EXORCISM. 363 
cise of their duties. As soon as it was seen that the 
magicians were coming, the friends of the boy lifted 
him up, and carrying him some distance away from 
the camp, placed him on the ground by himself, and 
then ranged themselves in two rows upon either side, 
in a sitting posture, but at some distance behind the 
patient. The three magi now advanced in the form 
of a triangle, one leading and the other two behind, 
equidistantly apart. They were all painted, carried 
bunches of green reeds in their hands, which they 
kept shaking, and danced* with a measured tread, 
keeping the right foot always in advance of the 
other as in a galopade, and singing a low solemn 
dirge, which was vehemently beat time to, by the 
natives behind thumping on the ground. Upon 
arriving at the boy, the leading native fell down on 
his knees close to him, and took hold of the diseased 
leg, the other two still dancing and singing around 
the patient. In a little time, one of the two fell 
down also on his knees on another side of the boy, 
leaving the third still dancing and singing around 
them. At last he fell down also on his knees in a 
triangular position with the others, the boy being in 
the centre. All three now commenced blowing, 
spitting, making curious gurgling kinds of noises, 
waving their green bunches of reeds, and pressing 
forcibly upon the diseased leg to make the patient 
give audible indications of the evil spirit leaving 
* “ Dancing over him, shaking his frightful rattles, and sing- 
ing songs of incantation, in the hopes to cure him by a charm.”— 
Catlin’s North American Indians, vol. i. p. 39. 
