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158 Symbolism of the East and West
but they could do nothing for her. At length — at the end of
three years, her mother went to a reputed Witch doctor
called Van Courtenay ;
his first question was, " Whether
she (the mother) had any enemy ? " On her replying in the
affirmative, and telling him that the man she suspected of
injuring her daughter was a Jersey-man, named Hammon,
Van Courtenay said, that this man's mother was a well
known witch. He gave some medicine for the child (which
however her father would not allow her to take), at the same
time saying that she would not get well until they took her
over to England :
they
had already tried Sark :
and
that
would break the spell. This singular illness left her as soon
as she reached England, though she was verv weak for some
time afterwards.
The power attributed by these islanders to witches and
wizards (they have both) is curious in some respects. They
say it is dangerous to refuse such people anything, but it
is possible to circumvent them, as was once done by a man
whom Belier Bceuf, a notorious wizard, asked to stand god-
father to his child. This person dared not give Belier a
decided refusal ; but he consented to be godfather on condi-
tion that the child should be called " Gigot de " (Anglice-
leg-of). The wizard could not make up his mind to have
his son called " Gigot de " before his patronymic name
of Boeuf, so he let the man off Scot free, since under the
circumstances he would be powerless to bewitch him. This
story is true, but the name is fictitious ; this reputed wizard
was a well known character in his day, some of his descend-
ants are possibly still living.
In Guernsey, within very recent times, the god-parents