Browse:Cursing (Volume 1, entries 264–269)
Cursing
Volume 1, entries 264–269. Source context: SPIRITS → BLACK CAT BONE. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 264
Ketch yo' a black cat an' yo' boil 'im. Put 'im in a pot, he be alive, an' while dat cat cookin' until he dies, why yo' has to be cursin' him, saying ever'thing till he die. Well, after he die, why a lot'a things - well, a certain time yo' has tuh cook, when it's at night. Do it at twelve a'clock at night an' cook it. After yo' git him cooked, why yo' take it an' strip all de meat offa his bones. Take him down to de branch or any running stream where de water's running - if de water's goin' south [correction later], an' yo' po' all dem bones, yo' has 'em in a pan, an' po' all dem in dere. An' de bone dat goes up de stream, why dat's de bone tuh git - git dat bone. Yo' git a piece of lodestone an' keep near yo' a bottle of hearts cologne. Wear dat bone undah yore left arm all de time. An' yo' kin have any kind - all kinda luck. [This bone, here a hand, is periodically anointed with the hearts cologne; this anointing being called feeding - see Feeding in Index.]
(This stream in which you throw that bone, must the water be running south?)
No sir, de water be running north - de water supposed to be running north, an' if de water goin' north, de bone will go south.
(Any particular stream or any kind of stream?)
Any kind of stream if de water goin' north.
(If the water is going north the bone will go south.)
De bone will go south.
(If the water was going east or west you couldn't throw the bones in there.)
Yo' could throw 'em in dere but it wouldn't work. (You said you came from up around Beaufort. What do they call doing this sort of thing?) Why they call it hoodoo - witchcraft.
Entry 265
Ah heard about if anybody wanta Work roots or somepin othah lak dat. Take a black cat an' carry him in de woods an' boil him an' don' let nobody be out dere late in de night but jes' him by hisself. An' say yo' boil dat cat till dat bone come up on top of de watah, an' dey say de first bone dat come up on top of de watah, say yo' take dat bone an' chunk it in de runnin' watah an' let it go on down de stream an' den cuss. An' dey say when yo' cuss all kinda animals an' things - lion an' all kinda diff'rent things will come roun' - see, an' yo' can't git scared. An' dey say if yo' don' git scared den yo' kin do any kinda hoodoo work yo' wanta do. (Well, when you put that bone in the water and it runs on down the stream, how are you going to get it back again?) Yo' don't git it back, yo' see, after hit done boil. Yo' see, after de cat done boil, dat bone come up on top of de boilin' watah. Well, yo' take that out an' throw it down de stream an' make a cuss. An' den yo' see, when yo' cuss, all dem things will come to yo'. When dem things come to yo', if yo' don' git scared of 'em, den yo' kin do any kind of work yo' wanta do.
(You don't get any bone at all then - you don't use the bone?)
No, no.
(You let it go on down the stream?)
Yes.
Entry 266
Mah uncle he's one of those type of people - type of fellahs. He takes dat bone - boil 'em into a pot and takes 'em an' throws 'em into running Water - running stream of water. An' de bone dat goes up de stream is de bone, but chew has to turn yo'self to de bone and speak, yo' know, a curse three times - den turn yore back to de bone and pick it up. Pick de bone dat goes up de stream - de good luck bone goes up de stream and all de bad bones goes down stream.
Entry 267
One time mah father did dis an' made him real lucky. Ah don't know how he done it, but he went tuh work and he took a black cat. Ah didn't believe in it. He went an' boiled it; put him in de pot live - if you don't do dat yo' ain't going be successful. Yo' put a top over it. Dash him in dere and put a top over it. Hol' him in dere and let him boil down. Den yo' take dem bones whut's in dere and carry 'em down to a running stream, not no great big stream - jes' a running stream of water passing through a little road like, yo' know, a little ditch or something. Well, yo' put all dem bones in dere, an' when yo' put dem bones in dere, dat stream, all dem bones whut ain't goin' do - yo' know, do de way you want 'em - dey goin' down de stream an' de lucky bone coming up, see hit comes up. Well, yo' git dat bone, and den when yo' git dat bone, yo' turn round three times and cuss, an' when yo' cuss, well yo' got de luck. When yo make dat oath, yo' already fixed dat. Den yo' take dat bone an' covered it wit yo' know, sew it up in a bag and put it in yore left pocket an' den yo's lucky. Den yo' done sold yo'self to de devil fo' luck. An' den yo' lucky in any kind of business, any kind of gambling game - any kind of game in de world yo' want, anything.
Entry 268
If ah wus goin' tuh have a black cat bone an' had to use it fo' mahself, ah would take an' git me a black cat with not a white spot on him an' ah [would] take an' cook him real done. Ah would take that cat to the runnin' watah an' throw him in dere an' all de rest of de bones dat sink dey ain't no good. De one dat stays on de top is perfect. Ah take dat bone in mah han's an' carry it cross mah face an' cuss God an' say, "Ah don' believe it's a God."
(Show me how you do that.)
Supposed to carry it cross lak dat, backwards an' forwards an' cuss God, "Ah don' wanta be saved. Ah don' believest in God. Ah wants dis tuh command me. Ah've sold mahself to de devil."
(Then what do you do with that bone?)
Well, take dat bone an' do anything wit it.
Entry 269
Ah used to gamble - co'se ah got to be a ole man now - ah don't gamble - ah 'way up in age - de eighties. But now, if a man wants to be a lucky gambler - ah did dis mahself. Yo' kin ketch a black cat an' stroke his tail seven times - ketch his tail an' pull it seven times [see No. 2771, counting it each time dat chew pull it, an' yo' kiss dat cat once in de mouth, no matter how he rears. Grab his four foots an' hold it an' yo' kiss it an' den chunk dat black cat as fer as yo' kin send him an' blaspheme at 'im. Jest lak dis, say, "Go, God damn yo' an' whirl yore back on him. An' yo' be successful in all yore evil doin's. Ah did dat an' ah was lucky.
(In gambling?)
In gambling.