﻿ROOKIES OR LUNCTAS. 193 



tion is punished in no other manner, than by oblig- 

 ing the parties to marry, unless tlic man may have 

 used violence, in which case he is punished, generally 

 Avith death, either by the chief, or by the relations 

 of the injured female. Marriage is never consum- 

 mated among them before the age of puberty. 

 When a young man has fixed his affections upon a 

 young woman, citiier of his own, or of some neigh- 

 bouring Parah, his father visits her father, and 

 demands her in marriage for his son : her father, on 

 this, inquires what are the merits of the young mati 

 to entitle him to her favour, and how many can he 

 afford to entertain at the weddins; feast: to which 

 the father of the young man replies, that his son is 

 a brave warrior, a good hunter, and an expert thief, 

 for that he can produce so many heads, of the 

 enemies he has slain, and of the game he has killed • 

 that in his house are such and such stolen goods, 

 and that he can feast so many (mentioning the 

 number) at his marriage. On hearing this, the 

 father of the girl either goes himself, or sends some 

 confidential friend, to ascertain the facts, which, if 

 he finds to be as stated, he consents to the marriage, 

 and it is celebrated by a feast, given by him to 

 the bridegroom, and all their mutual friends. At 

 night the bride is led by her husband from her 

 father's house to his own, Nvhere he next day enter- 

 tains the company of the preceding day, wdiich is 

 more or less numerous, according to the connections 

 and circumstances of the parties. When a chief 

 marries, the whole Parah is entertained by him ; 

 and should his bride be from another Parah, as 

 often ha{>peiis, the two Parahs feast and carouse 

 with each other alternately. At these, and all their 

 festivals, there is much drinking, of a liquor made 

 of tb.e rice, called Dee/igkroo, of which the Kookics 

 are very fond. There are two kinds of this liquor, 

 the one pure and limpid ; and the other of a red 



O colour. 



