187£.] 497 [Gabb. 



penalty was not only enforced against improper marriage, but even 

 against illicit intercourse on the part of persons within the forbidden 

 limits. Mr. Lyon related to me a case that occurred since he has been 

 living in the country, where the power of the Chief Chirimo was insuffi- 

 cient to protect a man who married his second or third cousin. Fortu- 

 nately for the delinquents, they succeeded in making their escape, though 

 with difficulty, being followed two or three days' journey by the aven- 

 gers. 



Infidelity is not rare, and the husband has the redress of whipping the 

 woman and dismissing her if he desires, and of whipping her paramour 

 if he is able. But so cautious are the people about the blood limit of in- 

 termarriage, that a woman on giving birth to an illegitimate child, for 

 fear that it will not know the family to which it belongs, will usually 

 brave the punishment, and at once confess its paternity. 



As cousins are called brother and sister, so are not only the brothers 

 and sisters, but even the cousins of a wife or husband all called indiscrim- 

 inately brother and sister-in-law ; so that a person may on a single mar- 

 riage find that he has annexed fifty or a hundred of these interesting 

 relations. 



On the death of the head of the family, the next oldest brother, or in 

 default of a brother, a cousin or uncle assumes his place, and is then 

 called father by the children. This does not involve any especial mate- 

 rial duties, such as the support of the family ; but is rather a sort of 

 honorary title; giving him, however, the ruling voice in any family 

 council or discussion. 



On the death of an individual ; if a young person, a woman, or a per- 

 son of but little consequence, the body is prepared as soon as possible in 

 the manner described below, and carried to the forest ; but if a person 

 of more consiiei-ation, there are some preliminary ceremonies. These I 

 had the opportunity of witnessing in the case of an old man who died on 

 the Uren when I was present. He belonged to one of the distinguished 

 families, an ancestor, perhaps his father, having been one of the leaders 

 in the war with Tiribi, and he the heir fo, and possessor of, one of the 

 few gold "eagles," or insignia of rank. He died in the night, and next 

 morning, the body being in his hammock, covered with a piece of bark 

 cloth ; all of the chicha, chocolate, and food that the poor people of the 

 house could get together on short notice were prepared. A fire was 

 lighted, amidst singing, by twixiing a pointed stick in a s "cket on the 

 face of another. This was the sacred fire, which was communicated to a 

 small heap of wood placed on one side in the house. This could be used 

 for no common pur^iose whatever. No ordinary fire could be lighted 

 from it ; not even could one use a stick of it to light his pipe. It must 

 burn continuously for nine days. In case of its accidentally going out 

 before that time, it must be relighted in the same manner as at first ; and 

 at the end of that time, only a priest could extinguish it, and he only with 

 a calabash of chocolate, and during, or at the end rather, of the suitable 

 incantition. 



