Browse:Quicksilver or Silver Dust (Volume 1, entries 2218–2220)
Quicksilver or Silver Dust
Volume 1, entries 2218–2220. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → HANDS: MAGIC HELPERS. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 2218
Git de dust of dat - dat's tuh make love. (The file?) [Steel tool.] Yessuh. Yo' take an' file dat off, git de steel of it an' git de dust, an' yo' puts hit in quicksilver an' yo' - it'll run yo' cross country, jes' run yo' clean to devilment. Yo' take an' put dat powders an' dat silver dust together an' yo' take an' make a salves of dat - make a salve of dat silver an' lard, don't put no peppah in dat. Grease yore han's wit it an' when yo' shake han's wit anybody, dat's conjurin' anyone. (And that quicksilver, is that the silver that comes around tobacco?) [I ask because quicksilver and silver are sometimes tin foil.] No, it comes on de back of a lookin'-glass, on de back of de lookin'-glass.
[Steel dust is usually bought prepared.]
Entry 2219
Now, dis is a real fac', ah've seen people use it. Yo' kin git somepin dey calls anvil dust an' yo' kin take the back ofa mirror an' scrape that stuff off. An' den yo' take pods of peppah. [Three ingredients.]
(The pods of ordinary red pepper?)
Yes, but it gotta be red, it cain't be green. An' yo' put it in somepin an' kinda parch it up an' mix it up an' put it in there. (What do they do with this anvil dust and this mirror dust and this pepper then?) Put it all together an' throw it in de house an' make a wish dat dey'd leave.
Entry 2220
An' yo' wanta keep dem away, yo' kin git chew some quicksilver an' when dey leave yore house, why yo' kin sprinkle some in front of yore do'step when dey walk 'way. Call dat person by dere name an' yo' be's sprinklin' dis stuff along. Call 'em by dey name an' say fo' 'em not tuh come back dere no mo'. An' dey won't come back no' mo'.