ion to mention incidentally, on more than one
occasion, the Boyl-yas, or native sorcerers, and their supposed powers
have a mighty influence upon the minds and actions of the natives of
Western Australia, in whose superstitious belief the boyl-yas are objects
of mysterious dread. It is supposed that they can transport themselves
through the air at pleasure, and can render themselves invisible to all
but other boyl-yas. If they have a dislike to a native they can kill him
by stealing on him at night and consuming his flesh. They enter him like
pieces of quartz, and the pain they occasion is always felt. Another
boyl-ya has however the power of drawing them out and curing the affected
person by certain processes of disenchantment. When this operation is
effected the boyl-yas are drawn out in the form of pieces of quartz,
which are kept and considered as great curiosities by the natives. All
natural illnesses are attributed to these boyl-yas, or to the Wau-guls,
hence the reason of some native being killed when another dies. The
individual dies either by the hands of another native, from the effects
of accident, or from some natural cause. In the first case his death is
avenged on his murderer, or on some near relative of his; in either of
the other two cases it is avenged on some connexion of the supposed
boyl-yas against whom they have a spite.

KAIBER'S ACCOUNT OF THE BOYL-YAS.

Interested by an account I had received of the boyl-yas from the women,
after Mulligo's death, I endeavoured to obtain from Kaiber a more ample
statement of their belief relative to these people. The difficulty I
laboured under upon this head, as well as the dread they entertain of
these sorcerers, will be best shown by the following account of his
answers to my questions, together with his incidental remarks:*

(*Footnote. His words were nearly as follows:

Boyl-ya yongar boyl-ya gaduk. Djerral, way-lo, wor-rar ngin noween;
Boyl-ya windoo; boko-djee wattoo; boorda nganya men-dyke ngoomon. Boyl-ya
yongar boola ngan-noween, kalla moquoin, boorda ngin-nee nganya men-dyke
ngoomon. Boyl-ya donga gaduk, boorda gurrang ngoomon, nadjoo nginnee
wangow broo.

Boyl ya kote yan-na, ngin-nee bid-jar, bal-goon kote yan-na; kote yool
yannow boyl-ya. Boyl-ya windoo-buk; boorda nganneel men-dyke ngoomon;
nadjoo wanga-broo. Goodjyte yool yannow. Boyl-ya wunja nginnee? Nganya
goree katta mendyke. Boorda nginnee nganya goodjall waingur; Yoongar
nungow broo. B