182 
MISSIONARY LIFE 
as to the reason why, the reply was, The Bundoo 
Society done met close by last week, and the peo- 
> pie, especially women, go there/’ 
The Bundoo is a women’s secret society, and at 
this time was in session within six or eight miles 
of Bomphetook, and had created a good deal of ex- 
citement among the people in all the towns,, some 
five or six in number, between Shengay and Bom- 
phetook. The particular event which produced 
this was the fact that one of Chief Caulker’s girls, 
and one or more of the girls of each head-man 
in all these towns, had run away to join the Bun- 
doo. Our chief’s head- wife, and the head-wife of 
another town close to Bomphetook, were after 
their runaway daughters on this day. Chief 
George Caulker, and his father before him, with 
other head-men in the Sherbro country, are opposed 
to all these secret societies, and this explains why 
their daughters ran away to join the Bundoo, and 
why the mothers of these girls were after them to 
prevent them from uniting with the society. 
All we have been able to learn of the Bundoo is, 
that it is among the women about the same that 
the Burrow is among men. Both practice circum- 
cision, and are institutions having some age, and 
exerting considerable influence. Especially is this 
true of the Burrow Society. 
The Burrow and Toomah are composed of men 
