HILLS NEAR RA'jAMAHALL. 5^ 



rear a cut kid and cut pig for that express purpose, 

 about two years, more or less. Having acquired 

 property enough to perform this promise, for it is at- 

 tended with considerable expence, he sends invita- 

 tions to his chief and vassals, to those also in the 

 neighbourhood, and to his relations ; and, to mark 

 the time for the festival, a string, with a number of 

 knots equal to the number of days that will inter- 

 vene, is sent to each. From these strings, to avert 

 mistakes, one knot is daily cut : in the interval the 

 suppliant is employed in distilling spirits and col- 

 lecting materials, such as rice, oil, red painr, &x. 

 when one knot remains, the guests assemble, and, 

 on the morning of the day appointed, some of the 

 suppliant's neighbours, or relations, proceed to the 

 jungles to cut three small 7?uicbnwi<vces. Before the 

 first is hewn, a cock is sacrificed, that the blood may 

 fall on it, and some spirits thrown on it, as a libation 

 toGooMo. As soon as the branches and bark are 

 stripped off, two men are sufficient to carry each 

 tree, and lay them without the village, where it is 

 their business to prevent men, goats, or fowls, from 

 touching them ; and the suppliant, informed of their 

 arrival, sends them drink for their trouble. In the 

 mean time he takes the chiefs and their officers, 

 with the two men who had prayed at the Chittaria- 

 festival, into his house, and presents the Maungy 

 with two pots of spirits and a hog : the Demauno, two 

 Kalewars 9 and a Dolewar also go in. At their en- 

 trance, the Demauno gives water to the musicians, to 

 wash their hands ; he takes a small wipker-basker, 



4 con- 



