Our old spiritualist denies us freedom even in the after-life she promises us.
Adelaide slept that night, looked a better colour the next morning, and rapidly recovered.
We think old Bootha must be a good physician and a ventriloquist, only I believe it is said ventriloquists cannot live long, and Bootha is now over eighty.
Others besides wirreenuns see spirits sometimes, but rarely, though wirreenuns are said to have the power to conjure them up in a form visible to ordinary eyes.
Babies are said to see spirits when they are smiling or crowing as if to themselves; it's to some spirit visible to them but to no one else.
When a baby opens his hands and shuts them again quickly, smiling all the while, that baby is with the spirits catching crabs! Dogs see spirits; when they bark and howl suddenly and you see nothing about, it is because they have seen a spirit.
One person may embody many spirits, but such an one must be careful not to drink anything hot or heating, such would drive out the spirits at once.

The spirits would never enter a person defiled by the white man's 'grog.' Old Bootha had an interview with a very powerful spirit after she was ill, who told her that the spirit of her father was now in Bahloo, the moon; and that it was this spirit which had cured her, and if she kept his commands she would live for ever.

The commands were never to drink 'grog,' never to wear red, never to eat fish.

This was told her fifteen years ago, never once has she transgressed; her vigour for an old woman considerably over eighty is marvellous.
She was going away for a trip.

Before going she said, as she would not be able to know when I wanted rain for my garden, she would put two posts in it which had in them the spirits of Kurreahs, or crocodiles.
As these spirits required water I might be certain my tanks would never go dry while they were on guard.