BY WALTER E. ROTH, M.R.C.S., B.A., OXON. 57 



the buttock (Plate V., fi;/. a). The poor wretch clenched his 

 teeth in agony, but stood it firmly, and did not break down until 

 all the men around began to sob and cry, when they all in a body 

 rushed up to kiss and slobber over him. 



With regard to the general custom of salutation, men used 

 to kiss one another on the cheek, and hug one another. There 

 was no osculation among the women. After long absences, 

 they would rejoice over the return of the wanderer, who re- 

 counted to them the numerous adventures he had had, whom he 

 had seen, how successful he had been in hunting, and anything 

 curious that had come under his observation. In addition, he 

 would illustrate in propria persona all that he thought might 

 prove of interest — in one case, under Austin's observation, go- 

 ing so far as to imitate the waltzing of the whites. As a rule, 

 these blacks used to get up comparatively late of a morning, 

 unless compelled by want of food, or for any special purpose; e.g. 

 to collect the mangaitch before the ants got at the honey. The 

 young were always reproved and kept in order, but the boys 

 were never beaten. Their sense of decency was parallel with 

 our own ; they never spoke with strangers concerning their 

 sexual relationships, and it was only the younger males who 

 talked filth. Their moral deportment was creditable to them 

 in every way, with the exception that if a bachelor friend 

 asked his married friend for the temporary loan of his wife as a 

 great favour (especially as the lady was usually agreeable), the 

 husband's consent was generally given. 



The old men taught the young ones at initiation which diets 

 to avoid ; they reserved to themselves as elders, and as heads 

 of families, such diet scales which were only rarely met with, 

 or were considered special delicacies. In addition, for each 

 individual, food was always refrained from when it happened 

 to be anything in connection with that according to which his 

 birth name had been given. There was no particular food 

 tabu to any of the four special divisions of the tribe. The 

 names of people deceased were avoided, and as a rule any re- 

 ference (except by the younger males) to sexual matters dis- 

 couraged. Certain water-holes and graves were also tabu. 



In trading with other tribes, all that they could barter in 

 exchange were their spears, made from the local " spear-wood," 

 which grew plentifully in the close neighbourhood of the coastal 



G 



