TSEKOU TO KHAMTI 



or tribes. The inheritance of the sire is shared amongst the 

 sons, and a father can disinherit a refractory son. In dress the 

 men follow the Thibetan fashion. The women are attired in two 

 garments — one fitted to the figure, the other looped from under 

 the left arm to the riyht shoulder. Sometimes thev have a white 

 fillet like the Lissous, their hair either loosely gathered into a 

 net, or shaved, leaving a toupet in front. Two ladies we observed 

 with rectangular green tattooing on the nose and cheeks ; they 

 were heiresses. Nearly all the females carried a small distaff, 

 with which they spun hemp unceasingly. Assassination is not 

 reerarded as a heinous crime, but blood monev is sometimes ex- 

 acted. The dead are buried with the usual symbols of the de- 

 funct's occupation on the grave. They believe the deceased 

 go to a beautiful land if they have done good, and if not that 

 they rejoin the bad spirits. The Kioutses have their witch- 

 doctors, and sacrifices for the sick ; but diseases are rare, and 

 centenarians not uncommon. Venereal complaints are unknown. 

 When a malady declares itself, a fowl or a pig is vowed 

 to the evil spirit. In the house where we slept a sorcerer 

 was engaged in exorcising such a one from a sick woman. 

 The rites resembled in the main those we had witnessed on 

 a former occasion, save that in this instance some little wax 

 images were employed, which were anointed with tsampa and 

 water, and placed in the fork of a big tree outside that was supposed 

 to have had an ill influence on the patient. The physician went 

 through a variety of incantations and facial contortions, and finally 

 touched the sick woman's head with a peacock's feather. But he 

 smiled at me the while. 



At Meuradon we found one of our men whom we had sent 



before us from Tsekou. He had been as far as the Lamaserai 



263 



