Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-04

CdIIly, the way he naQ 10feCOld the Time ana
the place. In spite of his assurance that Sibiun-
nj would not see any elephants, 1 kept sharp
lockout. But didn't Just as my boy and /
were rounding the end a yell sounded from in
side the "saka." An elephant trumpeted
bushes and trees snapped and crashed then
a shot crashed out An elephant screamed. An
other shot. They came from the north end
& We broke into run, and within couple of
minutes came up to Mackie, Harry and all the
natives gathered about splotch of blood ON
the ground
81 hit him with both behind the shoulder"
Mackie was insisting.
We'll we should md him within a mile.
then" put in. Lets. go'
Chatterlng xcitedly, the carriers picked up
their burdens and We started of.
big one. Mackie?n asked Harry.
yep. Bull But no broken tusk,. he added
in native One Eye joined us. The man only
smiled His prophecy had worked in detail so
far
Within a mile the bull had fallen He had
struggled to his feet, only to drop in half mile.
this time for good His knees were crumpled
under him and he had diyed forward dying
with his tusks driven into the ground.
The tusks. promised weight from what we
could Sc of them, and every native set to with
vigor and enthusiasm to cut on the head and
tail, to sever the feet so that they could be
skinned and made into liqueur stands, and to
set up a camp. By sunset the head was sew
cred, and, calling all hands. We pushed and
free. One Eye was present As the long points
broke loose from the dirt, he pointed. The tip
Of the left tusk was broken; had been broken
in the elephants dying fall
The evening before We resumed our hunt One
Eye came around again with an offer or fore
telling. And he was absolutely correct to the
last detail was there. heard him and saw
it all. Three times he told us in the evening
exactly what would happen the following day.
THE fourth time One Eye approached us we
sat about the IRE. Mackie waved him
away. Harry sat- sunk gEoomiiy in the depths
Of his canvas deck chair
Whats the matter Mackie?"
I'm scared of that old devil Hes told us
the truth too many times. Suppose he were
TO tell us one of us would be killed tomorrow?
don't want TO know"
Harry grunted assent. And there the matter
ended 1t had begun to get on our nerves. /
don't know what we would have done If One
Eye had foretold death or injury What would
you have done if you had been in our places?
Do you think that, alone for months on the
weld, surrounded only by natives and engaged
IN that glorious but most dangerous sport OF
elephant hunting, you would have encour-
aged that prophesying2
The above is not Just a Pigment Of my imagf-
nation. saw it happen and know it is. true.
Nor is it the only occurrence Of its kind that
know of. Many people are apt to dismiss
these native phenomena as "Oh, just silly witch
doctoring, or elementary psychology" / al
ways used One Eye to catch petty thieves. Some
native, perhaps, had been stealing sugar bread
or cigarettes. They are mirror odenses, but
when there are 200 natives in camp even minor
derelictions must be punished 1 had evolved
simple method Of finding the culprit In the
evening would summon every native in my
employ. They would sit on the ground before
me in a semi-cirele. Facing them and near me
squatted One Eye. Very deliberately and while
looking at each native before him he would
undo his medicine bag and draw out three
pieces of bone carved rudely TO represent fish.
After he had gIared at every native with one
bloodshot eye, he looked at the fish and then
cast them ON the ground before him. Solemnly
he Scrutinized their position. Then he glared
again at each native and picking up the fish
continued the process.
Eventually the natives in the circle shifted
their feet nervousIy and tried to turn their
heads away. But the clatter of the fish was
irresistible. They must see how they fell One
Eye never uttered q sound during the whole
performance. In the end--it might be within
10 minutes or three-quarters OF an hour-one
native would hold his hand up, saying, II did
it. Tnkos."
Now that Is just simple psychology, hokum or
whatever you want to label it. The first story
can be explained by telepathy or some allied
force II you win admit the presence of such q
power. I have collected other stories, all OF
which know to be true, OF which cannot
secure explanations. The answers may be
pOisons. drugs, psychology or some mental force
which we do not understand. I leave them to
5ou.
am willing to credit natives with sufficient
1elief and confidence in either their own wills,
or In fatalism, or In some other power, to kill
themselves by thinking themselves to death.
Indians IN India do remarkable things which
can only be explained in this way You may
not agree with me. If you don't think man