CEREMONY IN GENERAL. 23 



branches stuck in the grave &quot; is common in a Moslem ceme 

 tery in Egypt. A statement of Wallis respecting the Ta- 

 hitians shows presentation of these parts of trees passing 

 into a religions observance: a pendant left flying on the 

 beach the natives regarded with fear, bringing green boughs 

 and hogs, which they laid down at the foot of the staff. 

 And that portion of a tree was anciently an appliance 

 of worship in the East, is shown by the direction in Lev. 

 xxiii. 40, to take the &quot; boughs of goodly trees, branches of 

 palm-trees,&quot; and &quot; rejoice before the Lord: &quot; a verification 

 being furnished by the description of the chosen in heaven, 

 who stand before the throne with &quot; palms in their 

 hands.&quot; The explanation, when we get the clue, 



is simple. Travellers narratives illustrate the fact that 

 laying down weapons on approaching strangers is taken to 

 imply pacific intentions. Obviously the reason is that 

 opposite intentions are thus negatived. Of the Kaffirs, 

 for instance, Barrow says u a messenger of peace is 

 known by this people from his laying down his hassagai or 

 spear on the ground at the distance of two hundred paces 

 from those to whom lie is sent, and by advancing from 

 thence with extended arms: &quot; the extension of the arms 

 evidently having the purpose of showing that he has no 

 weapon secreted. But how is the absence of weapons to be 

 shown when so far off that weapons, if carried, are invis 

 ible? Simply by carrying other things which are visible; 

 and boughs covered with leaves are the most convenient 

 and generally available things for this purpose. Good 

 evidence is at hand. The Tasmanians had a way of deceiv 

 ing those who inferred from the green boughs in their hands 

 that they were weaponless. They practised the art of hold 

 ing their spears between their toes as they walked: &quot;the 

 black . . . approaching him in pretended amity, trailed 

 between his toes the fatal spear.&quot; Arbitrary, then, as this 

 usage seems when observed in its later forms only, we find it 

 by no means arbitrary when traced back to its origin. 



