., vii., viii.

(3) Schoolcraft, iv. 491.

(4) 1 Samuel vi. 4, 5.

The war-magic of the Dacotahs works in a similar manner. Before a party
starts on the war-trail, the chief, with various ceremonies, takes his
club and stands before his tent. An old witch bowls hoops at him; each
hoop represents an enemy, and for each he strikes a foeman is expected
to fall. A bowl of sweetened water is also set out to entice the spirits
of the enemy.(1) The war-magic of the Aryans in India does not differ
much in character from that of the Dacotahs. "If any one wishes his army
to be victorious, he should go beyond the battle-line, cut a stalk of
grass at the top and end, and throw it against the hostile army with the
words, Prasahe kas trapasyati?--O Prasaha, who sees thee? If one who has
such knowledge cuts a stalk of grass and throws the parts at the hostile
army, it becomes split and dissolved, just as a daughter-in-law becomes
abashed and faints when seeing her father-in-law,"--an allusion,
apparently, to the widespread tabu which makes fathers-in-law,
daughters-in-law, sons-in-law, and mothers-in-law avoid each other.(2)

(1) Schoolcraft, iv. 496.

(2) Aitareya Brahmana, iii. 22.

The hunt-dances of the Red Indians and Australians are arranged like
their war-magic. Effigies of the bears, deer, or kangaroos are made, or
some of the hunters imitate the motions of these animals. The rest of
the dancers pretend to spear them, and it is hoped that this will ensure
success among the real bears and kangaroos.

Here is a singular piece of magic in which Europeans and Australian
blacks agree. Boris Godunoff made his servants swear never to injure him
by casting spells with the dust on which his feet or his carriage wheels
had left traces.(1) Mr. Howitt finds the same magic among the Kurnai.(2)
"Seeing a Tatungolung very lame, I asked him what was the matter. He
said, 'Some fellow has put BOTTLE in my foot'. I found he was probably
suffering from acute rheumatism. He explained that some enemy must have
found his foot-track and have buried in it a piece of broken bottle. The
magic influence, he believed, caused it to enter his foot." On another
occasion a native told Mr. Howitt that he had seen black fellows putting
poison in his foot-tracks. Bosman mentions a similar practice among the
people of Guinea. In Scottish folk-lore a screw nail is fixed into the
footprint of the person who is to be injured.

(1) Rambaud's History