of Edinburgh, Session 1883 -84 
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enjoy themselves. Soon, however, they found that they M^ere 
encircled by men, who set fire to the grass on all sides. The rabbit 
was most officious in proposing plans of escape. One of his sugges- 
tions was that the weasel (?) should make a hole in the ground, into 
which they might all flee for refuge. When the danger came quite 
near, he forgot every one else in his endeavours to save himself, but 
without avail, for they were all burnt up except the weasel (?), and 
a small bird who had been on the watch, and who, as soon as he 
saw the danger, warned his friends, and then flew away. The rabbit 
came to his end as follows : — The weasel (?) had taken his advice 
and dug a hole in the ground, into which he entered, but the rabbit 
bit off his tail and pulled him out, getting into the hole himself. 
In revenge, the weasel told the men where the rabbit was, and as 
they looked for him the weasel managed to make good his own 
escape. 
Hunting . — The hunting season is a very important time in the 
Madi country, for it immediately follows a period of agricultural 
labour, and finds the people ready for the enjoyment of a holiday, 
and of a sport which they keenly appreciate. When the corn is all 
dried and stowed away in the granaries, the hunting begins, and 
continues for several months — that is, until the rain commences 
again. Very large hunting parties are formed, people from numerous 
villages assembling together, and being sometimes joined by parties 
from other friendly tribes. 
The following is the way in which the notice of a hunt is given : — 
A man is sent round to all the villages, and as he passes by each 
hut he strikes with a peculiar stick one of the stones by the door 
of the hut. This signal is followed by a formal declaration that a 
hunt is arranged for a given day, and that all who wish to take part 
are to meet at a given place. When the time has arrived, and the 
hunters assembled, they divide into companies, and encircle a tract 
of country often several miles in extent. One company takes up 
its position on the side from which the wind blows, and sets fire to 
the long grass; as it is burnt down, the animals rush towards the 
other companies, who stand in long double rows, shooting their 
prey as they pass by. If a buffalo happens to be amongst the fugi- 
tives, he usually proves an awkward customer, as instead of running 
straight forward he will rush into the ranks of his foes, and cause 
