402 THE ZUNI INDIANS [f.th. ann. 23 



insanity, which he laid south of the meal, then the three bits of 

 good medicine, which he deposited north of the meal. He now sang 

 in so low a voice that it was impossible for the writer to understand 

 what he was saying. Taking a bite from the root south of the 

 meal, he chewed it, ejected it upon his hands, and rubbed his body. 

 In a moment he distorted his face, spun around, and jumped about; 

 then, shaking his body violently, rushed to the invalid, pulling at 

 her arms and running his hands over them. The spectacle was so 

 harassing that it was with difficulty the writer retained her compo- 

 sure. The child's efforts to scream as she endeavored to release 

 herself from the grasp of her father and brother who held her, her 

 terror each time the boy approached her, the cries of the women, and 

 the tears of the men, except the warriors, who were absorbed in 

 what was going on before them, presented a scene never to be for- 

 gotten. When the boy had preyed upon the credulit}^ of the war- 

 riors as long as he deemed wise, he swallowed a small quantity of 

 the other medicine and became perfectly rational in his demeanor. 

 He now touched the girl's lips with his own and pretended to draw 

 disease from her heart, while she was almost thrown into convulsions 

 by his touch. He ejected into his hand what he pretended to have 

 drawn from her heart, and deposited it upon the meal; he then com- 

 pelled the girl to swallow three bits of the good root medicine. She 

 nearl}^ strangled in the effort, bat the parents insisted that she swallow 

 it, in hopes of her restoration. After this the boy cooUv took meal 

 from the basket, stood and offered a long prayer, sprinkled meal upon 

 the material supposed to have been extracted from the girl, asked for 

 a corn husk, gathered the meal together into his hands and deposited 

 it in the husk, and left the chamber, accompanied by the grand- 

 father of the girl. Thev went west of the village, where the boy 

 buried the husk, and returned within thirty minutes; then the 

 two occupied their former seats and the warriors interrogated the 

 boy until 2 o'clock in the morning. The child was in such an 

 alarming condition of nervousness that the writer decided that the 

 farce must end. After a few words with the warriors, they agreed to 

 retire and release the boy, with the understanding that he should 

 accompany two of them to the writer's camp later in the morning. 

 While the writer was breakfasting, the grandfather of the little invalid 

 appeared and informed her that the boy had escaped, news which was 

 most gratifying to her, ]>ut which enraged the Bow priests. The elder 

 brother Bow priest at once ordered the grandfather of the girl 

 to mount his horse and capture the bo3\ After some miles of hard 

 riding the boy was overtaken and brought back to Zuiii and to the 

 house of the poor little sufferer, who was subjected to another ordeal, 

 while Nai'uchi gratified his thirst for the marvelous by subjecting the 

 boy to a second trial, himself now acting as chief justice of the court. 



