the golden bough-第81章

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discharge　itself　with　fatal　effect　on　whatever　comes　in　contact　with　it。　Accordingly　the　isolation　of　the　man…god　is　quite　as　necessary　for　the　safety　of　others　as　for　his　own。　His　magical　virtue　is　in　the　strictest　sense　of　the　word　contagious：　his　divinity　is　a　fire；　which；　under　proper　restraints；　confers　endless　blessings；　but；　if　rashly　touched　or　allowed　to　break　bounds；　burns　and　destroys　what　it　touches。　Hence　the　disastrous　effects　supposed　to　attend　a　breach　of　taboo；　the　offender　has　thrust　his　hand　into　the　divine　fire；　which　shrivels　up　and　consumes　him　on　the　spot。

The　Nubas；　for　example；　who　inhabit　the　wooded　and　fertile　range　of　Jebel　Nuba　in　Eastern　Africa；　believe　that　they　would　die　if　they　entered　the　house　of　their　priestly　king；　however；　they　can　evade　the　penalty　of　their　intrusion　by　baring　the　left　shoulder　and　getting　the　king　to　lay　his　hand　on　it。　And　were　any　man　to　sit　on　a　stone　which　the　king　has　consecrated　to　his　own　use；　the　transgressor　would　die　within　the　year。　The　Cazembes　of　Angola　regard　their　king　as　so　holy　that　no　one　can　touch　him　without　being　killed　by　the　magical　power　which　pervades　his　sacred　person。　But　since　contact　with　him　is　sometimes　unavoidable；　they　have　devised　a　means　whereby　the　sinner　can　escape　with　his　life。　Kneeling　down　before　the　king　he　touches　the　back　of　the　royal　hand　with　the　back　of　his　own；　then　snaps　his　fingers；　afterwards　he　lays　the　palm　of　his　hand　on　the　palm　of　the　king's　hand；　then　snaps　his　fingers　again。　This　ceremony　is　repeated　four　or　five　times；　and　averts　the　imminent　danger　of　death。　In　Tonga　it　was　believed　that　if　any　one　fed　himself　with　his　own　hands　after　touching　the　sacred　person　of　a　superior　chief　or　anything　that　belonged　to　him；　he　would　swell　up　and　die；　the　sanctity　of　the　chief；　like　a　virulent　poison；　infected　the　hands　of　his　inferior；　and；　being　communicated　through　them　to　the　food；　proved　fatal　to　the　eater。　A　commoner　who　had　incurred　this　danger　could　disinfect　himself　by　performing　a　certain　ceremony；　which　consisted　in　touching　the　sole　of　a　chief's　foot　with　the　palm　and　back　of　each　of　his　hands；　and　afterwards　rinsing　his　hands　in　water。　If　there　was　no　water　near；　he　rubbed　his　hands　with　the　juicy　stem　of　a　plantain　or　banana。　After　that　he　was　free　to　feed　himself　with　his　own　hands　without　danger　of　being　attacked　by　the　malady　which　would　otherwise　follow　from　eating　with　tabooed　or　sanctified　hands。　But　until　the　ceremony　of　expiation　or　disinfection　had　been　performed；　if　he　wished　to　eat　he　had　either　to　get　some　one　to　feed　him；　or　else　to　go　down　on　his　knees　and　pick　up　the　food　from　the　ground　with　his　mouth　like　a　beast。　He　might　not　even　use　a　toothpick　himself；　but　might　guide　the　hand　of　another　person　holding　the　toothpick。　The　Tongans　were　subject　to　induration　of　the　liver　and　certain　forms　of　scrofula；　which　they　often　attributed　to　a　failure　to　perform　the　requisite　expiation　after　having　inadvertently　touched　a　chief　or　his　belongings。　Hence　they　often　went　through　the　ceremony　as　a　precaution；　without　knowing　that　they　had　done　anything　to　call　for　it。　The　king　of　Tonga　could　not　refuse　to　play　his　part　in　the　rite　by　presenting　his　foot　to　such　as　desired　to　touch　it；　even　when　they　applied　to　him　at　an　inconvenient　time。　A　fat　unwieldy　king；　who　perceived　his　subjects　approaching　with　this　intention；　while　he　chanced　to　be　taking　his　walks　abroad；　has　been　sometimes　seen　to　waddle　as　fast　as　his　legs　could　carry　him　out　of　their　way；　in　order　to　escape　the　importunate　and　not　wholly　disinterested　expression　of　their　homage。　If　any　one　fancied　he　might　have　already　unwittingly　eaten　with　tabooed　hands；　he　sat　down　before　the　chief；　and；　taking　the　chief's　foot；　pressed　it　against　his　own　stomach；　that　the　food　in　his　belly　might　not　injure　him；　and　that　he　might　not　swell　up　and　die。　Since　scrofula　was　regarded　by　the　Tongans　as　a　result　of　eating　with　tabooed　hands；　we　may　conjecture　that　persons　who　suffered　from　it　among　them　often　resorted　to　the　touch　or　pressure　of　the　king's　foot　as　a　cure　for　their　malady。　The　analogy　of　the　custom　with　the　old　English　practice　of　bringing　scrofulous　patients　to　the　king　to　be　healed　by　his　touch　is　sufficiently　obvious；　and　suggests；　as　I　have　already　pointed　out　elsewhere；　that　among　our　own　remote　ancestors　scrofula　may　have　obtained　its　name　of　the　King's　Evil；　from　a　belief；　like　that　of　the　Tongans；　that　it　was　caused　as　well　as　cured　by　contact　with　the　divine　majesty　of　kings。

In　New　Zealand　the　dread　of　the　sanctity　of　chiefs　was　at　least　as　great　as　in　Tonga。　Their　ghostly　power；　derived　from　an　ancestral　spirit；　diffused　itself　by　contagion　over　everything　they　touched；　and　could　strike　dead　all　who　rashly　or　unwittingly　meddled　with　it。　For　instance；　it　once　happened　that　a　New　Zealand　chief　of　high　rank　and　great　sanctity　had　left　the　remains　of　his　dinner　by　the　wayside。　A　slave；　a　stout；　hungry　fellow；　coming　up　after　the　chief　had　gone；　saw　the　unfinished　dinner；　and　ate　it　up　without　asking　questions。　Hardly　had　he　finished　when　he　was　informed　by　a　horror…stricken　spectator　that　the　food　of　which　he　had　eaten　was　the　chief's。　I　knew　the　unfortunate　delinquent　well。　He　was　remarkable　for　courage；　and　had　signalised　himself　in　the　wars　of　the　tribe；　but　no　sooner　did　he　hear　the　fatal　news　than　he　was　seized　by　the　most　extraordinary　convulsions　and　cramp　in　the　stomach；　which　never　ceased　till　he　died；　about　sundown　the　same　day。　He　was　a　strong　man；　in　the　prime　of　life；　and　if　any　pakeha　＇European＇　freethinker　should　have　said　he　was　not　killed　by　the　tapu　of　the　chief；　which　had　been　communicated　to　the　food　by　contact；　he　would　have　been　listened　to　with　feelings　of　contempt　for　his　ignorance　and　inability　to　understand　plain　and　direct　evidence。　This　is　not　a　solitary　case。　A　Maori　woman　having　eaten　of　some　fruit；　and　being　afterwards　told　that　the　fruit　had　been　taken　from　a　tabooed　place；　exclaimed　that　the　spirit　of　the　chief；　whose　sanctity　had　been　thus　profaned；　would　kill　her。　This　was　in　the　afternoon；　and　next　day　by　twelve　o'clock　she　was　dead。　A　Maori　chief's　tinder…box　was　once　the　means　of　killing　several　persons；　for；　having　been　lost　by　him；　and　found　by　some　men　who　used　it　to　light　their　pipes；　they　died　of　fright　on　learning　to　whom　it　had　belonged。　So；　too；　the　garments　of　a　high　New　Zealand　chief　will　kill　any　one　else　who　wears　them。　A　chief　was　observed　by　a　missionary　to　throw　down　a　precipice　a　blanket　which　he　found　too　heavy　to　carry。　Being　asked　by　the　missionary　why　he　did　not　leave　it　on　a　tree　for　the　use　of　a　future　traveller；　the　chief　replied　that　it　was　the　fear　of　its　being　taken　by　another　which　caused　him　to　throw　it　where　he　did；　for　if　it　were　worn；　his　tapu　（that　is；　his　spiritual　power　communicated　by　contact　to　the　blanket　and　through　the　blanket　to　the　man）　would　kill　the　person。　For　a　similar　reason　a　Maori　chief　would　not　blow　a　fire　with　his　mouth；　for　his　sacred　breath　would　communicate　its　sanctity　to　the　fire；　which　would　pass　it　on　to　the　pot　on　the　fire；　which　would　pass　it　on　to　the　meat　in　the　pot；　which　would　pass　it　on　to　the　man　who　ate　the　meat；　which　was　in　the　pot；　which　stood　on　the　fire；　which　was　breathed　on　by　the　chief；　so　that　the　eater；　infected　by　the　chief's　breath　conveyed　through　these　intermediaries；　would　surely　die。

Thus　in　the　Polynesian　race；　to　which　the　Maoris　belong；　superstition　erected　round　the　persons　of　sacred　chiefs　a　real；　though　at　the　same　time　purely　imaginary　barrier；　to　transgress　which　actually　entailed　the　death　of　the　transgressor　whenever　he　became　aware　of　what　he　had　done。　This　fatal　power　of　the　imagination　working　through　superstitious　terrors　is　by　no　means　confined　to　one　race；　it　appears　to　be　common　among　savages。　For　example；　among　the　aborigines　of　Australia　a　native　will　die　after　the　infliction　of　even　the　most　superficial　wound；　if　only　he　believes　that　the　weapon　which　inflicted　the　wound　had　been　sung　over　and　thus　endowed　with　magical　virtue。　He　simply　lies　down；　refuses　food；　and　pines　away。　Similarly　among　some　of　the　Indian　tribes　of　Brazil；　if　the　medicine…man　predicted　the　death　of　any　one　who　had　offended　him；