264 THE CHOICE OF A CHIEF. 



own offspring. When dissatisfied with one candidate, they 

 even go to a distant tribe for a successor, who is usually of the 

 family of the late chief, a brother, or a sister's son, but never 

 his own son or daughter. When first spoken to on the subject, 

 he answers as if he thought himself unequal to the task and un- 

 worthy 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 village. The children of the chief have fewer 

 privileges than common 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 bauds 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 asked the nature of the instruction, one is told " Bonyai," 

 which 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 rather stringent regulations. They must salute 

 carefully by clapping their hands on approaching a superior, and 

 when any cooked food is brought the young men may not ap- 

 proach the dish, but an elder divides a portion to each. They 

 remain unmarried until a fresh set of youths is ready to occupy 

 their place under the same instruction. The parents send ser- 

 vants 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 adjudication, and if they speak well on 

 the point the parents are highly gratified. 



