the Spaniards, their forts and cannon, "for among many to whom I have taught the arts of magic (el arte de brujeria) there are fifteen chosen ones, marvellous experts, who by their mystic powers will enter the fortress, slay the sentinels, and throw open the gates to our warriors. I shall take the leaves of the sacred tree and, folding them into trumpets, I shall call to the four winds of heaven, and a multitude of fighting men will hasten to our aid." Then he produced a sheet of paper, held it up to show that it was blank, folded it, and spread it out again covered with writing. This act convinced his followers of his occult abilities, and they rushed to arms, but only to meet with defeat and an ignominious death.
Nagualism, driven into the caves and wild places of Mexico and Yucatan, became so powerful locally as to baffle the most intense watchfulness of the Spanish priesthood. It is easy to understand that when vengeance becomes the main object of a people, the higher elements of their national faith become neglected, and those which they believe will assist them against the hated oppressor occupy their attention more fully. So Nagualism, or the magical part of the Mexican religion, flourished apace, in contradistinction to its more exalted tenets, becoming ever more firmly established as time advanced. Thus when the Austrian traveller, Dr. Scherzer, visited Guatemala in 1854 he found the Nagualist system in full force in the more remote districts, and there is every reason to believe that it flourishes there at the present day.
But metamorphosis and prophecy were not the only magical weapons of the Nagualists. Their arts were manifold. They could render themselves invisible and walk unseen among their enemies. They could transport themselves to distant places and, returning, report what they had witnessed. Like the fakirs of India, they could create before the eyes of the spectator rivers, trees, houses, animals, and other objects. They could to all appearance rip themselves open, cut a limb from the body of another person and replace
