Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 1.djvu/446

432 prayers. Naturally, all this ceremony must react strongly upon the imagination of the accused; but when the accusation is unjust he is not in the least confused, and comes without fear to the idol; he extinguishes the lighted taper before the idol, after which, inclining himself toward the table, he seizes the heart of the cow with his teeth which was exposed there upon a dish, and carries it out of the tent. Here one of the priests receives this revealing object from him, and passes it to the judges to be inspected. If, on inspection, there are no injuries observed upon the heart, then the accused is acquitted, and the accuser is condemned to a fine fixed upon beforehand.

All this mysterious ceremony would impress the Calmucks deeply by its solemnity, and inspire them with sentiments of terror. And this so much the more easily, as each detail of this shakhan had a certain symbolical signification. Thus, the black cow was the symbol of death, which ought to recall to the person taking the oath the enormous responsibility to which he exposed himself, if he had taken a false oath. The charged gun, with the lock bound up, signified that the perjured ran the risk of being immediately struck by divine justice. And the head of the cow, monstrously disfigured, ought to recall to him that his soul would be excommunicated from the midst of men, and driven into some frightful and monstrous being. The idol spoke to him of the presence of the supreme judge, who listened to his oath. The illuminated taper signified the divine light spread abroad by the Creator, and its perfume signified the grace of God, both of which the perjured renounced and deprived himself of voluntarily in extinguishing the taper. Lastly, the heart of the immolated cow signified the innocence of the person swearing, and the purity of his intentions.

Of all this terrible oath there remains at the present day but a very small portion in use. In doubtful and very grave cases, the Calmuck, who has to justify himself by means of the oath, only approaches to the table of the idol, before which he prostrates himself three times to the earth, and, after pronouncing with a loud voice, "I am innocent!" he extinguishes the taper, to express that he renounces the favors of the Creator if he has lied. Such an oath is very serious, and appears to be the only relic which testifies to the ancient regime proper to the Calmucks. At the present day their ancient judgment, as well as the punishments of former times, is abolished, and the Calmucks are judged according to the common laws of the empire.

As to their actual chiefs, these have preserved to the present day the same authority in the eyes of the Calmucks which they formerly possessed. A chief is respected not only by his subordinates, but by all the other Calmucks. They dare not enter into his tent without having first made a sign of reverence, which consists in him who is entering touching with the palm of his hand the door of entrance, and afterward his own forehead. In withdrawing from the tent they march