Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 3, 1892.djvu/212

204 the ordinary sikìdy, the business of which is to give answers to our questions.

The first thing to be done, after having "erected the sikìdy," is to see what figure we have got in the column named Andrìamànitra (God); for, out of the sixteen figures, only half of them (Nos. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14) are considered to "agree" with Andrìamàntra. These are called the "Nobles" or "Kings" of the sikìdy, whereas the remaining eight are called its "Slaves". If any of these latter figures happen to get into the said column, the sikìdy becomes invalid, and the whole has to be broken up and commenced anew; for the sikìdy has not done proper honour to God in putting a slave in His column, and cannot be expected to tell the truth in His name.

This point, however, being successfully arranged, the next business is to choose one of the four first columns (Talé—Vòhitra) to represent the question, or, rather, the person or thing it refers to. As Talé is to represent everything that cannot be put under the headings "property", "relations", or " village", the choice cannot be very puzzling; but this being settled, the proceedings branch out into the following parts, which Mr. Dahle terms: The Sikìdy of Identical Figures;  The Sikìdy of Different Figures; and  The Sikìdy of Combined Figures.

A.—The Sikìdy of Identical Figures.—Having settled which of the four first columns is to represent the question, the next thing is to examine which of the sixteen figures happens to be in the column representing it. This being found, we go on examining all the other figures except the others of the first four (for these have nothing to do with the answer), that is to say, those on the right side, those on the left, and those on the two corners to the left.

If we, thus examining them, find that any of them is like the one representing the inquiry, this may or may not settle the question, or, in other words, give us the answer. This depends on the nature (name) of the column in which it is found. This Mr. Dahle illustrates thus: "If I expect