106
After chaunting each verse, he rattled his gourd and struck the note i, as e long in english.
On concluding this hymn, as he began to descend, he again struck the note I, as before, which he continued without drawing his breath, till he came down, entered the National Heptagon, and walked round the fire to the spot where he had been enrobed. Standing erect, he then cried loudly "I am heard"; at which all the assembly sent forth an exulting "Wawh!" (sounded long). The attendant who had arrayed him, then approached, took off his white dress, and replaced it beside the holy column, and both resumed their seats.
The seven cleansers, or exorcisers, now returned from distributing the food. They took the seven white gourds from the bench. Dipping them into the caldron, they turned to the people. These gourds, though whiteness like the rest, were not the same with which they had put water in the caldron that morning. ___ Each handed his gourd to a head man of his own clan, who handed it to the next and so onward, till all drank from it; rubbing at the same time some of the contents upon their breasts. The children were caused to do the same and the tasting and the rubbing was repeated from time to time at the people's own discretion throughout the day. After first partaking this purifying drink, infants, but not grown persons, might receive