THE DIVINING ROD 



enough, and in a way that deceived all who 

 were present at the time, except Mullins himself, 

 who pointed out a slight difference in the move- 

 ment of the twig, by which he knew it was 

 caused by the will merely of the holder. This 

 my friend at once admitted, and showed us how 

 he did it. 



In speaking of the power of the divining rod 

 it must be understood that this is inherent, not 

 in the rod itself, but in the person using it, the 

 rod being merely a means of communication 

 between the person affected and the object which 

 calls the latent faculty to life. The misapprehen- 

 sions as to this, which have occasionally come 

 under my notice, furnish a reason for stating what 

 to many would appear self-evident. A water 

 diviner is commonly known in the West as a 

 " dowser," and his instrument as a " dowsing 

 rod " or " twig." It is usually a forked branch 

 of hazel, of from two to three feet in length, and 

 shaped like the letter " V." But other mediums 

 are sometimes used ; among them being a steel 

 watch-spring, forked rods of iron or brass wire, etc. 

 The dowser's method of procedure to find water, 

 as witnessed by myself, is as follows : He 

 grasps a limb of the twig firmly in each hand, the 

 point where the limbs meet being turned in a 

 slanting direction towards the earth. He carries 

 the twig in front of him and proceeds slowly, 

 necessarily stooping somewhat to bring it as 

 near as possible to the ground. When he comes 

 across running water the spot is supposed to be 

 marked, without any voluntary action on the part 

 of the diviner, by the twig jerking up and down 



135 



