354 
CUKTAILING THE OXEN. 
Chap. XVIII. 
my children; they knew no one but Sekeletu and me, and they 
would die for me ; they had not fought because I did not wish 
it; they had just spoken in the bitterness of their spirit, and 
when feeling that they could do nothing; but if these enemies 
begin you will see what we can do.” One of the oxeii we 
offered to the Chiboque had been rejected because he had lost 
part of his tail, as they thought that it had been cut off and 
witchcraft medicine inserted; and some mirth was excited by 
my proposing to raise a similar objection to all the oxen we 
still had in our possession. The remaining four soon presented 
a singular shortness of their caudal extremities, and though no 
one ever asked whether they had medicine in the stumps or 
no, we were no more troubled by the demand for an ox! We 
now slaughtered another ox, that the spectacle might not be 
seen of the owners of the cattle fasting, while the Chiboque were 
feasting. 
