182 
BAPTISM OF BURNING. 
livers with all his might. If he fails to hit, he 
returns to the mark to play again in his turn ; 
but if he has succeeded, he plays a second time 
from where his quoit rested. There is a great 
similarity to marbles in this game, but marbles 
are much more easily played than the. discs. 
Most boys from ten to twelve have frightful 
sores upon the arms, produced by burning with 
stones heated in the fire. We were told this is 
to prevent small -pox, and they consider the scars 
a sign of bravery : this is, as it were, their bap- 
tism to the name of w brave.” These sores must 
give great pain indeed. Flies constantly settle 
upon them, which they whisk off very cleverly 
without apparently hurting the wound ; but I 
have sometimes seen them blowing on them, 
and doubtless the brave little martyrs must 
endure an amount of suffering of which a vacci- 
nation wound gives but a faint idea. 
I must give a word to the babies now, and am 
able to assure you that these savage parents are 
never harsh with their infants. To see the 
fathers carry them about in the evenings with 
kindly care, one could scarcely believe in the 
ferocity of their natures as we have sometimes 
seen it exhibited. The mothers seemed pleased 
at the notice I would take of their little ones, 
