324 A JOURNEY TO THE 



howling noise, often repeating the relationship of the de- 

 ceased. But as this is in a great measure mere form and 

 custom, some of them have a method of softening the harsh- 

 ness of the notes, and bringing them out in a more musical 

 tone than that in which they sing their songs. When they 

 reflect seriously on the loss of a good friend, however, it has 

 such an effect on them for the present, that they give an 

 [342] uncommon loose to their grief. At those times they 

 seem to sympathise (through custom) with each other's afflic- 

 tions so much, that I have often seen several scores of them 

 crying in concert, when at the same time not above half a 

 dozen of them had any more reason for so doing than I had, 

 unless it was to preserve the old custom, and keep the others 

 in countenance. The women are remarkably obliging on 

 such occasions ; and as no restriction is laid on them, they 

 may with truth be said to cry with all their might and main ; 

 but in common conversation they are obliged to be very 

 moderate. 



They have a tradition among them, that the first person upon 

 earth was a woman, who, after having been some time alone, in 

 her researches for berries, which was then her only food, found 

 an animal like a dog, which followed her to the cave where 

 she lived, and soon grew fond and domestic. This dog, they 

 say, had the art of transforming itself into the shape of a 

 handsome young man, which it frequently did at night, but as 

 the day approached, always resumed its former shape ; so that 

 the woman looked on all that passed on those occasions as 

 dreams and delusions. These transformations were soon pro- 

 ductive of the consequences which at present generally follow 

 such intimate connexions between the two sexes, and the 

 mother of the world began to advance in her pregnancy. 



[343] No^ ^^^S ^^t^^ th^s happened, a man of such a surpris- 

 ing height that his head reached up to the clouds, came to level 

 the land, which at that time was a very rude mass ; and after 

 he had done this, by the help of his walking-stick he marked 



