Henceforward he must never sit with or touch any woman but his wife; should any other woman even touch him by accident, it is supposed his predictions would fail; or should he marry more than one wife at a time, the people would have no faith in him. Having thus passed his novitiate, and obtained the reputation of a good Demauno, he is invited by his chief to the buffalo-festival, who puts round his neck a red silk thread, with five cowries strung on it, and binds a turban on his head, beseeching Gop that he may have power of restoring health to the sick, exorcising such as are possessed of devils, and that all his predictions may prove true. In this manner he is ordained, and officiates at the festival. A Demauno drinks of the reeking blood of all offerings sacrificed while he is present. He must never eat beef, or dhai, nor drink milk; for, in doing so, his prophecies would fail. There is no fixed number of Demaunos for the duty of a village: some have several, while others have none. The Maungy of every village sacrifices a buffalo in either the month of Maug or Phagun, annually he fixes a day, and, desires his vassals to attend, each of whom contributes a portion of grain, oil, or spirits for the festival: provisions being collected on the day appointed, the Maungy directs his followers what to do. Some cook, others go and cut a large branch of the muckmun (or sicwa) tree, which is brought, and planted before the Maungy's door, one of whose family carries out the kundone (a sacred stool, with four feet) and places it under the shade of the muckmun-branch, washes it, rubs it with oil, spots it with (sowndra) red paint, and binds it with a thread of red silk; the Maungy, having made his salám to the stool, sits on it; the Demauno, or priest, sits on the ground to his left, and prays first; after which he gives the Maungy a handful of unboiled rice, which he scatters close to the muckmun-branch, addressing himself to GOD, to protect him and his de

pendents, and to be propitious to them, adding a vow to perform and hold this festival annually. During the time of praying, the Maungy's drums are beating, that all within hearing, who are possessed of devils, may run, and pick up the rice to eat: having gathered it all, they are seized, bound, and taken to a small distance from the altar, when the buffalo, with ropes on all his legs well secured, is hamstrung by the Maungy, to entertain his barbarous followers, in order that they may be diverted by his struggles and exertions, in forcing him to the muckmun-branch, where his head is cut off; and the persons possessed of devils, who were bound, are set at liberty, and immediately rush forward to take up the buffalo's blood, and lick it while reeking. When they are supposed to have enough, they are besprinkled with water, which renders them completely exorcised, and they retire to a stream to bathe: the adherents come forward with their offerings of rice, oil, and spirits, and receive a blessing from their chief, who has the buffalo's head dressed, and eats it with the priest and musicians: the kundone being taken into the house, puts an end to the ceremony of the day. The next morning the adherents assemble to feast on the buffalo and other things which the Maungy furnishes. At the expiration of five days a fowl is immolated, and the blood sprinkled on the muckmun-branch, which is taken up, and with the horns and some of the bones of the buffalo, is fastened on the roof of the Maungy's house, where they are left to decay. In some places stages are erected for these sacred fragments, at the north-east angle of the Maungy's house. The chief Maungy of a tuppah (which is a number of hills that have villages on them) whose authority is acknowledged by the Maungies of the several villages in his limits, appoints a time annually to pray, that they may have rain enough for their crops. This festival may be held in any month in the year, except Poos,

in which they neither marry, build a house, nor undertake any thing of consequence, considering it an unlucky month. The chief of the tuppah having determined on a day, sends an arra to the Maungy of each village, desiring him to attend with twenty or thirty of his men by the day fixed on: when assembled, they all repair to the place established without the village, for the ceremony of the Satane: having planted a small branch of the chagulno (bale-tree) the head of a goat is severed with a sword, that the blood may fall on the leaves of the chagulno: the Satane is then resorted to, to ascertain what chief will be most acceptable to the GoD of Rain, to pray on this occasion; this being settled, a day is named for prayer, upon which all the Maungies, with their vassals, assemble at their chief's, before whose door the Demauno and the Maungy, on whom the Satane election had fallen, pray: after which a buffalo is sacrificed, and the same forms observed as described in the buffalo-festival: it continues as long as the provisions which were presented by the several Maungies last. The danger of a scarcity is thus supposed to be averted, and that their crops will flourish.

When a Maungy has established a village, should a tiger infest it, or the small-pox, or any plague prove fatal to its inhabitants, it is supposed that RUXEY GOSSAIH is desirous of having a shrine raised. The Satane is resorted to, to confirm the supposition, and the Demauno consulted. On both agreeing, these steps are sufficient to stop the ravages of any beast of prey, and to avert any further fatality from the small-pox. Thus relieved, the Maungy calls the Demauno to get rurey (a sacred black stone) for him; in compliance with which the Demauno has a vision, in which the Deity appears to him, and informs him where the god RUXEY is to be found, directs him to

the spot, and desires him to raise him with his own hands, and to present him to the Maungy in the morning. The Demauno gets a branch of the seeedee (a tree peculiar to the hills); benjamin is burned before the Maungy's door, which he smells, and proceeds, followed by some men to the spot where RUXEY is to be found; having smelt the godhead, he directs the persons who were in attendance to dig for him to facilitate their work, water is thrown, to soften the earth; and when RuXEY is discovered, the Demauno takes him up, and carries him to the Maungy, who immediately sets out, with his divine present, in search of a large tree, about half a mile, or less, from the village, under the shade of which he places it, and encloses it by a fence of stones, and a hedge of seege: a fowl and a goat are sacrificed to the god, whom the Maungy, or some other acceptable person (and it is the object of the Satane to find out who is most virtuous and most worthy to address the god) worships and retires.

At any other time when this god is worshipped, a fowl and goat are sacrificed; and the Maungy, or person who prays, is attended by two drummers and an old man, who has no wife, and, from age, has no connexion with women, to partake of the offerings with the preacher; of which others, who have forsworn all connexion with women and drinking intoxicating liquors, may share. Whoever violates this vow by drinking or cohabiting with women, it is believed, will become foolish, yet he may recover his reason by asking pardon of the god, and by offering a fowl and goat, with prayer in sacrifice at the shrine; but he can never be a Hook Moko, or an elect eater, again.

IDLE men and women must not approach or profane the place where RUXEY is deposited, by spitting

towards him, or by doing any uncleanly act near it: should any person, through forgetfulness, or ignorance, be guilty of any such acts, by spitting, he will get a sore mouth; and other more offensive transgressions are productive of a strangury, or flux, respectively; and these diseases are often considered as the effects of some heedless transgression of the above nature, which is discovered by the Satane, or such like proof: their remedy is to give a fowl to the Maungy, who makes an offering of it to the god, who is thus appeased. If the patient recovers, well; if not, the friends go to a neighbouring village, to find out, by the Satane, the cause of their relation's illness: if he is not thus relieved, they go to a second; and, on failing, they consider it as an affliction by the dispensation of the Supreme Being, who will either spare, shorten, or prolong the life of the offending patient, according to his will.

The Chitaria-festival is held but once in three years. The celebration of it so seldom is, probably, from its being very expensive to the Maungy, who bears the charge. It is not every village that has a Chalnad, though he is considered as the GOD that presides over the welfare of villages; but, like RUXEY NAD, he is not supposed to be essential to their happiness till the inhabitants are harassed by some plague or pestilence; when the Demauno, on being consulted, informs the Maungy that this Deity is desirous of having a Nad raised; that effecting this, and worshipping him, will put an end to their misfortunes. The Demauno then 'dreams of the place where this shrine is to be found, in the shape of a black stone; he proceeds in the morning to discover it, observing the same forms as are described in obtaining RUXEY NAD; when found, the stone is placed under the shade of a muckmun-tree contiguous to the village, and undergoes no alteration in its form from the

chissel.