364 
EXORCISM. 
him. After some time, two of the three doctors got 
up again, danced and sung around the boy, and 
then once more assuming their kneeling positions, 
recommenced spitting and blowing, waving their 
bunches of reeds, and making the same curious 
noises, but louder than ever. Their exorcism at 
last was effectual, the evil spirit, in the shape of a 
sharp stone, was extracted from the limb, and driven 
into the ground ; but it was too dark they said to 
see it. As soon as this agreeable news was announced, 
the friends of the boy came up and hastily removed 
him back to the camp, whilst the three doctors as- 
suming the triangular position, sung and danced 
round the place where the boy had been laid, and 
then advancing in the same form towards the river, 
keeping the right foot always in advance, they at 
last fairly drove the spirit into the water and relieved 
the neighbourhood from so troublesome a visitor. 
It was a long time before I lost a vivid impres- 
sion of this ceremony ; the still hour of the night, 
the naked savages, with their fancifully painted 
forms, their wild but solemn dirge, their uncouth 
gestures, and unnatural noises, all tended to keep up 
an illusion of an unearthly character, and con- 
tributed to produce a thrilling and imposing effect 
upon the mind. 
At the Murray River, singular looking places are 
found sometimes, 
made by the na- 
tives by piling 
'*** small stones close 
