1868.] Dwelling 8 , works of art x laws, Sfn. of the Karens, 157 



Before the examination, he says; u Fowl, possessor of superhuman 

 powers, fore-endued with divine intelligence, thou scratchest with 

 thy feet, thou peckest with thy bill, thou goest unto Khu-hte 

 (king of death), thou goest unto Tlm-ma (monarch of death,) thou 

 goest to Shc-oo, (the brother of God), thou goest into the presence 

 of God ; thou seest unto the verge of heaven, thou seest unto the 

 edge of the horison. I now purpose to go and attack that village. 

 Shall we be hit, shall we be obstructed ? If we go, shall we sutler, 

 shall we die by the bow, shall we be pierced by the spear, shall we 

 weary ourselves, shall we exhaust ourselves ? If so, reveal thyself 

 unfavourable." 



If the omens are unfavourable, he dismisses the troops and each one 

 returns to his home, to wait for a more auspicious opportunity. When 

 he calls them again, he proceeds as before; and on consulting the 

 fowl's bones, prays ; " We will go and attack that house. Shall we 

 overcome, shall we utterly destroy? Shall we escape being hit by 

 the bow, and speared by the spear ? Shall we not stumble on any- 

 thing ? If they will not resist us, but their lives be destroyed, their 

 village come to utter destruction, then, fowl, reveal thyself favourable." 



If the bones give the desired response, the elder that reads it, says : 

 " The bones are good. If we go, we shall meet with no disaster. 

 We shall seize and kill the whole ; and if any should remain, they 

 will not be able to resist us." 



Then the head of the war leaps up and calls out exultingly to his 

 troops, that they will certainly be victorious. He says ; " Soldiers, 

 par not, nor be anxious. Go fight and be strong. If two or three 

 of you are killed, I am your Lord. If in the battle a spear is broken, 

 bring me the handle ; if the barrel of your musket drops out, bring me 

 the stock. I will replace everything. If one or two are killed, 

 bring their bodies to me, I will clothe them, I will give them 

 shrouds and pay their value." 



He calls for two to volunteer to be first to go up the ladder into 

 the house first, and these he addresses ; " You are a hunting dog, you 

 are a wild boar. If you succeed, you are worthy of a gong, and you 

 shall have it ; you are worthy of a buffalo, and you shall have it. 

 If you cannot succeed, if you are killed ; let not those you leave be- 

 hind ask a buffalo of me, let them ask a fowl. Let them not ask of 



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