Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 1 1883.djvu/37

 Rh winter it is nearly full. Now, there is nothing whatever to indicate water in my field or anywhere near it. The men who "worked the twig" will take nothing for their trouble.

.—Several of our contemporaries are making samewhat merry over Mr. Vaughan Jenkins' avowed belief in the powers and virtues of the "divining-rod." Some years back Mr. Jenkins bought two acres of hillside land in the neighbourhood of Cheltenham, on which to build a house. To live in the house it was necessary to sink a well. The well-sinkers went to work, sank themselves to a depth of fifty-one feet, and then declared that "from the nature of the strata, &c., it would be perfectly useless to proceed farther." At a consultation of experts it was decided that, owing to the dip of the land and for various other reasons, "there was not the least possible chance of water being obtained on the plot of land anywhere." The foreman of the masons, however, suggested that the divining-rod should be tried, and further stated that he had a boy well qualified to carry out the trial. This child was said to have the gift in a remarkable degree; and the father declared that "if water was to be obtained on the plot he would pledge his character that the boy would find it." The trial was made. The boy was sent for, and this is what happened: "He immediately repaired to a neighbouring hedge, and returned with a rod of blackthorn or hazel—I think the former—about 2ft. Sin. in length, and of the thickness of telegraph wire. Then placing the ends of the rod between the thumb and forefinger of each hand, bending it slightly, and holding it before him at a short distance from the ground, he started on his expedition; I and others following him, and watching every movement closely. After going up and down, crossing and re-crossing the ground several times, but never on the same lines, the lad stopped, and to our great surprise we saw the rod exhibit signs of motion, the fingers and thumbs being perfectly motionless. The motion or trembling of the rod increasing, it slowly began to revolve, then at an accelerated pace, fairly twisting itself to such an extent that the lad, although he tried his best to retain it, was obliged to let it go, and it fled to some distance." These phenomena were so striking that—"coupled with