Page:A voyage to Abyssinia (Salt).djvu/302

 the usual way, by having its throat cut, but by being stabbed in a thousand places.

They have neither priests, nor rulers, all men being looked upon as equals, though considerable respect is shewed to age; an old man being always allowed to drink first, and to enjoy the privilege of keeping two wives, while the younger are obliged to content themselves with one. When a young man is desirous of marrying, it is customary for him to give his sister to another man, and to take his in return; or, if he have no sister, he will go to war for the purpose of taking a female prisoner, who is immediately adopted as his sister, and formally exchanged; no other dower on either side being ever required. They do not marry so early as the Abyssinians, but wait till they are seventeen or eighteen years of age, yet no such thing as connection between the sexes is said to be ever known to take place till after marriage. Adultery is punished with death. The women, besides taking care of the house, assist the men in ploughing, and are entitled to an equal share of the produce of the land. When a child is born, the father gives it a name, which is generally derived from some circumstance connected with its birth, or an accidental mark on its body. The name of my informant was Oma-zéna, on account of his being, born with a wart on his hand; others were called "Im-magokwa," "born in the night," "wokéa," "born while making booza," "wunnéa," "born on the ground;" "magokwa," signifying "night," "kéa," "booza," and "ennea," "dust." When a man dies, he is buried without ceremony in his clothes: and the relations kill and feast on the cattle he leaves behind him, the wife having for her share, the household furniture which her husband may have possessed, and the sons inheriting his arms, implements of agriculture, and land. The favourite occupation of the men is hunting; and they indiscriminately eat the flesh of the elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, deer, snake, rat, or whatever else they can procure. The rhinoceros of this country has invariably two horns.

The arms of these savages consist of spears, shields, bows and arrows, and the tribe is continually engaged in war with the people of Metikul and Banja, who frequently invade the country for the express purpose of