GOVERNMENT OF THE BANYAL 661 



daughter. When first spoken to on the subject, he answers as 

 if he thought himself unequal to the task and unworthy of the 

 honor ; but, having accepted it, all the wives, goods, and children 

 of his predecessor belong to him, and he takes care to keep 

 them in a dependent position. When any one of them becomes 

 tired of this state of vassalage and sets up his own village, it is 

 not unusual for the elected chief to send a number of the young 

 men, who congregate about himself, to visit him. If he does 

 not receive them with the usual amount of clapping of hands 

 and humility, they, in obedience to orders, at once burn his vil- 

 lage. The children of the chief have fewer privileges than com- 

 mon free men. They may not be sold, but, rather than choose 

 any one of them for a chief at any future time, the free men 

 would prefer to elect one of themselves, who bore only a very 

 distant relationship to the family. These free men are a distinct 

 class who can never be sold ; and under them there is a class of 

 slaves whose appearance as well as position is very degraded. 

 Monina had a great number of young men about him from twelve 

 to fifteen years of age. These were all sons of free men, and 

 bands of young men like them in the different districts leave 

 their parents about the age of puberty, and live with such men 

 as Monina for the sake of instruction. When I asked the nature 

 of the instruction, I was told " Bonyai," which I suppose may be 

 understood as indicating manhood, for it sounds as if we should 

 say, "to teach an American Americanism," or "an Englishman 

 to be English." While here they are kept in subjection to rath- 

 er stringent regulations. They must salute carefully by clap- 

 ping their hands on approaching a superior, and when any cooked 

 food is brought, the young men may not approach the dish, but 

 an elder divides a portion to each. They remain unmarried un- 

 til a fresh set of youths is ready to occupy their place under the 

 same instruction. The parents send servants with their sons to 

 cultivate gardens to supply them with food, and also tusks to 

 Monina to purchase clothing for them. When the lads return to 

 the village of their parents, a case is submitted to them for adju- 

 dication, and if they speak well on the point, the parents are high- 

 ly gratified. 



When we told Monina that we had nothing to present but 

 some hoes, he replied that he was not in need of those articles, 



