Chap. XXX. THE BANYAI. 405 



unsuccessfully, to get them as sons-in-law on the conditions 

 named. I saw several things to confirm the impression of 

 the higher position which women hold here ; and, being 

 anxious for a corroboration of my opinion, I afterwards in- 

 quired of the Portuguese, and was told that they had noticed 

 the same thing ; and that, if they wished a man to perform 

 any service for them, he would reply, " Well, I shall go and 

 ask my wife." If she consented, he would go ; but no amount 

 of coaxing or bribery wo id induce him to do it if she refused. 

 The Portuguese praised the appearance of the Banyai, and 

 they certainly are a fine race. A great many of them are of 

 a light coffee-and-milk colour, which is considered handsome 

 throughout the whole country, — a fair complexion being as 

 much a test of beauty with them as with us. They draw out 

 'heir hair iato small cords a foot in length, around each of 

 which they twine the inner bark of a certain tree, dyed a 

 reddish colour. Generally they allow the mass of dressed 

 hair to fall down to the shoulders, but, when they travel, they 

 draw it up to a bunch, and tie it on the top of the head. 

 They are cleanly in their habits. 



The birds here sing very sweetly, and I thought I heard 

 the canary, as in Londa. We had a heavy shower of rain, 

 and I observed that the thermometer sank 14° in one hour 

 afterwards. From the beginning of February we experienced 

 a sensible diminution of temperature. In January the lowest 

 was 75°, and that at sunrise ; the average at the same hour 

 (sunrise) being 79° ; at 3 p.m., 90° ; and at sunset, 82°. In 

 February it fell as low as 70° in the course of the night, and 

 the average height was 88°. Only once did it rise to 94°, 

 just before a thunder-storm ; yet the sensation of heat was 

 greater now than it had been at much higher temperatures 

 on more elevated lands. 



We continued a very winding course, in order to avoid the 

 chief Katol6sa, who is said t© levy large sums upon those 

 who fall into his hands, and we passed several villages by 

 going loundabout ways through the forest. The drums beat- 

 ing all night in one village near which we slept showed that 

 some person in it had finished his course. On the occasion of 

 the death of a chief, a trader is liable to be robbed, for the 

 people cons'der themselves not amenable to law until a new 



