92 Pomander Collection of Hazvaiian Folk-lore. 



place, then the person having such a dream would ohtain some oain. This henefit 

 from tlie canoe dream did not, however, occur except to him who was accustomed to it. 

 It is the same with all other signs spoken of in this history on the omens of the priest- 

 hood. In the observance of the canoe dream the ])eople did not all agree on its inter- 

 pretation, some believing in one thing and some in another. But to those who were fa- 

 miliar with it, the occurrence of a canoe dream resulted in the non-fulfillment of the 

 things greatly desired. 



24. AN ADVERSE SIGN IN THE PRIESTIIOOD. 



Crossing the hands in the back was one of the signs of adversity in the things that 

 a person greatly desired for his benefit and prosperity. If a person intended to go to 

 a place with the hope of obtaining that which he had greatly longed for, if he met this 

 sign on the road then he had reason to doubt the propriety of journeying on, and that he 

 had better return. If, however, he should meet this sign twice on his way, then his 

 thought about adversity vanished, the fulfillment of the wish only remained, with no 

 reason for doubt and returning back to the house. Crossing the hands in the back 

 was a recognized omen bv the i)riesthood, from the earliest days to the present time. 



25. OF CROSSING THE HANDS IN THE r.ACK. 



If a medical man met one with hands crossed in the back while he was on the 

 wav in the interest of his profession, he would say: "I can not cure the patient." Doubt 

 would then come in, resulting in his returning home. If he continued on to the patient's 

 house, then he would not treat him : the only thing for him to do was to tell the patient 

 "I cannot treat you." 



Supposing that a medical man knew of a complaint, one that he knew could be 

 cured, being within the range of his ])ossible cures, and if some one was sent to obtain 

 the medicine for the sick by order of the medical man, and while on his errand should 

 meet a man on the road with his hands crossed behind his back, the messenger would 

 sav: "1 can not go to get the medicine." If he met that bad omen, yet with that knowl- 

 edoe, went to get the medicine, when he returned, he would not hide the incident exper- 

 ienced but would reveal it to the priest. \\'hen the priest heard of this adversity he would 

 remark: "The complaint will not be remedied by the medicine: the ailment is different 

 and the medicine is different." 



26. ANOTHER INTERPRETATION OF CROSSING THE HANDS. 



Crossing the hands behind the back is of two kinds ; the crossing of the hands 

 by some other person seen on the road, and the crossing of the hands by a person himself 

 while walking; these both have the same meaning in their interpretation. 



OF A PERSON CROSSING THE HANDS TO HIMSELF. 



The crossing of the hands shown here is not f|uite similar to those already men- 

 tioned. The interpretations of the omens were alike in some things and different in 



