and they fear to meet it in a dream.[1] Again, the soul may be prevented by physical force from returning. The Santals tell how a man fell asleep, and growing very thirsty, his soul, in the form of a lizard, left his body and entered a pitcher of water to drink. Just then the owner of the pitcher happened to cover it; so the soul could not return to the body and the man died. While his friends were preparing to burn the body some one uncovered the pitcher to get water. The lizard thus escaped and returned to the body, which immediately revived; so the man rose up and asked his friends why they were weeping. They told him they thought he was dead and were about to burn his body. He said he had been down a well to get water but had found it hard to get out and had just returned. So they saw it all.[2] A similar story is reported from Transylvania as follows. In the account of a witch’s trial at Mühlbach last century it is said that a woman had engaged two men to work in her vineyard. After noon they all lay down to rest as usual. An hour later the men got up and tried to waken the woman, but could not. She lay motionless with her mouth wide open. They came back at sunset and still she lay like a corpse. Just at that moment a big fly came buzzing past, which one of the men caught and shut up in his leathern pouch. Then they tried again to waken the woman but could not. Afterwards they let out the fly; it flew straight into the woman’s mouth and she awoke. On seeing
- ↑ J. G. F. Riedel, De sluik-en kroesharige rassen tusschen Selebcs en Papua, p. 267. For detention of sleeper’s soul by spirits and consequent illness, see also Mason, quoted in Bastian’sDie Völker des östlichen Asien, ii. 387 note.
- ↑ Indian Antiquary, 1878, vii. 273; Bastian, Völkerstämme am Brahmaputra, p. 127. Similar story (lizard form of soul not mentioned) told by Hindus, Panjab Notes and Queries, iii. No. 679.}}
