one-third to the finder, one-third to the owner of the ground on which the property is found, and one-third to the Government.
There are certain men who spend nearly all their lives in seeking for—kanûz—hidden treasures. Some of them become maniacs, desert their families, and though they are often so poor that they beg their way from door to door, and from village to village, they believe themselves to be rich. There are others, who are called "sahiri"—necromancers—who seem to work systematically, and have a very curious method of prosecuting the search.
They select certain sensitive individuals, who are believed to have the power of seeing objects concealed in the earth, or elsewhere; but the faculty is only active when roused by the influence of necromantic ceremonies, which are understood by the professional treasure-seeker. He properly prepares the medium, and calls into full activity the visionary power; then, in obedience to his command, the hiding places of treasures are said to be minutely described. On being restored to the normal state, the medium does not remember any of the revelations which may have been made. The practice of this art is considered "haram"—that is, unlawful, and is carried on secretly and not extensively. Those people of whom I made inquiries on the subject spoke with fear and trembling, and mysteriously whispered their explanations.
I knew an Arab family, of which all the female members are believed to be seers (clairvoyants?). They are all nervous and excitable to a high degree, and one of them is slightly deranged in intellect.[1]
Till a late hour visitors flocked in to see us, for our
- ↑ Does this system of the Sahiri throw any light on the history of the "Zahuris" of Spain, who were said to have the power of seeing into the recesses of the earth? The name is evidently of Eastern derivation, for "Zahur" is the Arabic for appearing.
In the first volume of "The Cradle of the Twin Giants, Science and History," by Rev. Henry Christmas, page 314, the following passages occur:
"Debrio, in his 'Disquisitiones Magicæ,' edition of Mayence, 1606, says there is a class of men in Spain who are called Zahuris. When he was staying at Madrid,
