Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 1 1883.djvu/36

 NOTES, QUERIES, NOTICES, AND NEWS.

The Divining-Rod.—Mr. E Vaughan Jenkins sent to the Times the following letter from a gentleman residing at Westbury-sub-Mendip, Wells, Somerset:—I have read your letter in the Times of Tuesday. You may possibly like to hear of my experience as to the divining-rod. In July, 1876, that very hot summer, the old well under my house became fouled and the water unfit to drink; so I decided on sinking another well about 100 yards off from my house, if I were advised that water could be found there. The field is perfectly dry, and there is no appearance of water anywhere near where I wished to sink. So I sent for a labouring man in the village who could "work the twig"—as the divining-rod is called here—and he came and cut a blackthorn "twig" out of my hedge and proceeded round the field, and at one spot the "twig" was so violently affected that it flew out of his hands; he could not hold it. I may here observe that the village churchyard adjoins my field, and it was of consequence to me to know whether the spring went through or near the churchyard. So I asked the man to tell me which way the spring 1 an (of course under the ground); and he proceeded to follow up the spring and found that it did not go near the churchyard. Having some doubts as to this man, about a month after I heard of another man living seven miles off, who, I had been told, could "work the twig." I sent for him, and he was quite unaware that the first man had tried for water; and to my astonishment, when he came near the spot indicated by the first man, he could not hold the twig, it was so much affected. I then asked him to tell me the course of the underground spring, and he went as near as possible to the first man—from about south-west to north-east. I thereupon decided to sink a well, the last man assuring me that water was not very far down. At 39ft. the well-sinker came upon a spring of the most beautiful water, and there is in the well about 30ft. of water in the summer, and in the