542 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



boar is brought iliick upon a lance ; but is not touched, as 

 being unclean. 



The elephant's teeth are the king's perquifites. Of thefe 

 round ivory rings are turned for bracelets, and a quantity 

 of them always brought by him to be diftributed among 

 the moll deferving in the field, and kept ever after as certi- 

 ficates of gallant behaviour. Nor is this mark attended with 

 honour alone. Any man who fhall from the king, queen- 

 regent, or governor of a province, receive fo many of thefe 

 rings as fhall cover his arm down to his wrill, appears be- 

 fore the twelve judges on a certain day, and there, laying 

 down his arm with thefe rings upon it, the king's cook 

 breaks every one in its turn with a kind of kitchen-cleaver, 

 whereupon the judges give him a certificate, which proves 

 that he is entitled to a territory, whofe revenue mull ex- 

 ceed 20 ounces of gold, and this is never either refufed or 

 delayed. All the different fpecies of game, however, are 

 not equally rated. He that flays a Galla, or Shangalla, man 

 to man, is entitled to two rings ; he that flays an elephant 

 to two ; a rhinoceros, two ; a giraffa, on account of its fpeed, 

 and to encourage horfemanfhip, two; a buflalo, two ; a lion, 

 two ; a leopard, one ; two boars, whofe tufks are grown, 

 one ; and one for every four of the deer kind. 



Great difputes conftantly arife about the killing of 

 thefe beafl:s ; to determine which, and prevent feuds and 

 quarrels, a council fits every evening, in which is an 

 oflUcer called DimJhaJJja, or Red Cap^ from a piece of red fiik he 

 wears upon his forehead, leaving the top of his head bare, 

 for no perfon is allowed to cover his head entirely except 

 the king, the twelve judges, and dignified priefts. This of- 



3 ficei: 



