288 THE ZUNI INDIANS [eth. ann. 23 



When they were called the fourth time and came forward, the enemy 

 was well up the mesa. The keeper and his deputy were nude except a 

 brcechcloth, their bodies and limbs were painted red, and the}' had anklet 

 and wristlet wreaths of yucca. The face of each was painted black, 

 the forehead and chin covered with eagle down, and a red, iiutfy eagle 

 plume was tied to the scalp lock. They had been preparing medicine, 

 which had to be obtained on the mesa, and therefore could not appear 

 sooner. Each theurgist filled a tiny shell with the medicine, put the 

 shell into his mouth, and approached the edge of the mesa unarmed. 

 The people wei"e alarmed and cried to them not to advance. The 

 theurgists said: 'We are not afraid.' They l)lew the shells contain- 

 ing the medicine toward the enemy, who were immediatelv affected 

 by it. The enenn^ at first appeared to be intoxicated. One would 

 try to catch the other as he fell, and then both would stagger and 

 soon fall. Nearly the whole army was destroyed. The survivors 

 retreated. All the Rio Grande pueblos except the Lagunas fought 

 the Zunis. Those of the Lagunas who accompanied the Spaniards did 

 not shoot an arrow. About six months after this attack the Lagu- 

 nas again appeared and made a fire, and information was given to 

 the Zunis that another attack was expected. The keeper of the 

 shell prepared his medicine, but the Spanish priest, who was still with 

 them, being anxious to prevent further destruction of the Spaniards, 

 looked about for something on which to send a message. He finallj^ 

 wrote with charcoal on a piece of deerskin, saj'ing that he was safe 

 and that he loved the Zunis and wished to remain with them, and threw 

 it down the mesa side, calling to the Spaniards to receive it. After 

 the message was read and the Spaniards learned of the safety of their 

 priest, they made no attack, but sent clothing and other things to him. 

 An associate of the keeper of the great shell fell sick about a year 

 after the Spaniards came the second time, while the Zunis were still 

 living on the mesa. A sorcerer went one night to this man's house 

 and, ascending to the roof, put his medicine all around it; ])ut when 

 he attempted to descend through the hatchway into the house, he found 

 that his strength was gone and that he could not move. At daylight 

 the father of the sick man, discovering the sorcerer on the roof, said: 

 ' You had better come into the house. If anyone should see you here 

 you would get into trouble.' He helped the man into the house. 

 The sick man asked: 'What were you doing on my roof?' 'I put 

 medicine there because I wished you to die.' 'You must not try 

 that again. I can easily find you out and destroy 3^ou.'' The sister of 

 the sick man said to her brother: 'I shall put away your medicine. 

 You find out too many bad men and kill them.' She placed the medi- 

 cine, including all the tiny shells, in a water vase, dug a hole about 

 2 feet deep on a knoll at the base of the mesa, and buried the vase. 

 And so those little shells are all gone; only the great shell is left for 



