USE OF THE DIYINING ROD. 61 



find a place absolutely free from them; also that the larger 

 fissures or veins showed often an indication on the surface, either 

 a depression, or a watery ground, or a redder soil, so that one 

 might do just as well without a rod. 



He replied to this, that it was not only infallible in the field 

 and in the mine, but that they could detect by it metal wherever 

 placed; that money might be detected when hidden. On our 

 asking whether the diviners here could detect a coin concealed 

 under one of a series of objects, he testified that they certainly 

 could if they cared to. 



This seemed to us a good opportunity of testing their powers 

 by an experiment. "We therefore asked our friend, the foreman, 

 to send to the practitioner of this ancient art, and use his 

 influence with him to induce him to submit to the trial. 



"We were successful in attaining the attendance of the two 

 reputed best operators, and both expressed themselves willing 

 and able to find the money which we were to conceal. 



"We took the older and better hand first. 



A shilling was to be placed under a series of objects, such as 

 hats and handkerchiefs placed on the floor, — he stipulated that the 

 money should be in copper pence, — ^and he guaranteed to find it if 

 there were no disturbing causes. 



The last clause gave room for evasion and vitiation of the 

 experiment, so we asked what such could be? He answered, 

 metal in the hats, or a spring of water, or minerals under the 

 house. "We showed him that there was no metal about the hats, 

 and then asked him to try over the room before we laid the hats 

 in order to see whether there were any of these things he feared 

 beneath. He tried, and said there was water passed over in 

 going across the room (E. & W.) We begged him to try up and 

 down the room, (N. & S.,) he found no indications here, nothing 

 caused the rod to turn over, and he admitted that it was a suitable 

 place. 



"We may mention that he professed to know water from metallic 

 ores by a tingling in the fingers. 



