248 K. H. MATHEWS. 



man who has been asked for, 1 and tells him to be ready to 

 defend himself. 



The doomed man then catches his best shield and stands 

 out to parry the spears which are thrown at him by the 

 kinsmen of the deceased. All the spears intended for this 

 purpose have been charmed and anointed with human fat, 

 to render their course unerring and increase their power. 

 The spears must all be thrown from one direction, namely, 

 the front of the victim. Perhaps the man wards off a con- 

 siderable number of the missiles with little or no injury, 

 until one spear, which is therefore believed to have been 

 more specially greased than the rest, catches him in a 

 vital part, and he falls to the ground. Two or three of the 

 assailants then rush upon him and despatch him, and the 

 members of the surrounding cordon thereupon shout, 

 wirrh ! wirrh ! 



The avengers quickly gather round the dead man and 

 with their stone knives flake off portions of skin and flesh 

 from the middle of the back down to the buttocks, from 

 the chest, and from the backs of the legs. This skinning 

 is not done all in one piece, but may be in flakes about the 

 size of a man's hand. His kidney fat is also taken out. 

 As soon as the pieces of flesh are secured and placed in 

 their guraga bags, the invaders leave the camp hurriedly 

 and make their way back to their secret bambilli of the 

 previous night, where they roast and eat some of the flesh 

 of the murdered man. They now sing and jump around 

 the marked tree in a defiant manner, throwing their clubs 

 at it to exorcise its power, while they mutter "um! uml" 

 This is believed to have the effect of preventing their 

 enemies from following them. 



1 In 1896 I reported that every man has a secret name which is known 

 only to himself and the initiated men of the tribe. Journ. Anthrop. Inst., 

 Vol. xxv., p. 310. 



