Subject:Scales
Entries
Entry 11628
Like someone you want to drift away, you write the name three times; ooman or man, three times. You go to running water, fresh water, and you ketch you a scale fish. (What kind?) A scale fish, any kind of fish that's got scales on it - a small fish. All right, you write her name down three times and you take that blood from that fish and you dot each one; you understand, dot them periods. You go to running water and turn your back on it and throw it away. Turn your back, don't look back at it - but turn your back until you get so many paces off from it and go. All right, they commence to drifting - you understand - they don't know. Just like you want 'em out of your way, you understand. They commence to drifting. (Now, look. You only put three drops - you put a drop on each one of these names - from the fish.) Yes, you know, just drop like that period; just like you writing a line, you know, you put a period on each one of them. Well, you dot a period.
(You dot each name with one drop of fish blood.)
Yes.
(Well, what do you do with the fish then?)
The fish? All right I fixin' to tell you. When you get through with that, you take that fish and stick that paper, that name in there and go to running water and throw it, and turn.your back. When you throw it, don't throw it with your face toward the water. Always when you walk there - if you [came] in your car or whatever you in, on the bridge, over the running water - you throw it backwards.