Heathen Ordeals. — Among modern heathen nations we find the ordeal not unfrcquently in practice. Thus in Siam, besides the usual methods of fire and water ordeal, both parties are sometimes exposed to the fury of a tiger set upon them ; and if the beast spares either, that person is accounted innocent; if neither, both are held to be guilty; but if he spares both, the trial is incomplete, and they proceed to a more certain criterion {Mod, Univ. Hist, vii, 266). The Asiatic Researches (i, 389-404 [Calcutta, 1788, 4to]) contain a memoir on the trials by ordeal among the Hindus, by Ali Ibrahim Khan, cJiief magistrate of Benares, communicated by Warren Hastings, Esq., nine in number: 1, by the balance; 2, by fire; 3, by water; 4, by two sorts of poison; 5, by Cosha, in which the accused drinks of water in which the im- ages of the sun and other deities have been Avashed ; 6, by chewing rice ; 7, by hot oil ; 8, by hot iron ; 9, bj' Dharmach, in which an image named Dharma, or the genius of justice, made of silver, and another of an an- tagonist genius, Adharma, made of clay or iron, or those figures painted respectively on white and black cloth, are thrown into a large jar, from which the accused is instructed to draw at hazard.
The trial by ordeal seems to be prevalent throughout Africa too. "When a man," says Dr. Livingstone, " suspects that any of his wives have bewitched him, he sends for the witch-doctor, and all the wives go forth into the field, and remain fasting till that per- son has made an infusion of the plant called 'goho.' The\' all drink it, each one holding up her hand to heaven in attestation of her innocency. Those who vomit it are considered innocent, while those whom it purges are pronounced guilty, and are put to death by burning. The innocent return to their homes, and slaughter a cock as a thank-offering to their guardian spirits. The practice of ordeal is common among all the negro nations north of the Zambesi." The women themselves eagerly desire the test on the slightest provocation ; each is conscious of her own innocence, and has the fullest faith in the mitavi (the ordeal) clearing all but the guilty. There are varieties of pro- cedure among the different tribes. The Barotse pour the medicine down the throat of a cock or dog, and judge of the innocence or guilt of the person accused by the vomiting or purging of the animal.
Among the natives of Northern Guinea this species of ordeal is in use for the detection of witchcraft. It goes by the name of the red-ivater ordeal, the red-water used for this purpose being a decoction made from the inner bark of a large forest tree of the mimosa family. The mode in which this ordeal is practiced is thus de- scribed by Mr. Wilson: "A good deal of ceremony is used in connection with the administration of the or- deal; the people who assemble to see it administered form themselves into a circle, and the pots containing the liquid are placed in the centre of the enclosed space. The accused then comes forward, having the scantiest apparel, but with a cord of palm-leaves bound around his waist, and seats himself in the centre of the circle. After his accusation is announced, he makes a formal acknowledgment of all the evil deeds of his past life, then invokes the name of God three times, and impre- cates his wrath in case he is guilty of the particular crime laid to his charge. He then steps forward and drinks freely of the red-water. If it nauseates and causes him to vomit freely, he suffers no serious injurj', and is at once pronounced innocent. If, on the other hand, it causes vertigo, and he loses his self-control, it is regarded as evidence of his guilt, and then all sorts of indignities and cruelties are practiced upon him. A general howl of indignation rises from the spectators. Children and others are encouraged to hoot at him, pelt him with stones, spit upon him, and in many in- stances he is seized by the heels and dragged through the bushes and over rocky places until his body is shamefullv lacerated and life becomes extinct. Even
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The lied- Water Ordeal of Norlheru Guiuea.
his own kindred are required to take part in these cruel indignities, and no outward manifestation of grief is allowed in behalf of a man who has been guilty of so odious a crime. On the other hand, if he escapes with- out injury, his character is thoroughly purified, and he stands on a better footing in society than he did before he submitted to the ordeal. After a few days, he is decked out in his best robes, and, accompanied by a large train of friends, he enjoys a sort of triumphal jjro- cession through the town where he lives, receives the congratulations of his friends and the community in general, and not unfrequently presents are sent to him by friends from neighboring villages. After all this is over, he assembles the principal men of the town, and arraigns his accusers before them, who, in their tum, must submit to the same ordeal, or pay a large fine to the man whom they attempted to injure." A similar process is followed in Southern Guinea for the detection of witchcraft. At the Gabun the root used is called nkazya. See Grimm, Deutsche Rechts-Alterthumer; Pierer, Universal-EncyUop. art. Gottesurtheil ; Penny Cyclop, s. V. ; Farrar, Eccles. Diet. s. v. ; Eadie, Eccles. Cyclop, s. v.; Hard wick, Middle Ages; Lea, Studies in Church Hist, p. 104; and his Superstition (see In- dex) ; Eclectic Magazine, July, 1876, art. vii, by E. B. Tyler.