Let me give you another
instance of their deception. A late head catechist of one of my
missionary brethren was, before his conversion, the priest of a temple.
A man from whom about one thousand rupees' worth of jewels and similar
things had been stolen, came to this priest, and promised to reward him
well, if he would detect the thief, and secure to him the restoration of
his property. The priest promised to comply with his wishes; and in
order to effect his purpose, he had drums beaten through the village,
and proclaimed, that at a certain time he would hold a meeting and
detect the thief. At the appointed time, a large concourse of people
assembled, the priest appearing in the midst of them with a cocoa-nut
bound around with saffron-cords. He then told them, that if, after
putting down the cocoa-nut, it should move of its own accord towards
him, they might know that he would be able certainly to detect the
thief; and added, that after it had thus moved, it would pursue the
offender, and follow him until it would break his head. He then
performed certain ceremonies calculated to awaken superstitious feelings
in the minds of the people, and laid the cocoa-nut down at a little
distance from him.
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