Page:Ossendowski - The Shadow of the Gloomy East.djvu/62

46 treasure, and the assuring of a safe retreat after the conquest of the treasure. The first task is solved by the magician giving the client a bunch of magic flowers, which the latter has to burn at the decisive moment and to smoke the devil away. The second task is more difficult, because the daring adventurer, who is generally illiterate, has to learn by heart a long and complicated formula of incantation.

The peasant has to repeat the magic formula all over again and again every seven steps, and before shutting the door of his house he has to pronounce its last words.

The cautious soothsayer commands the treasure-hunter to recite a formula of considerable length before leaving him, and if the enterprise fails, the soothsayer simply states that obviously the first or the last formula was not delivered according to his instructions and express advice.