Srecuts] the swimmer manuscript 241 



medicine men consulted to be an abbreviation of Gf'na a'^'ye'lrsai, 

 a mythic kind of serpent which owes its name to its habit of imitating 

 (a'"yc--h-'sGi = he imitates, Hab.) the bleat of a fawn ((a)Gi-na') so as 

 to ensnare its mother. 



On hearing the bleating, the doe, believing her young calls her, 

 hurries to the spot, and the mythic serpent catches the artless animal, 

 by merely striking out its huge tongue, and swallows it. [The extra- 

 ordinary "licking" powers of this monster is without any doubt the 

 reason why it is being appealed to in this fonnula to come and lick 

 or suck the wound.] 



The Lizard meant is the alligator lizard (Sceloporus undulatus) 

 which has the habit of alternately puffing out and drawing in its 

 throat, as though sucldng, when basldng in the sun. There is an 

 obvious consistency in calHng upon these two animals, in accordance 

 with their nature to suck the wound. 



The medicine is tobacco juice [ordinary chewing tobacco being 

 used]. The medicine man recites tlio first paragraph while chewing 

 the tobacco, and then applying his mouth to the wound, sucks out 

 the poisonous matter or Dalo''ni, "yellow." Then, taking a fresh 

 quid, he recites the second paragraph, and again sucks the wound in 

 the same manner. The whole ceremony is then repeated, so as to 

 make four suckings, which are said to be sufficient in ordinary cases. 

 The medicine man holds the tobacco in his mouth wliile sucking, and 

 does not, as might be supposed, suck out the poison first, and then 

 apply the tobacco juice. Before chewing tobacco, as it is now used, 

 was introduced by white traders, the medicine men probably used 

 tso''laGay9''"li, Nicotiana rustica L., wild tobacco [which has now 

 become so scarce with the Cherokee that it is only used in minute 

 quantities in certain of the more important ceremonies. (See p. 75.)]. 



48 

 !tV u-^ndJe'^o^'sGy-' a'Da'n^-'wo-t'i' 



this whenever they have it hot to cure anyone with 



SGe" I 'a-.uso!'-i tso'tlt'o't'sti a'tsuti' o'na'Gf | Do-Hsiile"- 



Now then Im, night, Loc thou art staying fish black he has got up, 



nf.i' i-'G-aye^'li i;'so"-ido' D'n^'N'a'lf'.i' I nQDO'.'-jd Di,'tsotl= 



facing day, middle night, been he has come and sun, Loc thou art 



us, done it, App 



App 



t'o't'sti a'tsiiti' vne*'G9 | DO''Diyi;'l€'nf .i' ^^ t-'G-aye^'li | 



staying flsh white he has arisen, facing us, App day, middle 



't'so°.i^ u'lDiDi-'-tlo-GWO"^' ^^ ay0*Ve*'S0'tlQ''D9 DO-'oZLile^Ilf .i' 



this other near by, direct., L he resting as he goes along he has got up, facing 



us, App 



8' Archaic form; same meaning as DO"Dzi;le'n€-.i (line 5). 

 88 W. D. form; C. D.^vlUuzoowb". 



