RITES AND CEREMONIES. 
85 
terms with his departed kinsfolk, and it is no 
uncommon thing to find a native laying out more 
money upon his family tomb than upon his own 
house. In some parts of the country the head¬ 
stones are carefully wrapped year by year with 
new larnbas and anointed with oil, and invoca¬ 
tions made by the whole assembled clan to the 
departed. As soon as a man takes to himself 
a wife, he sets about preparing his tomb, which 
often occupies him for years. It is usual to bury 
with the body any articles which may happen to 
have been particularly valued by the deceased 
during his lifetime, and clothes, watches, ac¬ 
cordions, books, and pictures are often placed 
upon the coffin before closing the vault. Above 
the royal tombs a small chamber is erected, and 
always kept in perfect order, and furnished with 
a table, chair, and vessels containing rice, beef, 
and wine. These are replenished at intervals by 
slaves whose duty it is to attend to these matters. 
These provisions are thus arranged in readiness 
for the refreshment of the spirit of the dead 
monarch, which is supposed at intervals to seek 
rest and refreshments in this chamber. Years 
ago it was the custom, on the death of a chief, to 
keep the corpse unburied for sometimes thirty 
days, or as long as the relatives could afford to 
sustain the funeral ceremonies. The body was 
then wrapped in numerous folds of silk or cotton 
