The evil eye. An account of this ancient and wide spread superstition

II NAILING A FOOTSTEP 85
that time, and George's sister she got well. Zome time arter
that, the man wer' took very bad, an' George's wife did work vor
a leady, an' she twold her missus he wer' ill. Zoo her missus
gied her a rhabbut to teake to the man, but when she got to his
house some men outzide the door twold her he wer' dead. Then
she did offer to goo an' help lay un out, and wash un, because
she wanted to look wether or no there wer' anything wi' his
voot. Zo she went and helped lay un out, an' zhure enough
there wer' a place right under his voot, as if so be a nail had
been hammered into un. An' this, John her son twold I as it
were certain true."^^^"
The strange notion, that the soul goes out of the
body with the shadow or the reflection, is carried
still further by many savage people, and obstinately
remains with some civilised ones, who think it un-
lucky to be photographed or to have their portraits
painted. They have a fancy that it will shorten
their days, just as many have about insuring their
lives. This idea is the secret of the savage's un-
willingness to be photographed, or to have his like-
ness sketched, which may be said to be almost
universal.
A recent traveller^^° gives a graphic account of
his experience among the Ainus after having
apparently in another place (Volcano Bay) been
permitted to paint the people unmolested, except
by inquisitiveness. He says that a young lad came
over to see what he was doing, and that being told
the author was painting a group of his people, " the
news seemed to give him a shock. . . . He rejoined
the others, excitedly muttered some words, and
apparently told them that I had painted the whole
group, fish and all. Had any one among them been
struck by lightning, they certainly could not have
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