242 LETTERS ON NATURAL MAGIC. 



questions of the sagacious spirit, to each of which 

 inquiries I received an answer by two loud claps on 

 the deck, which I was given to understand were favour- 

 able. 



" A very hollow, yet powerful voice, certainly much 

 different from the tones of Toolemak, now chanted for 

 some time, and a strange jumble of hisses, groans, shouts, 

 and gabblings like a turkey succeeded in rapid order. 

 The old woman sang with increased energy, and as I took it 

 for granted that this was all intended to astonish the 

 Kabloona, I cried repeatedly that I was very much 

 afraid. This, as I expected, added fuel to the fire, until 

 the poor immortal, exhausted by its own might, asked 

 leave to retire. 



" The voice gradually sunk from our hearing as at first, 

 and a very indistinct hissing succeeded ; in its advance it 

 sounded like the tone produced by the wind on the bass 

 chord of an ^Elolian harp. This was soon changed to a 

 rapid hiss like that of a rocket, and Toolemak with a yell 

 announced his return. I had held my breath at the first 

 distant hissing, and twice exhausted myself, yet our con- 

 jurer did not once respire, and even his returning and 

 powerful yell was uttered without a previous stop or 

 inspiration of air. 



"Light being admitted, our wizard, as might be ex- 

 pected, was in a profuse perspiration, and certainly much 

 exhausted by his exertions, which had continued for at 

 least half an hour. We now observed a couple of bunches, 

 each consisting of two stripes of white deer-skin and a 

 long piece of sinew, attached to the back of his coat. 

 These we had not seen before, and were informed that 

 they had been sewn on by Tornga while he was below."* 



Captain Lyon had the good fortune to witness another 

 of Toolemak's exhibitions, and he was much struck with 

 * Private Journal of Captain G. F. Lyon, pp. 358, 361. 



