392 KECOiUJS OF THE AUSTHALIAN MUSEUM 



Tlie men do not come forward in ordinary walking gait, but each 

 has liis hands on liis hips, thighs separated, with an inward 

 movement of the knees at each advancing jerk of the body all 

 done to the time kept by the old gentleman's sounding-sticks, and 

 the old woman's clapping of the Hats of the hands held well in 

 front of her. This procession may thus advance and retii'e in 

 broken order, some two or three times. The same old man as 

 before now carries the corpse in the manner already described, and, 

 in conipanv with three or four of the men and the gin, makes the 

 circuit of the timber-heap a few times (fig. 59z), and then drops 

 his Inirden at the same tree-butt that he started from. Finally, 

 the corpse is removed to a spot on the furtlier side of the edge of 

 the scrub (fig. 59m), three men only accompanying its bearer, 

 the other males having joined the row of women with whom they 

 are now squatting, the females alone beating time to the singing 

 of the same old song. Having reached its new destination, the 

 corpse is laid on its back, and awaits the setting of the sun. As 

 soon as this is lialf way over the horizon, another old individual, 

 us'ually a Kobi, or "medicine-man," sits astride the dead body, 

 towards its head, aiid makes the following incisions : one, right 

 across the top of the belly, and one down eacli extremity of that 

 incision, so as to allow of the Hap of skin being turned downwards. 

 He remo\es the stomach only, vvraps it up in the deceased's bark- 

 blanket, aud holding it in front of him crouches along as he 

 makes his next mo^e to the near sifle of the edge of the scrub 

 liglit in front, and in close view of the group of assembled men 

 and women squatting in their original places (fig. 59k). I use 

 the term " crouches " purposely, b(>,cause, as the old man passes 

 along, lie looks suspiciously on either side and over his shoulders, 

 as if he were being watched by, or was watching for, sometliing 

 of whieli lie was terribly afi-aid. The interpretation of such 

 action on his part is that Koi" might come and do to him what 

 lie lias done to the deceased, i.p., taken th(> ^ital principle, breath, 

 etc. away: he accortlingly keeps watcliiiig to see that his three 

 <• >m23anions are closely following, because this spirit can only harm 

 liim when alone by himself. All four move along in quick time, 

 stamping in step to the sounding-sticks whicli his three com- 

 panions carry, and as soon as the spot fixed upon is readied, the 

 bundle is placed on tlie ground and the old man left alone witli it. 

 No one actually sees what lie next does, but it is firmly believed 

 that he cuts open the paunch and finds the " rope," " something," 



J5ull. .') Sect. <)5. llf). 



