Superstitions Connected With Drowing.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 161, 17 July 1886, Page 4

Superstitions Connected With Drowing.

Some years ago a man fell overboard from a Russian ship m Leith docks. They tried to rescue him at fi'-st, but when they found that he would surely drown, they ran away fearing to haul out the body. Barry tells t')o iolL>v\itig: -"A drunken man walked into the water and was drowned, no one trying to save him. On his clothing being alter ward? examined, no cross was founct about hi? neck. He was declared by the villagers to be ' drowned because he had no cross on his neck.' It is generally believed here that you must wear a cross when yon go to bathe." The cross here replaces the steq], supposed in Nor*e legond to deter a Nyck from approaching. A still more curious incident is related by Ellrick :—": — " I myself saw a fellow fall overboard and drown, after a long struggle, during which neither the crew of the vessel nor his comrades made the slightest effort to save him. When he was battling against the angry waves the crew stood quite composedly on deck, and said ia chorus — 'Jack ! Jack ! give in ! Dostthon not tee that it pleases God ?' " Similar things are recorded of Bohemian fishermen in 1564, who say that " Waterman" will drown thorn, and take away their luck in h'^hint;. They also pray ou tae^ river batik, and offer wax candles and bread. The Chinese have a repugnance towards aiding drowning men. They pay the aoul of a drowned person is a kind of ocean purgatory, whence is is released only by finding some one to take its place. In a Chinese t-tle, "The Fisherman and Ilia Friend," the hero refuses to aid a woman who is drowning for this reason. The Hong Kong authorities were obliged to insert a clause in junk charter, requiring them to save life, U the necessity occurred. Gray tells of many instances that came under his observation where Chinese re* fused to aid drowning men, claiming that their spirits flitted along the water, demand* ing a sacrifice. Salt wag thrown into tho place where anyone wassaved from drowning, to appease their spirits. Hindoos would not save anyone who fell into the sacred Ganges, but would help him to drown, if near by, and it was a sin to try -to save yourself. Kamtchatdales would not speak to a man rescued from drowning, take him into their houses, or give him food. It was a sin to* save a drowning man, a good deed to aid ia drowning him. Kossa Kaffirs pelted them with stones, oc else ran away from drowning men. Theal says they think psople are drowned by spirits, and they would nob try to save a. boat's crew from death by drowning. Lieutenant Basaet

A good old lady, a widow, having bbea asked if she didn't think her huebanci shortened hia days by too much hard work, replied : " No, I don't think he did. As near as I can remembar, every one of his, days was just as long bb other peopleV