HAPTER XIV.

The beliefs and superstitions of the Sakais--Metempsychosis--The
Evil Spirit--Superstition among savages and ignorance among
civilized people--The two sources of life--The wind --The ALA
priest and physician--The scientific vigil--Venerable imposture!--
TENAC and CINTOK[16]--Therapeutic torture--Contagion--A Sakai's
death--The deserted village--Mourning--Births--Fire--Intellectual
darkness--The Sakais and Islamism.

The good notary Chirichillo, born in the fervid fancy of Ippolito Nievo
firmly believed that the many tribulations of his modest life would be
compensated one day by God, and that this recompense would be a second
birth, when he would relive in another person, under another name and
under a luckier star.

Although less learned and although they have but a vague intuition of
the idea relating to the soul immortality, the Sakais do not refuse the
theory of reward or punishment hereafter. According to them the spirit
freed from the body wanders about in the air and often, in a transitory
way, retakes a corporal form in the shape of certain animals (more
especially the tiger, for which reason the terrible beast is respected
as almost sacred by them) or it takes refuge in certain herbs which thus
acquist healing properties.

In no case will a Sakai willingly kill, wound or lay a trap for the
animals he thinks consecrated by the indwelling of a spirit, this is so
true that even whilst preparing one of the usual traps for catching big
game he will turn himself towards the thickest part of the forest and
murmur, "this is not for thee" to warn the tiger to be on his guard. And
should one happen to be caught it causes real grief to the Sakai who you
may be sure would give it back its liberty at once if he had not found
it dead or did not fear to be killed himself as soon as it was free. The
Sakai does not believe in the natural death of a person but attributes
the decease to the spell of the Evil Spirit who is continually on the
watch to play his wicked tricks. So ready is he to do harm that he even
slips into the little holes made in their darts thus carrying death
where they strike, otherwise the poison would not have the force to
kill.

This is the superstition that inspires every sort of terror in the
inhabitants of the jungle and which renders it so difficult to approach
them and so dangerous to disturb the serenity of their simple minds. The
wind, the thunder-storms, the violen