62 TIMEHRI. 
another colour, having long flutes of black reed hung 
with feathers. 
They perform on their flutes in two parts, the sound 
of which is not unpleasant. The new married husband — 
joins the dancers, sprucely decked out with singular 
feathers, and not having undergone such a long fast as 
his wife, he dances to his utmost. During the march the 
young married woman makes her appearance, accom- 
panied by two old ugly Indian women, who in their 
turn in a lacrymose strain sing airs in their language; 
the first who begins, enlarging on the troubles and 
difficulties of marriage and house-keeping; the latter, on 
the contrary, on the pleasures of marriage,—they go 
round the whole village, and on returning home the 
repast is found prepared, with every sort of fish and game 
and whatever fruit there is at hand; thus glorious 
drinking takes place all round, and the feast isconcluded 
with dancing. The Othomacs have a singular custom 
when they marry. When the young men become pubile, 
they give them for wives the oldest widows in the village, 
but when these die, they can marry a young girl. The 
reason they give for this is, that when a young man and 
girl wish to marry each other they are like two children 
joined together who are unacquainted with the cares 
of house-keeping, whereas an old woman tells him what 
is needed for existence; this however creates irregularities 
sometimes. I suspeét this law was made by grey old 
men, to keep the young girls to themselves. 
Though polygamy is allowed with them, most of them 
rest satisfied with two or three wives, and when they 
take more, it is considered as a sign of fortune and 
greatness, because to obtain them, they either make 
ts 
