222 A DRINKING PARTY. 



through the cloth, flowed the now released liquor, 

 which was received into well-shaped drinking- 

 horns of a conical form, and about nine inches 

 deep. One, full of the sparkling beverage, was 

 handed to me, Walderheros, in the first place, 

 pouring a little into the hollow of his hand and 

 drinking it, as the tasters of food and of drink of 

 old are represented to have done previous to serving 

 their superiors. This little ceremonial, though its 

 origin is entirely forgotten by the Shoans, is never 

 omitted by them, and we here find a custom, 

 first established by a fearful policy, still retained as 

 a matter of form, and as a dutiful obeisance of 

 inferiors to their masters. The drinking party sat 

 together in the dark talking for some hours, indus- 

 triously replenishing the horns until two of the jars 

 were emptied of their contents, when, pretty com- 

 fortable, no doubt, Walderheros and his friends 

 quietly subsided upon the ground, where they 

 had been sitting so long ; their busy talk was 

 stayed at once, and all was soon as still as the 

 night should be. 



July 3\st. — Long before sunrise I was again 

 disturbed by Tinta's servants, who were up and 

 leaving my house to return home, so as not to be 

 absent at the first call of their master. This day 

 was to be devoted to the beautifying and adorning 

 the new roof after the most approved design. 

 The broken neck of an old jar w^as soon found, 

 which served as a kind of coronet to gather the 



