ITINBHART. Ixxi 



to be greedy and close in bargaining, though over a long and wide 

 experience one has to make very large exceptions, which shows that 

 they are much the same as civilised peoples, with the balance ot excuse 

 on their side, considering the conditions underwhich they live. Grasp- 

 ing as they may be as regards their simple needs, and when brought in 

 touch with the various desirable things that appeal to them and would 

 often make their lives easier, it is yet quite easy for unscrupulous 

 traders, travellers, and employers to take advantage of their ignorance, 

 and unfortunately this has often been the case, though it is doubtless 

 much less possible to-day than formerly, when there was less Govern- 

 ment supervision. 



A very marked characteristic is the absence" of any noisy quarrelling 

 amongst them, a condition resulting from the real recognition and 

 practice of personal rights under tribal custom. The only instances to 

 the contrary that ever came under my notice were those occasionally 

 brought about by the excessive paiwarri-drinking at their ceremonial 

 dances, or on the part of those who had been somewhat contaminated by 

 residence under civilised conditions. These last, too, would be the 

 ones likely to disregard the rights of ' property recognised by tribal 

 custom or law, if it may be so understood ; though there are many 

 communal features as regards many things. Thus while the prepared 

 food of a house would be private property as regards a newcomer or 

 passer-by, the roots in the field of cassava would be available freely for 

 use and preparation for the time being, it being incumbent on the 

 user to plant new sticks to supply the ai-ea reaped. With the 

 unsophisticated people, our things were always safe, however exposed 

 they might be in the house, and even in our absence ; and 'though they 

 would handle and examine them, item after item, quite unreservedly, 

 and even take them to pass round to others if they were particularly 

 interested, there was no thought of purloining, except in the minds of 

 suspicious owners, who would inteiTupt them under that impression. 

 In fact, this perfect freedom of access has a very great deal to do with 

 getting the people in the -frame of mind to fall in with one's wishes. 

 True, they would be assured that one had supplies of all the various 

 kinds of barter for payment, whether for work or for supplies of food, 

 yet they would be much more keen after seeing and handling them ; 

 nor were they less interested in one's personal outfit and apparatus, 

 articles of which were a never-failing source of amusement and wonder, 

 such for instance as a triple magnifying-lens, a field-glass, or books on 

 Natural History with coloured plates, especially of familiar objects 

 like the jaguar or the tapir, etc. To see these, they would often bring 

 in strangers who had heard of them at quite long distances away. 



One special type of appropriation of property— that of the nipples 

 of the common muzzle-loading guns used by them — may be mentioned 

 as an example where their principles may seem not to have been quite 

 proof a,gainst temptation, but which on the other hand may be 

 explainable otherwise. These nipples often wear down badly ; and 

 sometimes a huntsman will bring his gun in such case, asking for a 

 new nipple (which is always a part of barter carried) that he may go 

 and shoot meat for you. It is a simple and transparent way of getting 

 the gun in use again without paying directly for the means, but it is 



