Subject:Shell
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Entry 3232
Lak yo' wanta fix somebody tuh make 'em stay home, keep 'em from rel nin' aroun' in de streets, yo' kin jes' git chure wife or yore sweetheart or any- body tuh write her name, or eithah git er han'writin' wit 'er name. Take an break dat aig an' put 'er name intuh dat shell an' bury in de ground undahneat' de front step. Dat will stop 'er from runnin' aroun' or havin' anybody tuh have intahco'se wit 'er at all.
(Any kind of chicken egg?)
Jes': any kinda chicken aig.
Entry 3635
I have heard that when a man goes to work or on a journey, and if he believes it himself that his wife is crooked on him, not treating him right, and he desires to catch her; I have been told he can ketch a snail. I don't mean a shell snail, but a slick snail. Well, you take that snail when you have sexual intercourse with her, and you are about to leave her now - and you take this snail and mash it in your hand, and unbeknownt to her, you are loving and kind to her, you rub it over her stomick, and any man will have difficulty in bothering her in your ao- sence. Now if he's a stiff stout man and he goes in, he will be caught there until you come back, and there can't nobody remove him but you. If you love the woman, I don't know what would be the result. You have to come home to release them. As a rule any man that takes to bother her, no sooner than he starts, his tool will fall - he can't raise a heart for her, not to save his soul. In case he do, and go with her, he'll get stuck and nobody can remove him unless this man remove him. You can send for any doctor in the universe and you can't move them except killing one or the other. [For killing the man or woman, usually the lat- ter, see No.3460f.] [This was the first time I heard the snail rite, the summer of 1936. I thought the man was lying.] [Old Point Comfort, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 3636
De only thing yo' kin do wit a snail, yo' kin take an' - go in de woods to a ole hollah log, to a ole tree, an' [or] fin' snails undah dat bo'd dere, it damp in de centah of a piece of plank or bo'd, yo' know, if yo' let it stay dere. Yo' take a snail - ketch it in yore han', see. Sometime yo' kin take dose snails - see, lak dat dey ain't got no shell on. Try to fin' yo' one dat ain't got no shell on. Take dat snail right - couldn't handle hardly tuh save yo' life, some people can't. Take him an' he's soft, limbah as dat. Yo' take dat snail in yore han' an' yo' go tuh bed wit 'er. Have dat thing fixed now - he's cold. Take dat snail right dere lak dat an' drap it on 'er, let dat snail tech anywheres close down dere lak dat. She'll jump, "Whut's dat?" "Oh, mah han's cold." Say sompin lak dat. Dat snail jes' tetch 'er, undah- stan'. An' yo' kin take dat snail den, an' heah she jump up an' say, "Oh, yo' got sompin in yore han'." She jump up. Aftah yo' done hit"'er wit dat snail, yo' be satisfied. Yo' ain't wantin' 'er den, yo' jes' wanta do dat trick. Yo' git mad wit 'er den. Yo' take dat snail an' go on lak dat an' throw 'im away, or yo' kin kill it if yo' wanta. Now, if any man, any man in de worl' git up on top of dat woman, HE'S GoT MO' NERVE DEN GOD GAVE HIM. Can't do it - can't go up dere tuh save his life.
Entry 3638
Dey tell me yo' kin take a snail - git a snail when he's in de shell, see, an' put 'im in alcohol an' dry 'im up. An' when yo' intahco'se wit a woman yo' kin put - jes' wipe yore han'-lak, yo' know, ovah her laigs, an' anothah man can't touch 'er if he try.
Entry 3691
Yo' been in de woods an' yo' see dese thousan' laigs [= centipede, sometimes called thousand-legger, see FACI, 1st ed.,1399, p.62; 2nd ed.,1383, p.54]. Yo' know what dese thousan' laigs be's. An' dese conk [conch] shell in de rivah. Jes' lak yo' git a conk, yo' know what ah mean [see later], an' eat 'em. Yo' carry dat home, yo' git a piece of snail. Yo' git a ole snail. Yo' know what a snail is. Yo' put dem on de stove. Yo' cook dem until it's nuthin but a powdah.
(You put the snail and the shell and?)
An' de thousan' laigs all togethah [3 ingredients] right up on dat place an' dat will cook it tull [till] it nuthin but a powdah - tull yo' kin tetch it as nowthin' but a powdah. Well, yo' put all dat togethah, put it in a box. Well, he'll come to yo' an' say, "Ah want sompin to kill dat - dat kill 'er nature, to kill evah man nature fo' 'er, excusin' 'im [me]." Well, den yo' give him jis' a leetle bit an' put it in 'is han' an' yo' rub it out of sight lak dat. Rub 'is han' lak dat - hit's gone, he can't see it. Don' care if yo' wash de han' wit soap an' watah, dat's gone. [Here we have a doctor "dressing" a patient's hand - a little now you see it, now you don't "trick".] Well, dere's nobody kin have no dealin' wit 'er but chew.
(A man will do that to keep other men away from his wife.)
Evah man goin' stay away.
Entry 5486
Ah heard 'em say, jis' lak if dey wanta run a person away, git a li'le of de dirt out dey right feet track an' put it in a gunpowder shell - put a li'le bit in de shell. Take de li'le shots out an' put a li'le bit of dat in dere an' put de li'le shots back in, an' shoot it in de way yo' want 'em tuh go. Say dat will jis' keep 'em goin'.
Entry 5487
Take a shell. Yo' kin take dat shell an' yo' kin empty de shell, an' yo' kin git a spoon or eithah jis' a little bit, jis' about as much as dat dere [demonstrates], of dirt outa man's track an' put it in dat shell. An' when yo' put it in dat shell, if yo' don't want 'em roun' heah, yo' git right tuhwards sundown an' yo' fire dat gun. An' he'll nevah come nowhere roun' yo', nevah be roun' yo' no mo'. Won't have no mo' trouble wit 'em.
Entry 5491
An' if it's anyone dat yo' don't wanta be worried wit, yo' take dey track goin' dataway, an' put it on a - saw off a post [any kinda post, saw de top of it off] an' put dat dust up on it. Jes' take dere track an' po' it up on dere an' take a shotgun an': shoot it off - shoot de track. [The top of the old half-rotten post is sawed off to make it level, so that none of the track will spill off.]
(Shoot it off the top of the post?)
Shoot dat dirt off de top of de post. Take a shotgun an' go shoot it off de top of de post. (You pick up the track as they are going away. You pick it up the opposite way?) Yo' pick it up de object [opposite] way. If dey goin' dis way, yo' takes de track dis way [demonstrates]. An' put it up on any kinda post, solid post where it won't fall down, an' shoot de post an' dat shoot 'em away.
Entry 5920
Den yo' kin take de hair from de same place out of 'is haid an' put it in a shell - take it all out but de powdah, an' put it in dis shell wit 'is name in it, an' den as yo' go an' fiah dat, dat jes' kills 'im den.
Entry 6146
Take yore hair an' git yore hair outa yore head an' bury it in a snail shell undah de door- step or at de back windah, an' put yo' to gwinin' [going] an' have yo' where dat yo' won't know - dey'll put aspell or headache onyo' see, an' dat head- aohe will jes' lingah an' lingah undah until it kill yo'. Ain't no cure fo' it, crs de doctor can't cure it, de hoodoo gotta cure it. Yo' can't git it cured un- til yo' be lucky enough to git some hoodoo to go back undah dat windah, undah dat doorstep an' dig dat up an' give it to yo'. Well, when he dig it up an' tell yo' vat to do wit it, den it's to hell an' gone. (I see.) [The hoodoo doctor sends it back to hell whence it came.]
Entry 6596
Take dat snail. Take his shell an' put it in likkah an' let it stay in dere an' turn intuh a snail. An' yo' drink it yo' git dem snails in yo'.
Entry 8286
If yo' wanta harm a person, kill a person, say fo' instance, yo' kin draw de fo'm [form] of dat per- son as neah as yo' kin, yo' know. If it's a woman, yo' draw de fo'm of a woman; if it's a man, yo' draw de fo'm of a man. An' yo' git chew a tenpenny nail an' yo' kin go tuh a tree out some- where, an' yo' nail dat fo'm up on dat tree. An' yo' kin take dat powdah outa dat shell, an' yo' kin take a li'le of dat powdah. Yo' go dere fo' nine mawnin's an' yo' take a li'le of dat powdah an' put it aroun' dat nail in dere. Den yo' shoot dat pichure fo' nine mawnin's. An' dat'll kill a person or eithah put 'em in such a shape dat dey'll jis' wanta be daid.
(You don't do anything with that powder at all?)
No, yo' jis' - aftah yo' use a li'le aroun' dat nail, when yo' firs' put de pichure up dere. Put a li'le of dat powdah right aroun' dat nail. Den yo' kin use dat - shoot dat pichure fo' nine mawnin's. But yo' kin use de powdah fo' woman, miscarriage...
Entry 8728
[Here is an unusual use of the terrapin-turtle rite.1 He in trouble, leave-like to keep yo' from ketchin' 'im. Yo've seen dese streaked-laig terrapin?
(Yes.)
Dem ole streaked-laig one. Ketch one an' cut 'is name on de back of de shell. Drop 'im back in de watah. He's gone. (You say this fellow is a criminal and that you want him to get away free. You cut his name on this terrapin, so that they can't catch him.)
Entry 9311
Yo' git a fresh aig an' yo' bust dat fresh aig. Yo' first write her name an' his name on dis aig an' yo' take dat fresh aig an' bust dis aig, yo' understan'. An' yo' take de yellah of de aig an' yo' throw de white away. An' take de aig shell, aftah yo' done bust it, an' Jis' crumble it up jis' as fine as yo' kin git it. An' den take de yellah of dat aig an' mash it all up in it, an' put chew a little black peppah in it. An' put it in a piece of papah an' rag an' bury it right up undahneat' de do'steps whah she passes in an' out, an' dere won't be no gittin 'long [along]. Dat'll separate dat man an' woman.
Entry 9367
Take a hen aig an' weah it intuh yuh pocket an' yo'll have luck wit mos' anything dat chew want tuh do. (How do you mean, wear it in your pocket? This whole egg or just the egg shell or what?) Jes' de shell of de aig. If yo' even eat de aig, take de shell an' jes' weah it, wherevah yo' go an' yo'll have luck. Even if yo' go tuh de circus an' yo' want [to] be seein' how dey win dese things, yo'll [have]luck.
Entry 9368
Take de hair an' put it in a aigshell an' care [carry] it to runnin' watah an' dat'll cuz 'em - it'll run 'em off, run 'em away. (Put that hair in the empty egg- shell?) Yassuh.
Entry 9378
Well, if yo' Wanta 'complish [accomplish] anything in business trans- action, wages see, yo' take dat an' yo' write de whole of: see, yo' boils it remove de shell an' leave dat skin on de aig, an' yo' write de third chaptah of Joshua on dat, ovah an' ovah - jis' keep writin' all ovah it an' dat will black dat [egg]. An' take an' put it in yo' mouth an' swallah it whole!!! An' dat breaks up dat arg'ment [argument]. Break up de arg'ment of anything dey Wanta do tuh yuh, cuz yo' got de word of God inside of it [you] an' nobody can't do nuthin wit de word of God.
(And what is this egg, an egg of what?)
A black hen.
(Do you swallow the whole egg?)
Yeah, chew it up so yo' kin swallah it!!!
Entry 10971
(What would you use that egg for?) Yo' fast all day on Thursday to turn [improve] yore mem- ory, dat chew will git de right understanding. You fast de entire day. And den you boil dat aig and remove de shell. After you remove de shell, den you write de 4th and 8th verse, I think it is, [of Psalm lO4] on dis aig. Anyhow you write as much as about ten or twelve verses on dis aig, and put de egg in yo' mouth whole, and dat will turn yore mem- ory, will help you to keep your memory and get some [knowledge] of things which you wanta do. Dat's one thing egg will do. Dat's de only thing I know about de egg, but chew must put de whole egg in de mouth, when you have wrote dis on dis egg: Remove de shell and write dis on dere. De egg must not be broken.
(What do you write that with?)
Ink. Dere's nothing else will write on it but ink, on a boiled egg.
(And what verses of what?)
De 104th Psalm.
Entry 11297
If someone done any harm to yo', yo' ketch yo' a dog - not chure dog, neither yore cat - an' yo' take dis dog an' shave de hair from right underneath his tail, right dead up close to his tail as pos- sible. Shave it off an' take dat an' take an aig, an' break dis aig an' take de yellah out of it an' leave de white, an' den yo' put dis hair in dat shell. Den yo' set it in de stove wit a little sulphur in it an' parch it. Jes' set it in dere lak yo' bake a apple an' set it in dere till it's parched till it crumble down de center. Don't yo' have to mash it - jes' crumble down in de pan. Den yo' take it out an' bury it at de front step. Dis individual who have done somepin to yo' will come back - come back to yo' an' beg yore pardon - either [or] he will go so far away till yo'll nevah have no contact wit him any mo'. Dat's whut dat'111 do. (That is all you have to do - use that dog hair and that eggshell and the sulphur?) An' de sulphur.
Entry 11738
Yo' kin go to the graveyard about 12 a'clock at night. Understand now, yo' git this dirt off a sinnerman's grave, 12 a'clock at night. An' yo' take this dirt an' yo' mix some salt with it an' [red] pepper. Yo' under- stand me now? An' yo' go an' git a No.6 gunshell; yo' know one of them No.6 gunpowder, those shotgun, them shells, yo' know No.6. An' yo' open it an' yo' scrape all that gunpowder out. An' yo' put that gunpowder, that cayenne pepper and that salt wit that graveyard dirt, but don't take it nowhere near your home. Yo' understand, don't let it go near your home. An' yo' take that an' throw it up on their door an' all the hunting[?] they do, they shore git killed.
Entry 12493
Ah heard dat chew could take a gunshell [from shotgun] an' git up twelve a'clock in de night, an' write a person name on it. Stuff it [shell] in dere [the gun] an' what chew want tuh be done [on shell] an' shoot a gun. An' whut chew say yo' want tuh be done will be done. At twelve a'clock at night.
Entry 13068
If you wanta kill a person, yo' gits de snail an' gits him out of his hull [shell] yo' see. An' yo' kin take yo' some whiskey an' put dat snail in dere - in dat whiskey, lak yo' would put it in a half pint of whiskey. Let dat snail set in dere twenty-fo' hours in dat whiskey - ah mean, take dat snail outa dere an' strain yore whis- key. An' anybody dat yo' give it to, dat chew want 'em - if yo' wanta kill any- one, say, "Come on have a drink wit me, " an' yo' po' it out an' dey drink it. Dat settles it.
Entry 13296
Dese ole oak trees an' dey burn 'em into ashes, coals. Den yo' ketch a terrapin an' put him in dese ashes, coals. An' put dis ole terrapin in dere an' let him roast. An' dey eat him, hull shell, entrails an' all. [Hull shell could be con- fusing. Victim does not eat hull and shell and entrails. The shell is hulled, cleaned out, and meat and entrails eaten. While collecting folkore on Deal Island in Chesapeake Bay in 1936 I learned that oysters and clams are shucked a word I had always associated with Indian corn. Even so, by hull, informant may mean WHOLE shell, entrails and all.] Dat will cure dat.
(What will that cure?)
Cure de consumption [tuberculosis]. Cure it on anybody. Ah don't care who dey is.