Subject:Toes
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Entry 6522
Dey take dem toenails, jis' trim 'em. Take dem toenails an' yo' parch dem toenails up, an' de fingahnails tuhgethah. Jis' - now, yo' got two fingahs on yo' fingahs dat is valuable. (What are those?) Dem's dese here [demonstrates]. (The thumb and the finger next to it?) Yes sir, an' yo' parch 'em up, an' if yo' drink whiskey, dey put 'em in dere. An' yo' put some of dat in dat whiskey. Let it set today, tonight. Den yo' be friends. An' yo' urinate, an' de las' dat uri- nate an' likkah, drap it [in] dere. An' yo' got 'em tied den.
Entry 8052
Yo' go in de woods. Yo' make it tuh de woods, way outa town, an' yo' turn in an' git chew a black line, a thread line - a thread line dat's black, a spool of thread. (Like a black fishing line?) Dat's right, lak a black fishin' line. An' yo' turn in an' git chew two needles. Yo' bring it [demon- strates] from heah an' yo' roll dat lak dat, reel it out from heah, jis' lak yo' stealin' dis whiskey. Jis' lak yo' in dere stealin' dis whiskey, yo' draw dat fishin' line, see, right on out. Yo's right in heah. Yo' be settin' heah, an' yo' draw dat fishin' line right on out. Well, yo' git den an' yo' stop an' yo' have a li'le yore watah in a tin can, yore pee in it already, an' yo' po' [pour] dat right down. Evah time yo' stops it [the line] po' it down. All right, yo' keep right on runnin' [out the line] an' go a certain distance. Ah [would] say yo' go about, aw jis' a short step, yo' know, aroun' an' den yo' stop an' yo' drop a li'le bit of it [urine]. Well, yo' keep right on a-runnin' [the line] an' see, yo' stop an' yo' drop a li'le of yore pee dere. An' yo' keep right a-rumnin' an' yo' stop ag'in an' yo' put a li'le pee dere. An' yo' git right back where yo' started off an' put some mo' yore pee dere.
[The urine is sprinkled in a circle about his liquor. This is to protect it.]
All right. Den yo' look aroun'. Well, ah did dis In de Name of de Father, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, dat ah may rest from all evil, an' dat ah may die [several words], an' chunk it on away. All right, den yo' back up an' yo' git up on dis lak dis heah. Yo' back up off it, see, where yo' stop at. Yo' backed up an' yo' look at it [your whiskey]. Yo' stop five minutes an' yo' don't say a word. Yo' look at it. Den yo' walk back up to it an' yo' look at it ag'in. Den yo' back up. Den when yo' back up yo' look in dat direction an' jis' turn an' look an' jis' walk in dat direction. An' when yo' git out in dat direction, yo'll have a seat an' set down dere jis' a few minutes an' look at it. Don't say a word. Jis' look jis' fo' a few minutes. Den yo'll leave from dere an' yo'll go tuh a graveyard. An' if yo' kin git holt of a man's toes, yo' git holt of about fo' or five of de toes tuh fo'k [fork into the ground] roun' [the goods for sale]. Yo' stick 'em in de ground, yo know, round [the liquor], yo' see. An' den yo' say, Ah hope dis will be a fence fo' all [to keep everyone away], In de Name of de Fathah, Son an' de Holy Ghost. Well, devils [evil spirits] will be dere, see an' dat will keep dem dere [those] mens [low men] from comin' in lookin' fo' yo' makin' dis whiskey. Dey drove [are driven] away [by this protection] but yo' dere, but yo' know who dey are. See, yo' keep 'em drove away, but chew stay dere, but dey cain't stay dere. DEY'LL BE FRIGHTENED. WHEN DEY COME AN' CREEP AN' STOP, BEGIN TUH LOOK, DEY'LL GIT FRIGHT- ENED. SOMPIN WILL HIT 'EM ON DE BACK, SEE, AN' DEY'LL GRAB DEY PISTOL AN' TURN ROUN' AN' DERE'S NUTHIN. YO' HAVE HEARD OF THINGS SLAPPIN' PEOPLE. AH KNOW YO' KNOW.
(You said you get two needles. What did you do with those needles?)
Yo' take dose two needles - yo' take dose two needles an' yo' put 'em up on top of dis heah stove, jis' set 'em up dere. See, dat's tuh mean fo' sharp luck. Yo' carry dem needles fo' sharp luck. Yo' put dem needles up dere an' yo' cross 'em, see. Now, dem needles is dere fo' dem devils. See, dem needles is dere fo' dem devils, undahstan'. Dem needles is goin' p'int [point] at dem devils, undah- Stan'. WHEN AH CALLS DEVILS, DEM GUYS COMIN' IN DERE GOIN' TRY TUH RUN YO' OUT. WELL, AH WANTA HAVE DEVILS DERE STRONGAH AS DEY IS, an' dem needleS goin' hold 'em, dey is crossed, undahstan'. Well, ah'll look roun', see, an' put it dere, an' den got de stuff from de graveyard, yo' see, done got dem folk's toes, dem daid toes if it ain't nuthin but de bones. Ah got de toes. Well, ah done named dem, see. Ah name, jis' say, de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost, dat dey may keep 'way all devils. Well, when dem othah devils [law men] come, see, up dere tuh ketch me an' carry me down an' lock me up in jail, dese things will keep dem PartieS Off. DEY CAIN'T NEVAH GIT IN DERE, DEY'S ALWAYS SCARED OUT. AN' EVAH TIME DEY PULL OUT DEY PISTOL AN' GO TUH SHOOT, DEY'LL LOSE IT OR SOMPIN, DEY CAIN'T SHOOT.
Entry 13411
Well, in case ah wuz makin' love or had made love with a woman, ah kin tell dat ah guess. Ah starts at de house an' ah stump mah left foot befo' ah git dere. Ah'll go right on an' ah says, "Why do ah stump mah left foot?" Ah say dat in mah Mind. See. When ah git dere ah find othah troubles. Ah find some othah man is seekin' tuh cut off mah progress an' probably he will be dere when ah git dere, an' ah can't git tuh carry out mah aims, an' so on. Dat's de sign of stumpin' mah left foot 'fore ah git dere. An' now if ah stump mah right foot in de same direction, everything is in de cleah. Or, in going tuh a place in de mannah... [I interrupt].
(If you are going to see a woman?)
Yessuh, in de same mannah, ah meets a cat an' dat cat runs out from dat side of de road from de left going tuh de right, an' ah cut him off before he git clean cross de street or de road an' he turns back. Now, dat mah greatest enemy if ah wuz right-handed. Dese are experiences ah'm tellin' yo' now, suh. Well, ah go an' ah find mah success great.
Entry 13074
You catch a snail and you split him open alive and put him on that toe and tie it there. Now, when you take him off, that corn is coming off with him.
(I see, that cures the corn.) [New Orleans 131:2.]
Entry 555
(What did you say your name was?)
William Scott.
(William Scott. All right. No. 535.)
[On my first trip down the Eastern Coat from Virginia into Florida, I occasionally still asked a person his name and casually gave him a number. Both practices I have previously stopped, recording only a name volunteered and the number before entrance or after departure.] Well, dis woman dat I was goin' wit, see - me and her quit and she had wanted to come back to me, and ah wouldn't take her back because ah ketched her doin' wrong. She try to do me harm. She git another man to set some stuff on me to - some stuff for me to step in. She know ah was de first one to cross over it in de mawning to go to work. Ah come on out and go on to work and it started about eleven-thirty that I felt my back giving and mah laigs they cracked - ah couldn't hardly walk with it and ah asked to git off. At dinnertime, at noon, ah git off and come on home. By de time ah kin git home mah laigs and toes was all swollen up. So I went to a doctor - he's jest here on Commings Street, root doctor.
(What was his name?)
Williams - he named Williams, too. [Informant's first name William - doctor's last name Williams - hence the too!] He lived here right now. He stayed dere on Commings Street and now he moved. So I went to him and explained mysel' dat Satiday. So he said, "Well, ah tell yuh what chew do - you come back here Sunday mawning round five 'clock or six 'clock [or] Sunday noon," he said, "so I kin see what I kin [do] wit cha." [This is an act of magic - the magic delay.] So ah went down dere. So he tells fortunes in coffee. So he went round dere and he tells me to sit down and he git de coffee and he tell me, he say, "Well, boy, ah kin cure you" - it would take seven dollars. Ah say, "Yes sir." He say, "Now, whut ah want chew to do - ah'm goin' give you dis dime." He say, "You take dis dime ah give to you and you take dis dime and you cut it up real fine." He said, "An' you git chew a piece of red flannel and you take dis red flannel and rub dis dime round and round in dis red flannel." He said, "An' git a little bit of sulphur an' put wit dis silver whut you cut off de dime and work it round in dere good, and after you rub it round dere good, you take some assafitadee [asafetida] and put wit it and sew it up in a bag and put it round yore neck." [This is a hand or mojo or toby - see Index.] He said, "An' you drop back to me Monday and ah'll let chew know whut I kin do for you." [Again, the magic delay.] So dat Monday ah went back to him and when I went back to him, he said, "Well, you come on into de house." I went back to de house wit 'em. He said, "Now to- night at twelve o'clock," he said, "you come here to me," he said, "an' ah'll fix you up good to [at] the Morris Brown Cemetery.
(Morris Brown Cemetery.) [Negro cemetery.]
So ah went out dere wit 'em dat night an' he said, "Now ah want chew to do dis." He said, "Ah want chew to walk wit me to dis grave," he said, "and ah want chew to pick up a handful of dis sand," he said, "an' you walk backwards six feet [steps] and t'row it over you and wheel to yo' right."
(Throw it over - how do you throw it?)
T'row it ovah yore left shoulder an' wheel to yer right. An' I done that. I walk six feet and wheeled to mah right, wheeled to mah right. And he said, "Well, come on back home now." Ah went on back wit him - ketched a [street] car and went on back to his house. And after I went back to his house, he said, "Now, what chew Want me to do - do you want me to dress dis woman or fix dis woman?" Ah said, "No." He say, "Well, all you want's me to do is unloose you?" I say, "Yes sir." He says, "All right. Now, look whut I'm gon'a do. I want cha in de morning to git up early," he said, "you git up early and go right to the step, and take you a big spoon - cooking spoon and dig down underneat' dat step," he say, "an' you see all yo' troubles right to the step." So dat morning I git up and I dig down at de foot of de step and when I git dere [it] was a little package rolled up jest like a little - about de size of a egg - in de package looked like it Was gunpowdah and some other - ah don't [know] whut to tell yuh - some other stuff in dere real fine like little grounds and dust and things like that. An' I dig it up and after digging this up - he say, "You bring it on to me" - and I dig it up and I bring it on to him. He said, "Now, this was the beginning of you' trouble." An' so after dat, mah feet begin to goin' down - de swelling stuff begin to leave mah feet. Den he say, "Well, ah'll boil some root medicine now, to get that thing out chure system." An' which like he did. He went and boiled dis medicine and ah drinked dis medicine ever' twice a day until it went and went until it went down to my feet - down to mah feet. Now, ever' summer dat same thing come out jest like some 'neral [veneral] disease, jes' broken out in yore feet, ever' summer. It goes back in de wintertime, but in de summertime, spring- time, it like that.
(In summer you still have it?)
Yes, sir - got it now.
(It looks like a veneral disease?)
It jes' broke out in a fine bump and then it turn out sore. Then it swell - it start in de knee and den it go right on to de feet - all the ankles and ever'thing swole up - jes' like it swole up now.
Entry 5511
He kin take it [her foot track] an' take his han' an' rake it up light an' rake it tuh 'im. An' take de dirt an' carry it home an' put it in 'is right sock, an' she'll come back if she gone off. An' if he wan's 'er tuh leave him, tuh don' nevah come back no mo', he kin take her track - take his han' an' dip it from 'im. Start from de foot on tuh de toe. Carry it home an' put it in 'is right sock an' throw it away, an' she won' nevah come back. [She will] stay dere, nevah come back no mo'.
Entry 3582
When yore husban' lie down to take his rest, when he git tuh sleep good, git chew a cord string. Git chew a cord string an' take it an' measure it an' tie nine knots in it. (Measure him. Where does she measure him?) Start tuh measure him from de head down to de toe, an' put nine knots in dere, an' take it an' tie it - tie nine knots in dere an' wear it aroun' yore waist.
(What will that do?)
Evah time yo' tie it yo' call 'is name an' tell 'im tuh come back to yo'.
(What are you doing that for, tying those knots for?)
Well, dat's tuh bring him back home.
(Make him stay home?)
He'll stay home when he come back.
Entry 5406
Take two of yore fingahs, or one be all right. Take two an' draw de dust back tuh yo' from de toe. Start at de toe an' draw it tuh yo' an' turn roun' an' lay dis up ovah de do'. Den yo' be boun' tuh stay dere.
(Which foot track do you do that with?)
Yore right.
Entry 5409
Yo' take yore fingahs lak dis an' draw back from de end of de toe, back tuh de heel an' git de track, if yo' kin git de right foot. An' tie it up an' take it tuh a runnin' stream of watah an' - a new piece of home- spun - an' make yore wishes an' throw it ovah yore right shoul- dah. An' walk away an' not look back aftah it. An' dat would make yo' be in love wit 'im right on, make him come back tuh yo'. If he quitted yo' or sompin lak dat, yo' could do dat. (You just get his foot track between your two fingers, your index finger and little finger. Of the right hand.) Yeah. Say dat would draw 'im back. If yo' wanted tuh run 'im or drive [him away], say yo'd take yore lef' han' an' make bad wishes.
Entry 5590
Ah've heard 'em say dat yo' could git de - if dey wan'a fix yo' fo' dere own benefit, to bring 'em to dem, yo' take dere lef' track from de toes. Yo' wan'a take it up wit a shovel or a hoe. Take it from de toe back to de heel. Dey takes dat den an' put it in a li'le bag. An' dey take dat bag an' secure dat fo' nine days. Den dey open it. Dey puts a li'le salt, table salt in dat bag, an' dey carry dat bag wit 'em. Dey weah dat aroun' de waist.
Entry 5651
Jis' lak de husban' er [or] somebody, he lvin' wit 'em an' leave 'em, an' dey wan' im tuh come back. Dey'll git de footprint, start at de haid, zhoo know, at de toe, an' pull it back tords de heel - de lef', de lef' always. An' Said [say to the dirt], "Yo' lef' me, but choo're comin' back." Yo' take dat [dirt] an' git a pair dere ole socks, if yo' have 'em, an' put it in dat [left sock] an' bur' [bury] at chore doah, an' dey'll be supposed tuh come back.
Entry 5684
Now, yo' kin take a sewin' thimble whut chew have on yore han' an' yo' kin put it tuh de toe of a person track. Dat is de lef' track. An' yo' draw dat sewin' thimble back tuh de heel wit whut dirt, yo' know, [so full of dirt] dat it wouldn't even draw, yo' undahstan'. An' yo' tie dat up intuh a piece of new cloth dat nevah been used. An' yo'll step tuh a place where watah runnin' an' yo' throw it ovah yore lef' shouldah an' don' look back at it. Dat'll run 'em away from dere.
Entry 5689
Git aholt of dat foot track, take up a half of a pound of dat firs' track along dere tuh de toe. Take dat wit 2 drops of vinegah, 2 drops of tur- pentine, 5 drops of coal oil. An' den dat will draw de man back home - woman or man. Aftah yo' git all dat tuhgethah, why yo' take dat [track] an' put it in a bottle an' drop dis [9 drops] on it. An' den yo' sprinkle dat along where dat, if yo' are gone away from yore home, yo' undah- stan', sprinkle dat along in de tracks [made after the first onel. Dat'll draw 'im along back home.
Entry 5692
Ah heard dey could, yo' know, lak dey say yore right foot, chew know, an' it wuz in de sand where yo' could git it good. Say dey'd take three pinches out de toe, an' den three out de heel, an' den dey'd go tuh de middle an' git three pinch- es. An' aftah, dey wuz sup- posed tuh take dat, chew know, an' put it in a rag an' throw it in runnin' watah, an' turn yore back an' not look back. An' den yo' wuz supposed tuh travel. Yo' nevah supposed tuh be satisfied nowheres yo' go, yo' know.
(That's the right idea [that's what I want].)
Entry 5696
If yo' wan' 'em tuh go, yo' don' wan' 'im tuh stay, git choo a table- spoonful of salt, a tablespoon whut dey call cayenne peppah. Git choo a red flannin rag now, an' git saltpeter - woman salt- peter. Yo' know it's two kinds, a she saltpeter an' dere a he saltpeter. Yo' git de she. Take yo' a teaspoonful an' put it dere an' put it - make a li'le. red-flannin sack an' put it down in dere. Well, now if yo' know dis party, yo' watch 'er walk. Yo' count de tracks as dey walk. Yo' count de tracks lak dey 3 right-foot tracks. Yo' jis' take it from de toe. An' take it up, po' it in dat sack. Sew it up. Yo' meet de sun three mawnin's as it rise, an' wet on it. Take it tuh de rivah befo' de rise de fo'th day, an' throw it in dere. Ah don' care where yo' wan' 'em tuh go, dey'll leave dere. Dey can't stay.
(WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "SHE" AND "HE" SALTPETER?)
DE "SHE" IS A LARGE LUMP AN' DE "HE" IS IN LI'LE BITA CRUMBS.
Entry 5717
If dey ketch yore track where yo' make a track at, dey kin take dat track. Git a thread of any kin' an' measure it from toe tuh heel, undahstan', an' take de dirt up an' put it in [put in] quicksilvah, an' put it in a swinging bird nest, an' yo'll walk in yore grave. [Yo'll swing into your grave would have been better.] Jis' lak it's a bird nest yo' know up in a tree. Put it up dere where de birds go.
(And which foot do they get, both feet?)
No, de right feet.
Entry 5779
If she wan's tuh run 'im away, well yo' take his track. Start at de toe an' draw it back, de right - draw it back. Carry it tuh runnin' watah an' throw it ovah. Dat will run 'im off. Tell 'im tuh, "Go, ah don't wan' chew tuh come back any mo'." An' he keep agoin'.
Entry 6450
Dey hoodoo - tell yuh whut dey, yuh know [with] whut dey. stick on stamps.
(Mucilage, it's like gum?) [This sort of thinking can happen!]
Dat's right, somepin like gum.
(Mucilage, paste?) [Again I OFFEND THE OCCASION with MUCILAGE!]
Yes, sir. Put dat in a bottle an' put it in dere wit de fingahnails an' toe- nails an' shut it up, stop it up. (What else did you say? You said you put something else in that bottle. What did you say?) A little limewatah.
(A little limewater and what else?)
Dat's all.
(Did you say something else about water?)
No, sir.
(I see. And what will that do?)
Well, jis' keep it - tote it.
(Well, what will it do?)
Whut'll it do?
(Yes.)
Well, it'll cuz yuh tuh have - toenails, fingernails, lose all of 'em, see. Toenails always be sore, toes always be sore.
Entry 7152
If she gwine out - mean if she goin' tuh 'er girl fren' - dey kin jis' turn yore shoe upside down an' turn de toes undah de bed, an' he won' wake up till she come back.
(He turns his shoes upside down?)
Dat's right, de man's shoes.
(Both shoes, both pointed under the bed.)
Undah de bed.
(He won't wake up until she gets back?)
No, no!
Entry 8051
Ah heard dat yo' kin go tuh de graveyard an' git one of dese bones. If it's a sinnah, yo' kin take de bone off 'is right foot, de big-toe bone, an' take it an' put some black peppah an' salt an' cayenne on it. Dat's fo' gamblin'. (How would you handle that, then?) Well, yo' jis' go an' dig it up, see. Ah ain't nevah tried dat now. Go an' dig it up, see, an' cut dat bone off. Yo' have tuh git a saw an' saw if off. Saw dat bone, dat j'int dere. Saw dat off an' git chew black peppah, salt an' bluestone, see. Well, yo' car- ries dat home dere an' let it stay undah yuh step fo' nine mawnin's, see. Well, yo' take it den an' put it up ovah de do' - jis' lak yo' sleepin' in dis room, an' put it up ovah de do' an' let it stay dere den contin'ly [continually]. But yo' have tuh sew it up intuh a black rag, see. Let it stay dere contin'ly an' den yo'll be lucky in gamblin'.
Entry 8053
Well, ah've toted mahself in cologne fo' luck, a woman bones. Her small toe bones an' den her fingah bones, dese heah two fingahs heah [points].
(The two middle fingers?)
Dat's right.
(What did you tote that for, what kind of luck?)
Luck in gamblin' an' luck fo' sellin' whiskey.
Entry 12604
So, well, ah goes on to another man den, an' he learnt me some things about how to run a person away from yore place of business. Lak if yo' loved a girl friend an' if yo' don't wanta be bothered wit dis fellah an' he look like he gitting de best holt [hold on her], dis fellah tole me to git red pep- per an' manage some kind of way to slip it into de toe of his shoe. See, an' dat will run him away from dis place, an' everywhere he go - everywhere he'd git to her jes' couldn't res', he jes' had to keep agoin'. Well, dat's de way to get rid of a person, if yo' bothered with 'em an' don't want to be bothered with 'em. Dat's de way to get rid of dem.
Entry 12669
If someone is kinda cranky with someone - dat's mean, kind of mean wit someone. Well, a man or a woman kin naturally go tuh work an' dey dissolve [wash out] a rag - dese clothes [cloths], yo' know whut dat means. Yo' kin wipe undah yore arms but yo' must not do it aftah a clean bath. De odor undah yore arms must ketch in dis dissolve [water from rag] either arm. An' yo' don' have tuh wipe undah de arms. An' yo' kin take - naturally yo' kin take de same cloth an' wipe 'tweer yore toes. Den yo' kin wipe in undah de bottom of yore feet, but chew gotta git de odor from dose feets. An' yo' kin drink de same stuff right along with 'em, an' dey'll follow yo'.
(What do you do with that, after you wipe that stuff off?)
Put it in some water or whiskey or anything else, since [just so] yo' git it down 'em. Ah had a boy one time - mah mothah wuz a Indian woman, an' he used to beat me every day. An' mah mothah knowed a whole lot about things, an' she learnt me how to do it. [And I did this.] An' ah beat it in good, an' he followed me. An' he follows me up to today, an' dat's been ovah fo'ty yeahs ago.
(This boy?)
We wuz boys then.
(That is how you conquered him?)
De same way ah tole yo' jes' now.
(That is the way you conquered that boy, made a friend of him?)
Why shore, an' we friends today.