BURIAL AND WITCHCRAFT 
repeated again and again until blood is drawn. It 
should be remembered that the probe or arrow is 
always attached to the string and never escapes. The 
patient now leans forward, and the blood is allowed 
to flow profusely on to the ground. 
I have often seen as much as half a pint allowed 
to escape. When faintness supervenes the wound 
is staunched with ashes or any convenient styptic, 
and the patient sits up. If the ashes fail to act, 
cautery with a hot cinder is practised. Headache is 
the usual trouble for which this remedy is applied, 
and this frequency of bleeding may be the reason 
why there is no heart disease or sudden death among 
the natives. This may probably lend colour to the 
theory of some physicians, that the increase of heart 
disease and sudden death in civilised nations is due 
to the entire abandonment of bleeding, once certainly 
carried to excess. 
Although the women do all the hard work of the 
house and in the field, they are nevertheless regarded 
with affection. It is erroneous to suppose that they 
are compelled to be burden-bearers because they are 
lightly esteemed. As far as my own observation 
goes, the men are left free of loads, or are given 
lighter loads, in order that they may be ready to pro- 
tect the women from the sudden raids of other tribes. 
Their gardens are often a considerable distance from 
the village, and the women never go to gather yams 
or taro, or to till their patches, without an escort of 
young men as protectors. 
On the other hand, the men are not idle, but 
perform their part in the economic system by 
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