432 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



prayers. Naturally, all this ceremony must react strongly upon the 

 imagination of the accused ; but when the accusation is unjust he is 

 not in the least confused, and comes without fear to the idol ; he ex- 

 tinguishes the lighted taper before the idol, after which, inclining him- 

 self toward the table, he seizes the heart of the cow with his teeth 

 which was exposed there upon a dish, and carries it out of the tent. 

 Here one of the priests receives this revealing object from him, and 

 passes it to the judges to be inspected. If, on inspection, there are no 

 injuries observed upon the heart, then the accused is acquitted, and 

 the accuser is condemned to a fine fixed upon beforehand. 



All this mysterious ceremony would impress the Calmucks deeply 

 by its solemnity, and inspire them with sentiments of terror. And 

 this so much the more easily, as each detail of this shakhan had a 

 certain symbolical signification. Thus, the black cow was the symbol 

 of death, which ought to recall to the person taking the oath the 

 enormous responsibility to which he exposed himself, if he had taken 

 a false oath. The charged gun, with the lock bound up, signified 

 that the perjured ran the risk of being immediately struck by divine 

 justice. And the head of the cow, monstrously disfigured, ought to 

 recall to him that his soul would be excommunicated from the midst 

 of men, and driven into some frightful and monstrous being. The 

 idol spoke to him of the presence of the supreme judge, who listened 

 to his oath. The illuminated taper signified the divine light spread 

 abroad by the Creator, and its perfume signified the grace of God, 

 both of which the perjured renounced and deprived himself of volun- 

 tarily in extinguishing the taper. Lastly, the heart of the immolated 

 cow signified the innocence of the person swearing, and the purity of 

 his intentions. 



Of all this terrible oath there remains at the present day but a very 

 small portion in use. In doubtful and very grave cases, the Cal- 

 muck, who has to justify himself by means of the oath, only approaches 

 to the table of the idol, before which he prostrates himself three times to 

 the earth, and, after pronouncing with a loud voice, " I am innocent ! " 

 he extinguishes the taper, to express that he renounces the favors of 

 the Creator if he has lied. Such an oath is very serious, and appears 

 to be the only relic which testifies to the ancient regime proper to the 

 Calmucks. At the present day their ancient judgment, as well as 

 the punishments of former times, is abolished, and the Calmucks are 

 judged according to the common laws of the empire. 



As to their actual chiefs, these have preserved to the present day 

 the same authority in the eyes of the Calmucks which they formerly 

 possessed. A chief is respected not only by his subordinates, but by 

 all the other Calmucks. They dare not enter into his tent without 

 having first made a sign of reverence, which consists in him who is 

 entering touching with the palm of his hand the door of entrance, and 

 afterward his own forehead. In withdrawing from the tent they march 



