"Dieser Verwahrungsmittel besteht darin, dass dem gekauften
weiblichen Thiere der Mann den blanken Hintern zeigt, einem mannlichen
Thiere aber eine weibliche Person. Hiebei werden die Worte gesagt—
"Sár o kár pál e punrá,
Kiyá mánge ác táysá!
Wie der Schwantz am Bein,
Sollst du stets bei mir sein!"
Or else:--
"Sár e minč pal e per,
Kiyá mánge ác buter!
Wie das Loch im Leib,
Also bei mir bleib!"
To secure swine to their owner a hole is dug in the turf which is filled
with salt and charcoal dust, which is covered with earth, and these words
uttered:--
"Adá hin tute
Ná ává pál menge
Dáv tute, so kámáv
Pçuvusheyá, áshuná, p. 86
Čores tuna muká
Hin menge trin láncá,
Trin máy láce Urmá,
Ke ferinen men!"
"This is thine,
Come not to us
I give thee what I can
Oh Spirit of earth, hear
Let not the thief go!
We have three chains,
Three very good fairies
Who protect us."If the swine find the hole and root it up--as they will be tolerably certain
to do owing to their fondness for salt and charcoal--they will not be stolen
or run away.
The Urmen, or Fairies, are supposed to be very favourable to cattle,
therefore children who torment cows are told "Urme tute ná bica somnakune
pçábáy"--"The fairies will not send you any golden apples!" If the English
gypsies had the word Urme (and it may be that it exists among them even
yet), this would be, "I Urme ná bitcher tute sonnakai pábya!"