326 R. H. MATHEWS. 



any of her work. Another time he collects a few rotten 

 toadstools, pieces of putrid meat, pounded charcoal, or 

 human excreta, and proceeds on his rounds. He will raise 

 a loud lamentation, and on the people running to him to 

 see what is the matter, he pelts them with the contents 

 of his bag. Perhaps he has in his bag a live opossum from 

 which all the fur has been plucked. He suddenly liberates 

 the animal, which runs away among the spectators. 



If he finds a little boy going about by himself, he picks 

 him up and runs towards a water hole with him, pretend- 

 ing he is going to drown him. On being pursued by the 

 child's mother, or another woman, he lets him drop, and 

 goes <»n. Whilst travelling through the camp he is con- 

 st;' ui!\ gesticulating in an indecent manner, and if he has 

 to comply with any necessity of nature, he does it wherever 

 lie happens to be at the moment, in view of everyone. 



If the graduate sees some men sitting at a camp, he will 

 challenge them to come and wrestle with him. If they are 

 i asting a small animal on the coals, he may rush up and 

 upset it into the dirt, or cast filth upon it, or perhaps he 

 will take hold of it and put it into his bag. 



11' a number of women or girls are bathing in a river or 

 waterhole near the camp, he sneaks up close to them under 

 cover of some bushes, and suddenly dashes out shouting 

 and gesticulating to make them believe that enemies are 

 assailing them. Several men run to the rescue, pretending 

 they think some wild blacks have attacked the women, and 

 the graduate disappears. 



The guardian renews the painting of the novice's body 

 and the sides of his head every morning and sees that the 

 contents of his bag are satisfactory. He also provides the 

 youth with a burning brand, composed of two pieces of dry 

 bark placed side by side, which he carries in his hand, 

 enveloped in green leaves. As soon as this bark smoulders 



