened, and to wonder yet again what wonhl come of it 



And three days afterwards the Rajah summoned the 

 priests and the princes and the chief men of ilataram, to 

 hear what the great spirit bad told him on the top of the 

 mountain. And when they were all assembled, and the 

 betel and sirib had been banded round, he told them what 

 bad happened. On the top of the mountain he had fallen 

 into a trance, and the great spirit had appeared to him 

 \v\ih. a face like burnished gold, and had said — 0 Rajab ! 

 much plague and sickness and fevt-rs are coming upon all 

 the earth, upon men and upon horses and ui)on cattle ; but 

 as you and your people have obeyed me and have come up 

 to my great mountain, I will teach you how you and all 

 the people of Lorahock may escape this plague." And all 

 waited anxiously, to bear how they were to be saved from 

 so fearful a calamity. And after a short silence the Rajah 

 spoke again and told tbenij— that the great spirit had com- 

 manded that twelve sacred kriases should be made, and 

 that to make them every village and every district must 

 send a bundle of needles — -a needle for every head in the 

 villa:,^*\ And when any grievous disease appeared in any 

 villagf, one of the sacred krisses shoidd be sent there ; 

 and if every bouse in that village had sent the right 

 number of needles, the disease would immediately cease ; 

 but if the nuiubei of needles sent bad not been exact, 

 the kris would have no virtue. 



So the princes and chiefs sent to all their villages and 

 communicated the %vonderful news ; and all made haste 

 to collect the needles with the greatest accuracy, for they 

 feared tliat if but one were wanting the whole village 

 %V(ndd sulfer. So one by one the head men of tiie villages 

 brought iu their bundles of needles ; those who wore near 



