Account of the Kookies or Lunctas. 15 



From this circumstance of ambuscade, the idea has origin- 

 ated of their hving in trees instead of houses. When they 

 have in this manner approached their enemy unperceived, 

 they generally make their attack about the dawn, and com- 

 mence it with a great shout, and striking of their spears 

 against their shields. If they are successful in their onset, 

 they seldom spare either age or sex : at times, however, they 

 make captives of the children, and often adopt them into 

 their families, when they have none of their own ; and the 

 only slaves among them are the captives thus taken. 



The heads of the slain they carry in great triumph to 

 their parah, where the warriors are met, on their arrival, 

 by men, women, and children, with much rejoicing ; and 

 they have the peculiar privilege of killing any animal in the 

 place they may choose (not excepting'the chief's), to be 

 given as a feast in celebration of their victory : but, should 

 the party have been unsuccessful, instead of being thus met 

 with every demonstration of joy, and led into the parah 

 amidst the exultations of its friends, it enters in the greatest 

 silence, and as privately as possible; and all the warriors 

 composing it remain in disgrace until such time as they 

 retrieve their characters, either jointly or individually, by 

 6ome act of valour. 



The Kookies are often attacked by the Banjoogees, who, 

 though not so numerous a race of people, yet, from being 

 all united under one rajah, always prevail, and exact an 

 annual tribute of salt from the two Kookie rajahs Than- 

 don and Mankene, who, from having a greater intercourse 

 with the Choomeeas, receive a larger supply of this article 

 from the plains below than their more remote neighbours. 

 Salt is in the highest estimation among them all^ when- 

 ever they send any message of consequence to each other, 

 they always put in the hand of the bearer of it a small 

 quantity of salt, to be delivered with the message, as ex- 

 pressive of its importance. Next to personal valour, the 

 accornplishment most esteemed in a warrior is superior ad- 

 dress in stealing: and if a thief can convey undiscovered to 

 his own house his neighbour's property, it cannot after- 

 wards be claimed; nor, if detected in the act, is he other- 

 wise punished than by exposure to the ridicule of the parah, 

 and being obliged to restore what he may have laid hold of. 



This must tend to encourage the practice of thieving} 

 which, no doubt, is considered in such high estimation, 

 because the same sagacity and address necessary to give 

 success to the thief qualilies the warrior, in an eminent de- 

 gree, 10 steal unperceived upon and surprise his enemy, and 



thus 



