the golden bough-第67部分

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ight　be　contaminated　by　this　secretion。　He　dare　not　take　his　child　in　his　arms　for　the　three　first　months　after　the　birth。　But　the　secretion　of　childbed　is　particularly　terrible　when　it　is　the　product　of　a　miscarriage；　especially　a　concealed　miscarriage。　In　this　case　it　is　not　merely　the　man　who　is　threatened　or　killed；　it　is　the　whole　country；　it　is　the　sky　itself　which　suffers。　By　a　curious　association　of　ideas　a　physiological　fact　causes　cosmic　troubles！　As　for　the　disastrous　effect　which　a　miscarriage　may　have　on　the　whole　country　I　will　quote　the　words　of　a　medicine…man　and　rain…maker　of　the　Ba…Pedi　tribe：　When　a　woman　has　had　a　miscarriage；　when　she　has　allowed　her　blood　to　flow；　and　has　hidden　the　child；　it　is　enough　to　cause　the　burning　winds　to　blow　and　to　parch　the　country　with　heat。　The　rain　no　longer　falls；　for　the　country　is　no　longer　in　order。　When　the　rain　approaches　the　place　where　the　blood　is；　it　will　not　dare　to　approach。　It　will　fear　and　remain　at　a　distance。　That　woman　has　committed　a　great　fault。　She　has　spoiled　the　country　of　the　chief；　for　she　has　hidden　blood　which　had　not　yet　been　well　congealed　to　fashion　a　man。　That　blood　is　taboo。　It　should　never　drip　on　the　road！　The　chief　will　assemble　his　men　and　say　to　them；　'Are　you　in　order　in　your　villages？'　Some　one　will　answer；　'Such　and　such　a　woman　was　pregnant　and　we　have　not　yet　seen　the　child　which　she　has　given　birth　to。'　Then　they　go　and　arrest　the　woman。　They　say　to　her；　'Show　us　where　you　have　hidden　it。'　They　go　and　dig　at　the　spot；　they　sprinkle　the　hole　with　a　decoction　of　two　sorts　of　roots　prepared　in　a　special　pot。　They　take　a　little　of　the　earth　of　this　grave；　they　throw　it　into　the　river；　then　they　bring　back　water　from　the　river　and　sprinkle　it　where　she　shed　her　blood。　She　herself　must　wash　every　day　with　the　medicine。　Then　the　country　will　be　moistened　again　（by　rain）。　Further；　we　（medicine…men）；　summon　the　women　of　the　country；　we　tell　them　to　prepare　a　ball　of　the　earth　which　contains　the　blood。　They　bring　it　to　us　one　morning。　If　we　wish　to　prepare　medicine　with　which　to　sprinkle　the　whole　country；　we　crumble　this　earth　to　powder；　at　the　end　of　five　days　we　send　little　boys　and　little　girls；　girls　that　yet　know　nothing　of　women's　affairs　and　have　not　yet　had　relations　with　men。　We　put　the　medicine　in　the　horns　of　oxen；　and　these　children　go　to　all　the　fords；　to　all　the　entrances　of　the　country。　A　little　girl　turns　up　the　soil　with　her　mattock；　the　others　dip　a　branch　in　the　horn　and　sprinkle　the　inside　of　the　hole　saying；　'Rain！　rain！'　So　we　remove　the　misfortune　which　the　women　have　brought　on　the　roads；　the　rain　will　be　able　to　come。　The　country　is　purified！

4。　Warriors　tabooed。

ONCE　more；　warriors　are　conceived　by　the　savage　to　move；　so　to　say；　in　an　atmosphere　of　spiritual　danger　which　constrains　them　to　practise　a　variety　of　superstitious　observances　quite　different　in　their　nature　from　those　rational　precautions　which；　as　a　matter　of　course；　they　adopt　against　foes　of　flesh　and　blood。　The　general　effect　of　these　observances　is　to　place　the　warrior；　both　before　and　after　victory；　in　the　same　state　of　seclusion　or　spiritual　quarantine　in　which；　for　his　own　safety；　primitive　man　puts　his　human　gods　and　other　dangerous　characters。　Thus　when　the　Maoris　went　out　on　the　war…path　they　were　sacred　or　taboo　in　the　highest　degree；　and　they　and　their　friends　at　home　had　to　observe　strictly　many　curious　customs　over　and　above　the　numerous　taboos　of　ordinary　life。　They　became；　in　the　irreverent　language　of　Europeans　who　knew　them　in　the　old　fighting　days；　tabooed　an　inch　thick；　and　as　for　the　leader　of　the　expedition；　he　was　quite　unapproachable。　Similarly；　when　the　Israelites　marched　forth　to　war　they　were　bound　by　certain　rules　of　ceremonial　purity　identical　with　rules　observed　by　Maoris　and　Australian　blackfellows　on　the　war…path。　The　vessels　they　used　were　sacred；　and　they　had　to　practise　continence　and　a　custom　of　personal　cleanliness　of　which　the　original　motive；　if　we　may　judge　from　the　avowed　motive　of　savages　who　conform　to　the　same　custom；　was　a　fear　lest　the　enemy　should　obtain　the　refuse　of　their　persons；　and　thus　be　enabled　to　work　their　destruction　by　magic。　Among　some　Indian　tribes　of　North　America　a　young　warrior　in　his　first　campaign　had　to　conform　to　certain　customs；　of　which　two　were　identical　with　the　observances　imposed　by　the　same　Indians　on　girls　at　their　first　menstruation：　the　vessels　he　ate　and　drank　out　of　might　be　touched　by　no　other　person；　and　he　was　forbidden　to　scratch　his　head　or　any　other　part　of　his　body　with　his　fingers；　if　he　could　not　help　scratching　himself；　he　had　to　do　it　with　a　stick。　The　latter　rule；　like　the　one　which　forbids　a　tabooed　person　to　feed　himself　with　his　own　fingers；　seems　to　rest　on　the　supposed　sanctity　or　pollution；　whichever　we　choose　to　call　it；　of　the　tabooed　hands。　Moreover　among　these　Indian　tribes　the　men　on　the　war…path　had　always　to　sleep　at　night　with　their　faces　turned　towards　their　own　country；　however　uneasy　the　posture；　they　might　not　change　it。　They　might　not　sit　upon　the　bare　ground；　nor　wet　their　feet；　nor　walk　on　a　beaten　path　if　they　could　help　it；　when　they　had　no　choice　but　to　walk　on　a　path；　they　sought　to　counteract　the　ill　effect　of　doing　so　by　doctoring　their　legs　with　certain　medicines　or　charms　which　they　carried　with　them　for　the　purpose。　No　member　of　the　party　was　permitted　to　step　over　the　legs；　hands；　or　body　of　any　other　member　who　chanced　to　be　sitting　or　lying　on　the　ground；　and　it　was　equally　forbidden　to　step　over　his　blanket；　gun；　tomahawk；　or　anything　that　belonged　to　him。　If　this　rule　was　inadvertently　broken；　it　became　the　duty　of　the　member　whose　person　or　property　had　been　stepped　over　to　knock　the　other　member　down；　and　it　was　similarly　the　duty　of　that　other　to　be　knocked　down　peaceably　and　without　resistance。　The　vessels　out　of　which　the　warriors　ate　their　food　were　commonly　small　bowls　of　wood　or　birch　bark；　with　marks　to　distinguish　the　two　sides；　in　marching　from　home　the　Indians　invariably　drank　out　of　one　side　of　the　bowl；　and　in　returning　they　drank　out　of　the　other。　When　on　their　way　home　they　came　within　a　day's　march　of　the　village；　they　hung　up　all　their　bowls　on　trees；　or　threw　them　away　on　the　prairie；　doubtless　to　prevent　their　sanctity　or　defilement　from　being　communicated　with　disastrous　effects　to　their　friends；　just　as　we　have　seen　that　the　vessels　and　clothes　of　the　sacred　Mikado；　of　women　at　childbirth　and　menstruation；　and　of　persons　defiled　by　contact　with　the　dead　are　destroyed　or　laid　aside　for　a　similar　reason。　The　first　four　times　that　an　Apache　Indian　goes　out　on　the　war…path；　he　is　bound　to　refrain　from　scratching　his　head　with　his　fingers　and　from　letting　water　touch　his　lips。　Hence　he　scratches　his　head　with　a　stick；　and　drinks　through　a　hollow　reed　or　cane。　Stick　and　reed　are　attached　to　the　warrior's　belt　and　to　each　other　by　a　leathern　thong。　The　rule　not　to　scratch　their　heads　with　their　fingers；　but　to　use　a　stick　for　the　purpose　instead；　was　regularly　observed　by　Ojebways　on　the　war…path。

With　regard　to　the　Creek　Indians　and　kindred　tribes　we　are　told　they　will　not　cohabit　with　women　while　they　are　out　at　war；　they　religiously　abstain　from　every　kind　of　intercourse　even　with　their　own　wives；　for　the　space　of　three　days　and　nights　before　they　go　to　war；　and　so　after　they　return　home；　because　they　are　to　sanctify　themselves。　Among　the　Ba…Pedi　and　Ba…Thonga　tribes　of　South　Africa　not　only　have　the　warriors　to　abstain　from　women；　but　the　people　left　behind　in　the　villages　are　also　bound　to　continence；　they　think　that　any　incontinence　on　their　part　would　cause　thorns　to　grow　on　the　ground　traversed　by　the　warriors；　and　that　success　would　not　attend　the　expedition。

Why　exactly　many　savages　have　made　it　a　rule　to　refrain　from　women　in　time　of　war；　we　cannot　say　for　certain；　but　we　may　conjecture　that　their　motive　was　a　superstitious　fear　lest；　on　the　principles　of　sympathetic　magic；　close　contact　with　women　should　infect　them　with　feminine　weakness　and　cowardice。　Similarly　some　savages　imagine　that　contact　with　a　woman　in　childbed　enervates　warriors　and　enfeebles　their　weapons。　Indeed　the　Kayans　of　Central　Borneo　go　so　far　as　to　hold　that　to　touch　a　loom　or　women's　clothes　would　so　weaken　a　man　that　he　would　have　no　success　in　hunting；　fishing；　and　war。　Hence　it　is　not　merely　sexual　intercourse　with　women　that　the　savage　warrior　sometimes　shuns；　he　is　careful　to　avoid　the　sex　altogether。　Thus　among　the　hill　tribes　of　Assam；　not　only　are　men　forbidden　to　cohabit　with　their　wives　during　or　after　a　raid；　but　they　may　not　eat　food　cooked　by　a　woman；　nay；　they　should　not　address　a　word　even　to　their　own　wives。　Once　a　woman；　who　unwittingly　broke　the　rule　by　speaking　to　her　husband　while　he　was　under　the　war　taboo；　sickened　and　died　when　she　learned　the　awful　crime　she　had　committed。

5。　Manslayers　tabooed。

IF　THE　READER　still　doubts　whether　the　rules　of　conduct　which　we　have　just　been　considering　are　based　on　superstitious　fears　or　dictated　by　a　rational　prudence；　his　doubts　will　probably　be　dissipated　when　he　learns　that　rules　of　the　same　sort　are　often　imposed　even　more　stringently　on　warriors　after　the　victory　has　been　won　and　when　all　fear　of　the　living　corporeal　foe　is　at　an　end。　In　such　cases　one　motive　for　the　inconvenient　restrictions　laid　on　the　victors　in　their　hour　of　triumph　is　probably　a　dread　of　the　angry　ghosts　of　the　slain；　and　that　the　fear　of　the　vengeful　ghosts　does　influence　the　behaviour　of　the　slayers　is　often　expressly　affirmed。　The　general　effect　of　the　taboos　laid　on　sacred　chiefs；　mourners；　women　at　childbirth；　men　on　the　war…path；　and　so　on；　is　to　seclude　or　isolate　the　tabooed　persons　from　ordinary　society；　this　effect　being　attained　by　a　variety　of　rules；　which　oblige　the　men　or　women　to　live　in　separate　huts　or　in　the　open　air；　to　shun　the　commerce　of　the　sexes；　to　avoid　the　use　of　vessels　employed　by　others；　and　so　forth。　Now　the　same　effect　is　produced　by　similar　means　in　the　case　of　victorious　warriors；　particularly　such　as　have　actually　shed　the　blood　of　their　enemies。　In　the　island　of　Timor；　when　a　warlike　expedition　has　returned　in　triumph　bringing　the　heads　of　the　vanquished　foe；