436 



A NATUJtALISTrS WANDEIIINOS 



mmt; or in some districts it is placed on a bier in a Httle 

 but prepared for it near the dwelling of the nearest relative. 

 If a son die before his father's remains have been eomniitted 

 to the ground, tlie primary and imperative duty of biarial de- 

 volves on his heir with his other obligationa. The knowledge 

 of " who is who *' among the various dangling remnants of 

 humanity is handed down from each iuJieritor to each soc- 

 ceeding heir of the obligation ; when at last sufficient buffaloes, 

 pigs, goats, Indian corn, rice, and kanipa for a feast in accord- 

 ance with the rank of the deceased have been amassed, the 

 body, in such condition as it happens to be, is laid, attired and 

 urnaDiented in its best garments and finery, in a short wooden 

 coflin dug out of a block of wood, along with the various gifts 

 which the relatives had perhaps deeiides before bestowed on 

 it, and the whole, wrapped in a " patola," or ornamented cere- 

 cloth, is committed to the grave amitl the firing of guns and 

 the wailing of women. 



From the time the funeral company arrives, which is 

 generally many days before that actually appointed for the 

 int<irment, buffaloes and horses, sheep and pigs are ruthlessly 

 butchered to satisfy the insatiable appetites of these savages, 

 who devour it half-cooked, and whose drink throughout the 

 whole period of the ceremonies is confined t^ the strongest 

 and coarsest arrack. Under the influence of this stimulant 

 the women starting u|i, and falling into a ring, each beating 

 a r<jund drum, commence to dance, going round and round in 

 a circle, at first slowly, then by degrees faster and fastar, till 

 they become thoroughly excited Shouting and bawling out 

 unintelligible words or sentences, they constantly increase the 

 pace of their prance and the din of their voices, till the men 

 at last Ix^coming excited also, dress themselves in their war- 

 feathers and accoutrements, and brandishing their swords, join 

 in the dnniken and demoniacal scene, which continues to 

 increase in fury till the wearied-out frames of the performeis 

 sink through utter exhaustion, which it often requires, so mad 

 is their frenzy, a whole circuit of the sun to produce. In such 

 a scene the Timorese appear as pure savages. 



When these orgies at last come to a close, tlie skulls and 

 cheekbones of the slain herds are strewn over the ground 

 • among the stones heapeil n jmn it at the time of burial ; or in 



