AMONG SAVAGE RACES. 469 



religion, though, if the name is applied "& des notions fantas- 

 tiques d'etres surnaturels et puissans, on ne sauroit nier 

 qu'ils n'eussent une croyance religieuse et meme line sorte de 

 culte exterieur." They believed in the existence of a heaven 

 for those who had killed and eaten many of their enemies ; 

 while those who were effeminate would be compelled to dwell 

 " avec Aygnan (le diable), aupres duquel elles sont perpetu- 

 ellement tourmentees."* Moreover, we must remember that 

 most travellers start with an entirely opposite impression? 

 and are only convinced against their wilL We have already 

 observed a case of this kind in Kolben, who, in spite of the 

 assertions of the natives themselves, felt quite sure that 

 certain dances must be of a religious character, "let the 

 Hottentots say what they will." Again, Mr. Matthews, who 

 went out to act as missionary among the Fuegians, but was 

 soon obliged to abandon the hopeless task, observed only one 

 act, " which could be supposed devotional/' He sometimes, 

 we are told, "heard a great howling or lamentation, about 

 sunrise in the morning; and upon asking Jemmy Button 

 what occasioned the outcry, he could obtain no satisfactory 

 answer ; the boy only saying, ' people very sad, cry very 

 much/ " This appears so natural and sufficient an explana- 

 tion, that why the outcry should be " supposed devotional," 

 I must confess myself unable to see. Once more, Dr. 

 Hooker states that the Khasias, an Indian tribe, had no 

 religion. Col. Yule,* on the contrary, says that they have* 

 but he admits that breaking hen's eggs is "the principal 

 part of their religious practice." But if most travellers 

 have expected to find a religion everywhere, and have been 

 convinced, almost against their will, that the reverse is the 

 case ; it is quite possible that there may have been others 

 who have too hastily denied the existence of a religion 



* Freycinet, vol. i., p. 153. f Yule. On the Khasia Hills and People, p. 18. 



