Terrain Training Tuesday: Shipwrecked! Part 3

Treasure (from Greek θησαυρός - thēsauros, meaning "treasure store) is a concentration of riches, often one which is considered lost or forgotten until being rediscovered. A buried treasure is an important part of the popular beliefs surrounding pirates. According to popular conception, pirates often buried their stolen fortunes in remote places, intending to return for them later (often with the use of treasure maps). Belief, my arse, we all know it’s a fact. I’ve seen Yellowbeard, I know.

Now since we don’t have a map on our deserted island we are most probably going to have to go dowsing to find our plentiful bounty.
Dowsing is a type of divination employed in attempts to locate water, buried metals or ores, gemstones and many other objects and materials, as well as so-called currents of earth radiation (aka Ley lines), without the use of scientific apparatus. Dowsing appears to have arisen in the context of Renaissance magic in Germany, although there is no accepted scientific rationale behind the concept and no scientific evidence that it is effective. At least that’s what they say...

Now, a Y- or L-shaped twig or rod, called a dowsing rod (obviously) is sometimes used during dowsing, although some dowsers use other equipment or no equipment at all. Others go high tech with a metal detector, which I would personally recommend but in our current shipwrecked condition I doubt that we have one at our disposal...Dammit!

Instructions to make your own Dowsing Rod:

1. Locate a small, forked branch of live wood. Willow and apple branches are traditional, but not necessary. Some modern dowsers even use plastic or metal rods
2. Cut the branch from the tree. Trim away small leaves or twigs.
3. Trim the branch so that each arm of the Y is approximately equal in length and between one and two feet long (this is a matter of personal preference). The joined section should be three to four inches in length.
4. Connect, if desired, a witness compartment. This is a device to hold a tiny sample of the material the dowser wishes to find. The cap from a ballpoint pen can form a great witness compartment although the end of the rod may need to be whittled down so that the cap will snugly fit over it. Witness compartments are a relatively new invention, and many dowsers choose not to use them.
5. Hold the palms up with an arm of the rod in each hand. Hold the rod away from the body. The rod should be kept parallel to the ground.
6. Walk over the area to be examined slowly and methodically thinking about the item trying to be found (water, oil or gold, for example).
7. Wait for the rod to suddenly swing up or down. This indicates a result, and the exact spot where this occurs should be searched. So now you just DIG DIG DIG DIG DIG! Until Hurrah! Treasure!!!!!!!!!!!

Many dowsers today use a pair of simple L-shaped metal rods. One rod is held in each hand, with the short arm of the L held upright, and the long arm pointing forward. When something is found, the rods cross over one another making an "X" over the found object.

At the very least this project will keep you occupied for at least half to a full day. This is good, because soon you will have to decide which of your companions you are going to have to eat first...