rem.'irk 



thut t 



e nKirriage 



ceremony 



was 



I very sini 



pleaftai, 



; it 



consistp 



1 in tl 



e l>ri<le,i.roo 



1 giving "^a 



slig 



It tap witl 



a wadd 



V to 



the hoxv 



ed hea 



1 of tlie hri 



le— not th 





ull-L-rackin^i. 



blow w 





fiction ^ 



i-it<M-s 



have descril 



ed. The 



ceroi 





ynibolic; 



lof 



the volu 



icary 



ulniiission, 



jn tlie par 



oft 



le woniaTi, 



to the la 



■ful 



fiuthorit 



yoftl 



enian. In 



the early 



days 



the people 



were chaste 



unkn 



the women were treated with increasing neglect. As an instance 

 of the degeneracy of the times I will mention one case. One day 

 T saw a native, who had passed the middle age of life, climb a 

 tree in search of an opossum. After tapping a hollow limb he 

 ascertained ti>e locality of the animals ne.^t. Then, with his 

 hatchet, he made a hole sou)e two feet from that spot and nearer 

 to the entrance of the hollow limb. Taking a g.T-en stick about 

 an inch in diameter and two feet long, after splitting the end 

 into several divisions he inserted it into tlie newly-made opening, 

 pressed it tiglitly against the animal, at the same time twisting 

 the stick, which tlius caught hold of the animars fur and skin so 

 that it was helplessly drawn from its resting-place. Catching 

 hold of its tail he swung the opossum against the tree, putting an 

 end to its life with one blow. Dropping it to the gtound he 

 quickly descended, and I had an opportunity of witnessing a 

 superb piece of native cookery in the days of native degeneracy. 

 The roasting consisted in burning oti" the fur. That being done 

 he took the untoothsome delicacy off the embers, and pr-oceeded 

 to carve it for his wife and his only son— a lad I should judge to 

 have seen a dozen summers. Carving without a knife and fork 

 was to him no diflicult feat. Taking the tail near the stun.p in 

 his mouth, and grasping each hind-leg with his right and left 

 hands, then closing his eyes he forced his arms af^irt, and the 

 joint was in three pieces. 'J'he tail, backbone and h('ad h- g^ve 



