It came off the string twice

Source term: bull-roarer

Gifford watched this one himself. At a Pinal-band curing performance in the San Carlos Apache country of east-central Arizona, the bullroarer flew off its string — and then, once it had been fetched back and set going again, flew off a second time. Both times spectators went after it and returned it, which tells you how public the curing was and how many people were standing close enough to chase a loose blade. Ten inches by an inch and a half, on three feet of cord. The Pinal band whirled it in dance as well.

In [San Carlos] curing performance witnessed, bull-roarer came off string twice, retrieved by spectators.

Gifford 1940:152

Particulars

Object

Wooden blade about 10 by 1.5 inches, whirled on a cord about three feet long.

Function

A clown whirled it to announce the masked gan impersonators, then through the dance; it was also sounded in curing.