A CHAPTER OF FOLKLORE 83 



the hands. Keturning to the table he lit at a candle one of 

 .the yellow papers on which a magic diagram had been drawn, 

 then extinguished it at a cup containing water. After per- 

 forming magic passes over and towards the cup with his 

 hands, he gave another long whistle, followed by several 

 claps with the hands. 



Placing five strips of yellow paper on the floor (each 

 about the size of a man's foot, and arranged as n , i n 

 shown in the diagram), on the far side of the table > < 

 or altar, he burnt a number of yellow paper U i i L 

 diagrams over them; then recited an incantation accom- 

 panied by passes of the hands and legs towards the paper 

 strips, and ended by further clapping of the hands. 



The t'ung-tzu then took up a position standing on the 

 two outside strips of yellow paper, while he held several 

 incense sticks in his clasped hands. 



During the next ten minutes the t'ung-tzu remained 

 motionless while the t'ung-t'ou performed various rites in 

 order to cause the spirit invoked to enter his body. Alter- 

 nately standing before, behind and on one or other side of 

 the t'ung-tzu, he made passes with his hands holding 

 incense sticks, which being the movements they would make 

 when writing a magic diagram. Interspersed with these 

 passes were "flicks" of the t'ung-t'ou's fingers in the 

 direction of the t'ung-tzu. The writer was informed that 

 the object of this was to sprinkle him with the water in 

 which the t'ung-t'ou had extinguished the burning paper 

 with the diagram, and in which he had afterwards dipped 

 his fingers. At times also the t'ung-t'ou moved round the 

 room waving burning diagrams, then threw them into the 

 -air when nearly extinguished, clapping his hands loudly on, 

 or close to, the burning embers. 



The next fifteen minutes were occupied by an in- 

 vocation read at the "altar" from a secret manuscript book, 

 which was stated to consist of talismans and incantations 

 used in the magic art of communication with the super- 

 natural, but we were not permitted to see it. During the 

 invocation the reader stopped two or three times, moving 

 round the room and making passes towards the t'ung-tzu. 

 Towards the end of this time the latter began to sway 

 slightly from side to side, at the same time bending slowly 

 backwards. 



His swaying then became more and more violent until, 

 after some passes and a slap by the t'ung-t'ou, he 

 straightened himself and remained steady for a moment. 

 Then he started to sway backwards and forwards, and while 

 doing so uttered two or three stertorous breaths. Raising 



