ASSAM AND THOSE OP THE TXDIAX ARCHIPELAGO. 
house, and the corpse being folded in clothes is placed thereon. By 
night and day the corpse is watched with great care, and as soon as 
it begins to decompose, large quantities of spirituous liquor are 
thrown over it; and whatever the deceased was in the habit of eat¬ 
ing and drinking in his lifetime (such as rice, vegetables, and liquor) 
Is placed once a month on the ground before the body. The vir¬ 
tues of the deceased are frequently rehearsed ; the heirs and rela¬ 
tives throw themselves on the earth, and make great lamentations 
for many months after the death has occurred. At the expiration 
of the period of the mourning, a great feast of liquor, rice, buffaloes’ 
and cow’s flesh is prepared by the suvivors ; and an immense num¬ 
ber of people, armed with their swords and spears and dressed in 
the most fantastical garb, as if preparing for a war expedition, are 
assembled to partake of it. They commence the festival by repeat¬ 
ing the name of the deceased, singing many kinds of songs, dancing 
and cursing the deity or spirit in these words : “If today we could 
see you, we would with these swords and spears kill you. Yes, we 
would eat your flesh ! yes, we would drink your blood! yes, we would 
burn your bones in the fire ! you have slain our relatives. Where 
have you fled to ? why did you kill our friend ? show yourself now, 
and we shall see what your strength is. Come quickly,-—today, and 
we shall see you with our eyes, and with our swords cut you in 
pieces, and eat you raw. Let us see how sharp your sword is, and 
with it we will kill you. Look at our spears, see how sharp they 
are : with them we will spear you. Whither now art thou fled ? 
than thou, spirit, who destroyest our friends in our presence, we 
have no greater enemy. Where are you now ?—whether hast thou 
fled ? 
“ With these, and similar speeches and songs, they clash their 
swords and weapons together, dance, and eat and drink throughout 
the night. On the following day the corpse is folded up in a cloth 
and placed on a new platform four or five feet high; and the whole 
of his weapons, swords, spears, panjees, chooga (hollow bamboo 
point, for holding water,) rice-dish, in fact everything used by the 
deceased in his lifetime, in now arranged round his bier, which is 
