326 STBING FIGURES [CH. XV 



the centre of the figure where they cross, pass this bunch of 

 strings between the right thumb and index-finger so that the 

 bunch lies along the arm, with the left thumb and index-finger 

 take hold of the two loops on the right thumb, draw them over 

 the tip of the right thumb to the palmar side, and then replace 

 the two loops on the right thumb ; make a similar movement 

 with the other hand. (6) Lastly, lift the wrist loops over the 

 hands, letting them fall on the front or palmar sides of the hands, 

 rub the hands together, separate them sharply, and the figure 

 will appear. 



Lightning. This figure was obtained from the Navaho Indians 

 who live in the far West, on the Mexican border of Arizona, 

 where the customs of the Red Man have not yet been destroyed 

 by civilization and law. The final presentation of the zig-zag 

 lightning should come quite suddenly, and to a stranger 

 unexpectedly. 



The figure may be made thus : (1) Put the string in the 

 form of a figure of eight, one oval (preferably small) lying away 

 from you, and the other towards you, and the strings crossing 

 in the middle of the figure ; then put the index-fingers down 

 into the far oval, and the thumbs down into the near oval ; next 

 separate the hands and then turu them up into their normal 

 position with the thumbs and fingers well spread out, thus 

 causing the strings of the loops on the thumbs and index-fingers 

 to cross one another. (2) Bend each thumb away from you over 

 two strings and with its back pick up from below the next string, 

 i.e. the far index string, and return. (3) Bend each mid-finger 

 towards you over one .string, and with its back pick up from 

 below the next string. (4) Bend each ring-finger towards you 

 over one string, and with its back pick up from below the next 

 string. (5) Bend each little-finger towards you over one string, 

 and with its back pick up from below the next string. (6) Move 

 the thumbs away from you, and place their tips in the spaces 

 by the little-fingers, their fronts resting on the near little-finger 

 string; this releases the thumb loops: the figure in this form 

 may be taken to represent thunder clouds. (7) Lastly, throw 

 the loops thus released over the other strings, and at the same 



