Browse:Chicken (Volume 1, entries 1771–1774)
Chicken
Volume 1, entries 1771–1774. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → HANDS: MAGIC HELPERS. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 1771
If yo' see somebody - some folks dat want a lucky piece, dey goes to work an' take a eggshell wit [from] a hen dat nevah went wit a rooster, see. Take dat hen dat nevah touch a rooster an' yo' boil dat aig an' after yo' boil it, yo' take de top offa dat shell an' yo' put it in dat little bag an' po' some Heart Cologne on it, an' keep it long as de money's wit chew - whut chew workin' in de game. See. Well, dat have happen - ah don't know whether dat's real but ah've seen it done.
(That's for luck.)
Yeah, dat's fo' luck. (Now, you take this egg and after you boil it, take the shell off the egg? Or do you take the egg out of the shell?) Yo' take de egg outa de shell an' eat de egg if yo' wanta eat it - throw it away if yo' don't want it. But take dis shell an' yo' kinda bundle it up yo' know an' mash it up an' put it in a piece of bag yo' know - leather bag or shoe tongue or somepin like dat. It jes' make a small thing. An' yo' po' Heart Cologne on it - somepin dat it will go through. An' keep it lingering round wit chure money. But dat aig - de rooster not supposed to touch dis individual hen. Yo' rubs it in yore han' yo' know like dat - dat little package yo' know.
(This little package you made?)
Yeah, rub it in yore hand like dat an' go off somewhere [to gamble]. An' yo' lay dat in yore han' an' rub it - rub it down yore pants if yo' want, an' yo' go in to gamble. Dat's all yo' do fo' dat.
(All you do is put some dirt on it.)
Yassuh, each time - jes' like yo' comin' in dis game now.
Entry 1772
Take a black hen aig an' open it an' take de yellah out of it an' close it back up, an' keep dat in yore pocket an' cain't nobody beat yo' in gamblin'. Dat's one de luckiest things in de worl' fo' gamblin'; jes' de yellah part, dat's de luckiest thing in gamblin'.
Entry 1773
Well, yo' kin take a black pullet - ah ain't done dese things, ah'm tellin' yo' whut ah heard about dem. Yo' kin take a black pullet - well yo' kin kill 'im an' git his gizzard out dere, an' yo' know dat skin in dere whut yo' peels off, yo' take dat skin an' sprinkle some salt an' black peppah on it, an' sew it up dere in a little rag an' wear it next to yo' skin an' sweat it through, an' dat'll make yo' lucky.
(Lucky for what - anything in particular?)
Yes sir, in most anything. [Every statement made by this informant ended, "Ah ain't done dese things."]
Entry 1774
Yo' take dis black chicken - lak ah'd move, dis is a dwelling house an' ah'd move here an' sorta thinkin' somebody was trying to get me - get me a black chicken, take it round on de side where de sun rise an' kill him an' dress him an' eat de chicken. Take de head an' sprinkle it wit black peppah an' brimstone, bluestone an' salt, an' put it in a nice little sack an' bury it jes' like yo would somebody. Cover ovah [make a burial mound over] dat sack an' dey tell me dat nobody won't nevah interfere wit chew.