Page:The International Folk-Lore Congress of the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, July, 1893.djvu/81

 Rh A CUKE FOB HEART DISEASE.

The one that was to perform the cure, before setting out on the journey, repeated the words:—"In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I am going to do this for so and so; and God! remove his (her) disease." The operator took an iron pail and tied it round with three threads as hoops and set out to draw water from a stream at a point where "the dead and the livin' cross." From this spot, three small stones were lifted, one for the head, one for the heart, and one for the body, and water was drawn up the stream in the pail, or other iron Tessel. These were carried to the house of the patient, and the stones were placed on the hearth, among the ashes over night, and the vessel with the water was laid in a safe place, commonly in the milk-house below the lowest shelf. Next morning the hot stones were dropped into the water. The water and stones were kept till next morning, when they were carried back to the spot from which they were taken and thrown down the stream. The three threads were removed from the vessel and each thread was cut into three pieces and burned while the following words were repeated:—"In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, remove so and so's trouble." During the fetching of the stones and the water, not a word must be uttered by the one doing so. Sometimes, a companion went along to speak to anyone met.

(Corgarff, Aberdeenshire.)

CURE FOR FEVER OR ANY LINGERING DISEASE.

The one that was to carry out the cure had to set out in the morning "atween the sin (sun) an' the sky" or during the twilight, to a stream that formed the boundary between two lairds' lands and draw water from it in a "tree luggit cap," i. e. in a wooden basin with three "lugs" or ears formed on the turning-lathe out of a block of wood. On the Journey back the operator had to turn round according to the course of the sun at three separate spots, three times at each spot. On reaching the door of the house in which the patient was, the operator had to stand at the door till the moment the