voice, as he prayed, were sometimes mournful and suppressed,
sometimes vehemently loud and energetic. All of a sudden, he would quit
the regular cadence of prayer, and have an outburst of apparently
indomitable rage, abusing the herb puppet with fierce invectives and
furious gestures. The exorcism terminated, he gave a signal by
stretching out his arms, right and left, and the other Lamas struck up a
tremendously noisy chorus, in hurried, dashing tones; all the instruments
were set to work, and meantime the lay congregation, having started up
with one accord, ran out of the tent, one after the other, and tearing
round it like mad people, beat it at their hardest with sticks, yelling
all the while at the pitch of their voices in a manner to make ordinary
hair stand on end. Having thrice performed this demoniac round, they
re-entered the tent as precipitately as they had quitted it, and resumed
their seats. Then, all the others covering their faces with their hands,
the Grand Lama rose and set fire to the herb figure. As soon as the
flames rose, he uttered a loud cry, which was repeated with interest by
the rest of the company. The laity immediately rose, seized the burning
figure, carried it into the plain, away from the tents, and there, as it
consumed, anathematized it with all sorts of imprecations; the Lamas
meantime squatted in the tent, tranquilly chanting their prayers in a
grave, solemn tone.

Upon the return of the family from their valorous expedition, the praying
was exchanged for joyous felicitations. By-and-by, each person provided
with a lighted torch, the whole party rushed simultaneously from the
tent, and formed into a procession, the laymen first, then the patient,
supported on either side by a member of the family, and lastly, the nine
Lamas, making night hideous with their music. In this style the patient
was conducted to another tent, pursuant to the orders of the Lama, who
had declared that she must absent herself from her own habitation for an
entire month.

After this strange treatment, the malady did not return. The probability
is, that the Lamas, having ascertained the precise moment at which the
fever-fit would recur, met it at the exact point of time by this
tremendous counter-excitement, and overcame it.

Though the majority of the Lamas seek to foster the ignorant credulity of
the Tartars, in order to turn it to their own profit, we have met some of
them who frankly avowed that du