Funerals. 
56 Relation [1671 
They make a quantity of small wars of surprises which 
they call Souvous, going by night on the domains of their 
Enemies, to kill, pillage, & carry off what they can. 
There are often some vagabonds who assemble them¬ 
selves together & make these Souvous. 
After having spoken of War, I proceed to speak of 
death, which generally accompanies War. 
When there dies one of the Chiefs or others who may 
be rich, their wives, their relations, friends, & neighbours, 
come to bewail the dead, & ask him wherefore he has left 
them, what displeasure has obliged him to quit the world, 
if he lack’d riches, cattle & food : and if he is a man they 
ask him if he had not enough wives and what ’twas he 
wanted. If it is a woman, if she was not content with her 
husband, & if she had not what she desired from him, & 
an infinity of other similar wails which they make over 
the dead man or woman ; and not being able to obtain a 
reason, they leave some women with the dead person who 
recommence their cries as above, & make a quantity of 
postures and grimaces to the dead to oblige them to 
speak : they caress them & bewail, then sing their prowess, 
and at length laugh immoderately; and their laughter 
being finish’d they recommence weeping more than ever. 
These things last some days, during which they kill many 
horned cattle with which they make good cheer at the 
expense of the dead. There are players of instruments & 
beaters of tambours, with which they make a good noise. 
There are often met also Jugglers, Comedians, Singing 
men & Singing women, who, making many postures & 
grimaces, sing the praises of the Defunct persons. 
All these things being done, they deck the dead persons 
with whatever they have most rich, and carry them into 
their tombs, which they call Emounouques. These are 
Cottages built of solid timber for the sepulture of the 
dead. The Chiefs have their Emounouques apart where are 
