VENTURELLO]- MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF TAGBANUAS 553 
grave and place upon it a stone in order that, according to their 
belief, the soul may be able to enter Lampanag. Should this 
practice be neglected it would prevent the soul from entering para- 
dise and oblige him to wander about in the lonely places of the 
forests and mountains. 
The Batacs lack the government of the tribes of the south. The 
settlement is governed by a capitan who is chosen either by the 
chief of the province or by the local chiefs of the barrios. The 
form of government is really patriarchal. The authority is in the 
hands of an old man, chosen because of his superior merits and 
who, together with the old men of the tribe, dispenses justice accord- 
ing to their laws and customs. The decisions thus granted are 
- received with much humility. 
Murder is punished with death, if the murderer is not able to 
pay the family of the murdered one a certain quantity of bandi 
determined by a tribunal of the old men, the quantity being equiva- 
lent to ten or fifteen pesos. This being paid, the business is 
settled. 
The family of the murdered has the right to avenge itself by 
killing the assassin, provided, however, that the news of the deed 
has not yet been made known to the old men. 
Robbery or theft of whatever kind is punished by means of the 
lash, provided that the guilt of the person is proved, though should 
the thief be caught in the very act, the owner has the right to 
kill him. 
The crime of adultery or the abduction of a married woman is 
considered very grave and is punishable with a heavy fine. Should 
the husband surprise the guilty ones he has the right to kill them. 
A man is considered rich if he has sufficient rice to supply his 
needs for one year, if he has a large number of vessels and plates, 
bracelets of metal and shell, and much clothing. 
The Batacs of the mountains engage neither in agriculture nor 
in commerce. They show no kind of interest or love for planting 
palay which is their principal food; neither do they care to plant 
the tubers which are a substitute for rice in times of scarcity. For 
this reason there is much misery when there is no harvest. Scarcely 
one family among them will plant in their badly prepared soil 6 
gantas of palay, and seed fields are very rare that contain 25 
gantas of seed. It is only the chiefs who possess these and this is 
due to the fact that all their subjects are obliged to help them to 
break the soil, to plant, and to harvest. Among the Batacs exists 
