Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 3.djvu/140

 12G LAWS. compensation for murder must be quickly adjusted, or the friends of the deceased will be held justified in takinir reveng;:e with their own hands. The house of the chief of the village, or the place of worship, are considered places of refuge, and here the murderer must seek an asylum until he has paid the forfeit of his life. In illustration of the laws now referred to, I shall quote, from those of the different tribes, a few of the most striking : " If," say the laws of the Macassars, " a free man kill his equal, and take refuge with the chief or priest of his village, the murder shall be com- pensated by the following fines — for the murder of a man twenty dollars; for the murder of a wo- man thirty dollars." — " If a chief kill a free per- son, retribution shall not be demanded ; but he shall, notwithstanding, pay the price of blood, which, for a man, is twenty dollars, and for a wo- man thirty, and a mulct besides, of the same amount." — " When a person commits murder, he shall forthwith surrender himself to the chief of his village, and pay the usual compensation. If he ne- glect so to do, he may be killed by the friends of the deceased wherever taken." The laws of the Rejangs are as follow : " If a man kills his slave, he pays half his price, as Bangun to the Pange- rariy and the Tepung-bumi to the Proattins,** — " If a man kills his wife by jujur marriage, he pays her Bangun to her family, or to the Proaitins,