1894.] t) i [Brinton. 



gems ; one water, two waters ; one rabbit, two rabbits ; one deer, two 

 deers ; one alligator, two alligators.^ 



"Lo ! I myself am here ; I am most furious ; I make the loudest noise 

 of all ; I respect no one ; even sticks and stones tremble before me. What 

 god or mighty power dare face me, me, a child of gods and goddesses?'" 

 I have come to seek and call back the tonal of this sick one, wherever it 

 is, whithersoever it has wandered, be it nine times wandered, even unto 

 the nine junctures and the nine unions." Wherever it is, I summon it 

 to return, I order it to return, and to heal and clean this heart and this 

 head." 



Explanations. 



1. The appeal is to Water, regarded as the universal Mother. The 

 " skirt of precious stones " refers to the green of the precious green stones, 

 a color sacred to water. 



2. The question is addressed to the tonal. 



3. The yellow enchantment is tobacco ; the white, a cup of water. 



4. That is, assigned the form of the nagual belonging to the sick man. 



5. This appeal is directed to the Milky Way. 



6. The threat is addressed to the tonal, to highten it into returning. 



7. The " shining spirit " is the Fire-god. 



8. The yellow tobacco, prepared ceremonially in the manner indicated. 



9. These are names of days in the native calendar which are invoked. 



10. The priest speaks in the person of his god. 



11. Referring to the Nahuatl belief that there are nine upper and nine 

 under worlds. 



From the same work of de la Serna I collect the following 

 list of symbolic expressions. It might easily be extended, but 

 these will be sufficient to show the figurative obscurities which 

 they threw around their formulas of conjuration, but which were 

 by no means devoid of coherence and instruction to those who 

 could understand them. 



Symbolic Expressions of the Nagualists. 



Blood. — " The red woman with snakes on her gown " (referring to the 

 veins). 



Copal Gum. — " The white woman " (from the whitish color of the fresh 

 gum). 



Cords (for carrying burdens). — " The snake that does woman's work " 

 (because women sit still to knit, and the cord works wiiile itself is car- 

 ried). 



Drunkenness. — "My resting time, " or "when I am getting my breath." 



T7ie Earth. — "The mirror that smokes " (because of the mists that rise 



