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,
and that he had absolute power over the country in front,
and if he prevented us from proceeding, no one would say any thing to him.
His little boy Boromo having come to the encampment to look at us,
I gave him a knife, and he went off and brought a pint of honey for me.
The father came soon afterward, and I offered him a shirt.
He remarked to his councilors, "It is evident that this man has nothing,
for, if he had, his people would be buying provisions, but we don't see them
going about for that purpose." His council did not agree in this.
They evidently believed that we had goods, but kept them hid,
and we felt it rather hard to be suspected of falsehood.
It was probably at their suggestion that in the evening
a wardance was got up about a hundred yards from our encampment,
as if to put us in fear and force us to bring forth presents.
Some of Monina's young men had guns, but most were armed
with large bows, arrows, and spears. They beat their drums furiously,
and occasionally fired off a gun. As this sort of dance is never got up
unless there is an intention to attack, my men expected an assault.
We sat and looked at them for some time, and then, as it became dark,
lay down, all ready to give them a warm reception. But an hour or two
after dark the dance ceased, and, as we then saw no one approaching us,
we went to sleep. During the night, one of my head men, Monahin, was seen
to get up, look toward the village, and say to one who was half awake,
"Don't you hear what these people are saying? Go and listen."
He then walked off in the opposite direction, and never returned.
We had no guard set, but every one lay with his spear in his hand.
The man to whom he spoke appears to have been in a dreamy condition,
for it did not strike him that he ought to give the alarm. Next morning
I found to my sorrow that Monahin was gone, and not a trace of him
could be discovered. He had an attack of pleuritis some weeks before,
and had recovered, but latterly complained a little of his head.
I observed him in good spirits on the way hither, and in crossing
some of the streams, as I was careful not to wet my feet, he aided me,
and several times joked at my becoming so light.
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