Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 7, 1896.djvu/339

Rh important altar bearing fruit and flowers for the devil to eat during the night, as I was assured he actually would do. I was unfortunately not able to accept a tempting offer to show him at midnight on the following day, in the shape of some fowl or beast. There was also among the performers a picturesque man bedecked with long chaplets, and Hindoo sacred marks on his forehead—only as ornaments, however, it was said, as he was in fact a Buddhist. He appeared to be a sort of manager.

Within the house a sort of shrine had been made by winding a cloth around the legs of a common chair raised upon a table; flowers, palm leaves, and areca blossoms were scattered within. In the middle was a small white-metal box; its open lid, overlaid with a shining black composition of suitable ingredients, formed a magic mirror. I was made to look into it, unsuccessfully, however; then one of the band, plainly dressed, took my place, and after gazing in silence, long and intently, proceeded to tell me of my distant home and of my future, without preliminary insidious questions and with every appearance of sincerity. He described the house, the trees near it, their fruit, the number of inmates, even the name of one he said was ill, and advised me about continuing to live there. He hit the truth in one point only, the number of windows on one side of the house.

These men make devil dancing their sole business. They came from Galle, in the south of the island, and being of the best sort, have plenty of work. After remaining a couple of hours, as there seemed no novelty forthcoming, I went home tired and somewhat revolted.

The rite is intended to partly coax, partly force the possessing demon to leave the body of the sick person. In fact, he has no choice, he must be gone before morning, when the invalid would be quite cured. It is a popular performance, taking place often and without concealment.

Le Pigautier, Menton.

My first experience of witchcraft began at a very early age, before I was an hour old, in fact. My maternal grandmother, a