DISCOVERY 



295 



nude, wearing a high peaked hat, and is seen taking 

 her flight through the air on a broomstick. In otlier 

 pictures she is seen standing beside a house, accom- 

 panied by an owl, the whole representing the witch's 

 dwelling, with medicinal herbs drying beneath the 

 eaves. Thus the evidence that the Haunting Mothers 

 and their patroness present an exact parallel with the 

 witches of Europe seems pretty complete, and should 

 provide those who regard witchcraft as a thing essen- 

 tially European ^with considerable food for thought. 

 The Nagualists smeared themselves with a magical 

 ointment by virtue of which they believed they could 

 fly through the air, and engaged in wild and intemperate 

 dances precisely as did the adherents of Vaulderie 

 in France, or the witches of England ; they met at 

 cross-roads, where thej^ danced to pipe and tabor, and 

 they brewed strange potions, love-philtres, and poisons 

 quite in the manner of the Lancashire or Devonshire 

 hags. 



Magic Arts of all Kinds 



But shape-shifting and witchcraft were not the onlj' 

 magical resources of the Nagualists. Their arts were 

 manifold. They could render themselves invisible and 

 walk unseen among their enemies ! They could 

 transport themselves to distant places, and returning, 

 report what they had witnessed ! Like the fakirs of 

 India, they could create before the eyes of the spectator 

 rivers, trees, houses, animals, and other objects. They 

 would, to all appearance, rip themselves open, cut a 

 limb from the body of another person and replace it, 

 and pierce themselves with knives without bleeding. 

 They could handle venomous serpents without being 

 bitten, as can their representatives among the Zufii 

 Indians of Arizona to-day, cause mysterious sounds in 

 the air, hypnotise both men and animals, and invoke 

 spirits who would instantly appear. Of these things 

 the credulous missionary friars believed them fully 

 capable. What wonder, then, that they were regarded 

 b}^ the natives with a mixture of terror and respect ? 



The esoteric details of the secret ceremonies and 

 doctrines of Nagualism have never been fully revealed, 

 and it is only from scattered passages in the writings 

 of the Spanish missionary friars that we can throw any 

 light on this mysterious secret society. When the 

 Austrian traveller Dr. Scherzer visited Guatemala in 

 1854, he found Nagualism in full force in the more 

 remote districts, where there is good reason to believe 

 it still flourishes. 



LIST OF REFERE^■CES 



D. C. Brinton, Nagualism, 1892. 

 Lewis Spence, The Gods of Mexico, 1923. 



M. Beuchat, Manuel d'archeologie Americaine, 191 2. 



E. Seler, Gesamnielte Abhaudlungen. 



Article in Hastings's Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics. 



An Imperial Airship 

 Service 



By Major W. T. Blake 



CoMM.\NDER BuRNEY first placed his scheme for an 

 Imperial Airship Service before the Government about 

 two years ago, but since then it has undergone various 

 modifications, until the idea has been accepted in 

 principle by the Government, and negotiations are now- 

 taking place between Commander Burney and the 

 Treasury with regard to financial matters. If these are 

 settled satisfactorily, as it is anticipated that they will 

 be, it should be possible to have the first airship in 

 commission in 1925. 



In laying his scheme before the Air Conference in 

 February this year. Commander Burney stated that 

 three principal benefits would accrue from the success- 

 ful establishment of an Imperial Airship Service. 

 These were the imperial and political advantages 

 accruing from a safe and cheap form of transport ; the 

 value in war-time of a fleet of airships together with 

 fuelling bases all over the world ; and the value of a 

 commercial company with British capital operating a 

 service on a profit-making basis. 



Briefly, the scheme is for the inauguration of an air- 

 ship service from England to Egypt, India, Singapore, 

 and Australia. At first only the Egyptian route will 

 be worked, this being extended to India when more 

 ships are available, and later to Australia, the full 

 service of two airships each way between England 

 and India and one between England and Australia per 

 week being reached about 1927. 



Subsidies by the Government 



In order to build these vessels a capital of £4,000,000 

 was originally suggested, so that six ships could be 

 built, sheds and mooring masts erected, and fuelling 

 depots and mooring bases constructed at Port Said, 

 Bombay, Rangoon, Singapore, and Perth (Australia). 

 The whole of the organisation was to be at the disposal 

 of the Admiralty in time of war, and in return for this 

 the Government was asked to guarantee the debentures 

 as to principal and interest, and the ordinary shares 

 as to dividends only, for ten j'ears at the rate of 

 6 per cent. 



The scheme was rapidly taken up by influential 

 bodies, Messrs. Vickers Limited and Shell-Mex Limited 

 being the principal financial backers. After consider- 

 able delay the proposition has been accepted by the 

 Government, but in the interval since the first proposal 

 the financial estimates have undergone considerable 



