BY WALTEK E. ROTH, M.R.C.S., B.A., OXON. 55 



man, to either take his widow unto himself, or to confer her 

 where he chose. No share in the government was tal^en by the 

 the women, though they often used to stir up strife amongst the 

 opposite sex ; thus, upon the killing of a man, when doubt 

 happened to be expressed as to what concerted action should be 

 taken by the tribe collectively, it was the women who, in a 

 body, would inflame and incite the men to take measures for 

 revenge, and arouse them to precipitate action. It may be 

 truly said that the weaker sex were invariably far more quarrel- 

 some among themselves than the men. Among themselves the 

 men were very good-tempered as a rule. If the younger ones 

 attempted to start any row, the elders would remonstrate with, 

 and their' friends restrain, them. The angered individuals 

 would be held back with their elbows to the sides, • their mates 

 putting their arms round them from behind ; though the would- 

 be assailants might kick and bite, they were firmly held. It 

 was the difference of sex, the gratification of the grand passion, 

 and personal applause which constituted the main causes of all 

 strife and dispute. 



Each family in the tribe had its own territorial division, 

 its own ka-la or " fire-place," to which it had a prior right, 

 the land being divided ultimately among the sons upon the 

 death of the owner. Though the game was in no sense pre- 

 served, each person knew what there actually was on his own 

 possessions, what birds' nests, etc. — very much in the same 

 manner as a European knows the contents of his garden. When 

 anything showed itself in abundance, the neighbours, etc., would 

 be asked to come over and partake. 



All being equal, and all being armed, one man was as 

 good as another, hence, as a rule, they behaved themselves one 

 to the other, and, having no fear of death, when they did fight 

 they meant business, and never threatened without a fulfil- 

 ment. In the case of serious offences, or when inter-tribal in- 

 terests were concerned, the camp council decided upon the form 

 of procedure and the mode of punishment. Mutilation or 

 flogging was never inflicted, and justice, as a rule, was adminis- 

 tered with clemency. In the case of wilful murder, incest, etc., 

 the culprit would pay the death penalty somewhat on the fol- 

 lowing lines : — Standing out with one leg forward, a spear was 

 " jobbed " into the inner side of the back of the advanced thigh ; 

 the femoral artery was thus damaged, and in four or five min- 



