Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 1 1883.djvu/380

372 deed, and that the animal would surely die, unless Phulloo agreed to return to his old ways and let him have his grain to parch. This Phulloo declined to do. He was recommended some medicine for the calf, but he evidently thought it would be hopeless to attempt to cope with an evil spirit. He declined the offer and the calf died. Then the whole village took up the quarrel and sent Boodhun to Coventry. No one went near him, his sin being great, as he a Hindoo had caused the death of a calf.

Boodhun then called a punchayat, or village council; Rajpoots, Brahmins, as well as other castes, being appointed arbitrators. The conclusion arrived at was that Phulloo had done wrong in the first instance, in going to another grain-parcher. Finally, a compromise was effected, and the two neighbours are now on the most friendly terms.

In September 1879, one morning, as the Collector of G was making one of his usual inspections of the city, a man rushed out and implored him to interfere on behalf of his wife, who was being kept prisoner by a neighbour. On the Collector stopping to inquire into the matter, he was led to a house where a tall Ryet confronted him and said—"Yes, the woman was there, and he meant to keep her, and what's more he'd kill her if she did not cure his child. That it was well known she had cast the evil eye on a child once before, and had cured it afterwards. That she had been in his house all night, and though they had placed the child in her arms she wouldn't cure it.'" [sic] True enough, the poor little child was there; it had been ill since the previous day, and was evidently dying. The wretched woman who was accused had been kept a close prisoner all night in a small room. The little child died; it had, no doubt, been dangerously ill for some time: possibly, its death was accelerated by the excitement around it. But the father firmly believed its sickness had been caused by the evil eye, and that the woman who had wrought the evil could have saved the child's life had she been so minded.

Apparently, in Ireland the possessor of the evil eye is occasionally good-naturedly minded to counteract its effects. The following anecdote was related by an Englishwoman, and is given as nearly as possible in her own words. Being asked if she knew of any super-