v FOLK-LORE 105

The Lushais speak confidently of " Chawifa," and maS^^ft
they have seen it. They describe it as a kind of meteor, which
flies through the village blazing brightly, and if it alights on a
house the owner must die. Compare the Lakher idea of
" Chawifa," given in Part II., and the Manipuri " Sangaisel," in
Mr. Hodson's book on the Meitheis, page 121.

The Lushais do not worship snakes, but there are many 3. Snake
tales of "rulpui" (the big snake). Colonel Lewin in his worshiP-
" Progressive Exercises " has written as follows:—

"Throughout the Lushai Hills, among all the tribes with
whom I have come in contact, whether ' Toung-tha' or
* Khyoung-tha,' sons of the hill or sons of the river, I have
always found that special attributes have been assigned to a
certain description of snake or serpent that is found in these
forests. I remember once we were camped peacefully beside
the border of a small hill stream; the shanties of leaves and
grass which form our tentes d'abri in this part of the world
had been erected, and all the world (our world some 30 persons)
was either smoking the pipe of peace or stirring the pot of rice
that was to form the evening meal. Suddenly there arose a
shout of c Tchubba-gree ! Tchubba-gree!' which is the Hill
Arracanese for ' the big snake, the king-serpent/ Behold the
camp in a ferment, each stalwart young fellow seizing his dao
and tightening his waistband. We went forth, and indeed the
snake was very big. His long sinuous growth was at least 20
feet in length and bulky in proportion; he moved slowly along,
taking apparently no notice of the turmoil and confusion that
soon filled the wood around him. The Hillmen swarmed around
his length like ants, and in a few moments he was cut in pieces
by dao strokes. I noticed that each of my combatants as they
ran up to the snake spat at him before striking. On inquiring
the reasons of this, I was informed that in attacking a snake of
this description, if he spat at you first before you struck him,
your fate was sealed, and strangulation was your doom ; but if
you were speedy in salivation and forestalled his action, then he
was delivered a prey into the hands of his assailants. A similar
superstition formerly attached to the basilisk or cockatrice,
which was said to be able to fascinate or cause the destruction
of man or beast if it first perceived its victim before it was