THE ISLAND OF CEYLON. 
75 
a certain number of years, without once letting it down; and 
this he will actually continue to do, till the arm can never 
afterwards be recovered to its natural position. Another will 
keep his hand shut till the nails on his fingers absolutely grow 
into the flesh, and appear quite through at the back of his 
hand. Many never suffer their hair to be combed, or their 
beards to be shaved : in this state the hair of their heads, 
which is of a brown or burnt colour, gets matted, and appears 
not unlike the mops we use in Europe ; or hangs down in 
long dishevelled strings, similar to that which grows on a 
species of French lap-dogs. Some will vow never to lie down ; 
while, at the same time, they wear round their necks a large 
iron instrument not unlike a gird-iron without a handle. 
But one of the most extraordinary of these ceremonies 
which I have witnessed is, swinging for their cast, as it is 
termed. A very high and strong post, or cocoa-tree, is 
planted firmly in the ground, crossways ; on its top, another 
beam is placed in such a manner as to turn round on a pivot, 
and made fast to the upright post by ropes reeved through 
both, like the yards to the mast of a ship ; and from the 
end of the transverse beam, ropes and pullies are suspended 
to hoist up the devotee. He then is brought out, attended 
by a number of people dancing before him ; and is led thrice 
round the swinging post by the Brahmins and his relations, 
with loud shouts, accompanied by music. In the mean time a 
sheep is sacrificed, and the blood sprinkled about on the sur- 
rounding multitude, who arc eager that it shall fall upon 
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