404 THE ZUNI INDIANS [eth. ann. 23 



and that he feared his mother's anger should he break the plaster. 

 The warriors cried "Expose them! Expose them!'' One handed an 

 ax to the boy and commanded him to go to work. With the first 

 stroke a large quantity of plaster fell crumbling to the floor. The 

 room was almost dark, the faintest light penetrating through the 

 door. The writer lighted a candle and held it so as to throw the best 

 possible light upon the worker. After a quantity of plaster had fallen 

 the boy stooped to examine it. Again he used the ax and more plaster 

 fell, and again he stooped and looked for the prayer plumes, while the 

 warriors watched eagerl3^ to see that nothing escaped them. The 

 scene was weird in the extreme. The handsome youth was clearly 

 visible by the candle held near him as he worked, apparently calmly 

 and leisurely, stopping to examine the plaster each time it fell, think- 

 ing to weary the watchers and accusers. When the west wall was 

 half robbed of its plaster and the pra^^er plumes were not found, the 

 warriors became impatient. The dust in the room was stilling, and 

 when the warriors accused the bo}' of having deceived them he declared 

 that the plume sticks were deposited two years before and that he could 

 not remember the exact location of them. The impatience of the 

 accusers becoming greater, they^ said: "You have lied! You have 

 lied!" The boy made no reply, but led them into an adjoining room, 

 thence through a hatchway so small that all passed through with diffi- 

 culty into a room l)elow. This room was ver}^ small and low, and 

 would have been absolutely dark but for the candle. After passing 

 on into a room still deeper in the heart of the great beehive, a strange 

 scene occurred. The youth was closely followed by the writer, and 

 when he stooped in the dungeon-like room all gathered about him and 

 discovered two packages of old prayer plumes on the floor beside a 

 concretion fetish that was some 6 inches in diameter. There was con- 

 sternation among the warriors, who exclaimed in one voice: "What 

 does this mean ? " Now the}^ felt assured that the youth had spoken the 

 truth. The accused sepai'ated the packages and explained each prayer 

 plume. The concretion is a fetish for corn, and was placed here by the 

 witches, declared the boy, that the crops might be destroyed. The 

 examination of the prayer phimes l)y the warriors was thorough and 

 the explanation by the accused deemed most complete. But the war- 

 riors were not to be satisfied until the prayer plumes used to transform 

 the witch into heast form wore produced. In despair, the boy declared 

 they must he in a room below, but as there was no ladder it would be 

 impossible tor bim to descend. The warriors decided to let one of two 

 young men who foUowed the party to the house descend into the lower 

 chamber. He was held by the arms and lowered. The candle was then 

 reached to him l)y liis companion, who went headforemost through the 

 hatchway and was held by his feet. A diligent search was not rewarded 

 with success, and the man was with dilticuUy dragged back through the 



