618 
GOYEENMENT OF THE BANYAI. 
Chap. XXX. 
or daughter. When first spoken to on the subject, he answers as 
if he thought himself unequal to the task and unworthy of the 
honom% but, having accepted it, all the wives, goods, and children 
of liis predecessor belong to him, and he takes care to keep 
them in a dependent position. When any one of them becomes 
tned of this state of vassalage and sets up his own village, it is 
not unusual for the elected chief to send a number of the young 
men, who congvegate about himself, to visit him. If he does 
not receive them with the usual amount of clapping of hands 
and humility, they, in obedience to orders, at once burn his 
village. The children of the chief have fewer privileges than 
common free men. They may not be sold, but, rather than 
choose any one of them for a chief at any future time, the free 
men would prefer to elect one of themselves who bore only a very 
distant relationship to the family. These free men are a distinct 
class who can never be sold; and under them there is a class of 
slaves whose appearance as well as position is very degraded. 
Monina had a great number of young men about him from twelve 
to fifteen years of age. These were all sons of free men, and 
bands of young lads like them in the different districts, leave 
their parents about the age of puberty, and live with such men 
as Monina for the sake of instruction. When I asked the nature 
of the instruction I was told Bonyai,” which I suppose may be 
understood as indicating manhood, for it sounds as if we should 
say, to teach an American, Americanism,” or an English¬ 
man to be English.” While here they are kept in subjection 
to rather stringent regulations. They must salute carefuUy 
by clapping their hands on approaching a superior, and when 
any cooked food is brought, the young men may not approach 
the dish, but an elder divides a portion to each. They remain 
unmarried, until a fresh set of youths is ready to occupy their 
place under the same instruction. The parents send servants 
with their sons to cultivate gardens to supply them with food, 
and also tusks to Monina to purchase clothing for them. When 
the lads return to the village of their parents, a case is submitted 
to them for adjudication, and if they speak well on the point, the 
parents are highly gratified. 
When we told Monina that we had nothing to present but 
some hoes, he replied that he was not in need of those articles. 
