188 
MADAGASCAR 
“ Then the one outside goes away, and those in the 
house begin again. Meanwhile the men remain in 
another house called trano laky (men’s house, or male 
house), and continually bring toaka (rum) and cooked 
meat for the women to eat, and there is a great noise 
and disturbance. And every evening they kill a num¬ 
ber of oxen and buy quantities of toaka; but on the 
final days of watching the corpse they bring up into the 
village a great many oxen, and all the men take their 
spears and spear the animals to death all over the 
village; and every one takes what meat he pleases, 
except the head, for the heads of all the oxen killed are 
collected together and placed one over another on long 
poles. 
“ And when the corpse is about to be buried, the 
widow is decorated profusely with all the ornaments 
she possesses, wearing a scarlet larnba, with beads and 
silver chains on her neck and wrists and ankles, long 
ear-rings depending from her ears to her shoulders, and 
silver ornaments on her head. Then she is placed in 
the house so as to be seen by every one, so that (they 
say) it may be seen how her husband adorned her 
while he was yet living; and when the people go away 
to the funeral she remains still in the house, and does 
not go to the grave. And all the cattle which were the 
property of the deceased, together with those of his 
family as well, are brought up near the village, so that 
people may see their numbers. Some of the oxen are 
taken to the path by which the corpse is to be carried, 
and, when the corpse approaches, men go before it to 
spear the oxen and lay the carcasses on the road, so 
that they may be stepped on by those who carry the 
corpse. If the grave is at some distance, this is done a 
