proceeds to the patient, and solemnly returns it to the
body of the sick man through the crown of his head. This "catching of
the soul" is the great end to which all that has preceded leads up. One
more thing must be done to complete the cure. A live fowl must be waved
over the patient, and as he does so, the leader sings a special
invocation of great length. The animal is afterwards killed as an
offering to the spirits, and eaten by the _Manangs_.

The witch doctor is supposed to be called to his profession by a
revelation made to him in a dream by some spirit. He therefore claims to
have a familiar spirit, whom he can call to his aid when necessary. He
must also commit to memory a certain amount of Dyak incantations to take
part in the ceremonies in company with other _Manangs_. In addition to
this, before he can accomplish the more important feats such as
pretending to catch the soul of a sick man, he must be initiated by
other witch doctors. There are three different grades of _Manangs_, and
the higher the grade is, the larger the fees the aspirant has to pay the
other witch doctors. There are some differences in the ceremonies
connected with the admission into each of these three grades, but in all
of them the aspirant sits in the verandah of the Dyak house, and a
number of witch doctors walk round him singing incantations during the
whole night. The other _Manangs_ pretend to endow him with mysterious
powers, and to make him able to "touch" the maladies of the body, and
also to see the soul wherever it may be wandering.

From what has been said it will be seen that the Dyak witch doctor uses
much deceit and trades on the ignorance of others. He pretends to be
able to "catch the soul" of a sick man, and is paid for doing so. When
Dyaks have given up their old beliefs and superstitions, and have
accepted the true Faith, they naturally give up their belief in the
witch doctor's mysterious powers. For this reason the greatest opponents
to the advance of the Gospel in Borneo are the _Manangs_. I am glad to
say, however, that some Dyak witch doctors have listened to the teaching
of the missionaries and have seen the wickedness of the deceitful lives
they have led. These have become Christians, and have openly confessed
to their evil practices in trading on the superstitions of the Dyaks.
Some have become Catechists and teachers, and are teaching others to
renounce the belief in evil spirits which they at one time taugh