'U'lih an Account of Us Gold jWinrs. 293 



The Macaflars, on the other hand, are of large ftature, ha\e 

 a maniv warlike appearance, are of a more ojicu clifpofition, 

 and at the fame time detcft treachery ; while their opponents, 

 the Bougmefe, never attack openly, but endeavour to fall 

 upon their enemies by furprife. Thofe even who never did 

 them an injury are not fecure from being murdered by them 

 when they can do it with privacy ; and they often commit 

 fuch aftions for no other reafon, as they fay, than to try the 

 goodnefs of their daegers. Manv Macaffars, as well as Eu- 

 ropeans, have fallen a facrifice to this thirft for blood. Their 

 daggers and aiVagavs are for the moft part poifoncd, as well as 

 their fmall darts, which they can (hoot at their enemies to a 

 confiderable diftance by blowing them through a tube. 



Their clothing confifts of a piece of red or blue cotton 

 cloth wrapped round the body, and drawn through between 

 the legs. The upper part of the body is quite naked. On 

 the head they wear a piece of cotton cloth in the form of 

 a handkerchief, with which they cover their hair, which is 

 as black as pitch, and exceedlnglv long. On the other parts 

 of the bodv neither the men nor the women fufter any haic 

 to grow ; they pull it out bv the roots, in the fame manner 

 as the Mahometans and Indians, as foon as, it appears. They 

 fced for the mod part on rice, fith, and pifangs ; end their 

 beverage is water, though they are not deftitute of fagufer, 

 or palm wine. The Bouojinefe women are in general much 

 handfomer than thofe of the other Indian tribes : fonie of 

 them, had their complexion the fame mixture of red and 

 white as our females, would be accounted beauties in Eu- 

 rope. They are naturally of an amorous difpofition, and are 

 c,apablc of undcrtakino- any thing to graiifv tlieir inclinations. 



The Mahometan religion, which has here become general, 

 permits the Bouginefe to have four lawful wives, provided the 

 hufband can maintain them. If the paitics, however, are 

 not fatisfied with each other, they may feparate with as liille 

 trouble as they were united. Their funerals are attended 

 with very little ceremony. The body is wrapped up in a 

 piece of white cotton cloth and depolited in the grave, over 

 which fome fwcet-fcented flowers are ftrewed, and two Hones 

 arc creeled, one at the head and another at the feet. The 



Eoui^iuelc 



