make cannot be described; it makes one shudder, and the sound can
be heard several miles off.

[Illustration: Abandoned because of contagious disease.

_p._ 193.]

But it is intended to heal the poor wretch in the middle who, if he does
not succumb to the violence of his disease, has a good chance of dying
from the torture endured.

The diabolical concert lasts until the garrulous harbingers of the sun
announce the dawn but is repeated after sunset for seven days during
which period only the men are permitted to go into the forest in search
of food.

If on the seventh day the patient is still alive he is left in peace
unless a relapse should render another night of music necessary, and if
he dies it is believed that the malignant spirit would not depart
without taking the soul of his victim with him.

* * * * *

The most frequent illnesses to which the Sakais are subject are
rheumatic complaints and very heavy colds which not rarely turn into
severe bronchial and pulmonary ailments. Both are due to the cold at
night against which they take no pains at all to protect themselves.
Their huts shelter them from the rain but not from the air.

Some contagious skin diseases are also prevalent amongst them.

Directly somebody is seized with this malady a tree is selected at some
distance from the settlement up which a little bower is hurriedly made
and the person attacked is placed there and left with a little food at
hand. Next day the relatives go to see if he or she is living and call
out their demands, in a loud voice, a long way off. If there is a
movement or an answer they go nearer and throw up some food but if there
is no sign of life they hasten back and leave the corpse to decompose in
the bower that now serves as a sepulchre.

* * * * *

No rites whatever are performed at the death and burial of an
individual.

When the sufferer has breathed its last all the people in the village
unite in making grand lamentations. They cry, moan and howl worse than
at the proverbial Irish funeral, they blacken their faces with charcoal
and daub it with other colours to frighten away the bad spirit whilst
the family crowd round the dead body and let their tears flow freely,
exclaiming:

"Alas! Look at us, don't leave us! Who will take care of us now! Who
will defend us? Thou has departed before us and we shall follow thee".

The first moments of grief ov