g the guests of the
vegetables and fruits, including all those which have been hung up
and displayed, as above described, and the _ine_ fruit, prepared in
two ways, and _malage_ fruit. Every male guest who has joined in the
real dance is, speaking generally, entitled to have a share; though
sometimes, where there are two or three members of one family, shares
may be given to one or two of them only, instead of to each. The chiefs
of the community giving the feast work together in carrying out the
distribution. The various things are collected into a number of heaps
about the village, the number of heaps corresponding to the number
of portions to be distributed; and each heap contains something of
everything. Excluded from these heaps, however, are the _ine_ seeds
which have been put on strings and preserved separately, as before
explained. For these are erected stakes about 10 feet high, round
which the strings of seeds are twined. The number of these stakes
is less than the number of heaps, because they are only planted
near to the heaps which contain none of the _ine_ fruit prepared
the other way, so that each dancing guest gets some of this fruit,
done in either one way or the other. Then the chiefs of the hosts'
community stand round one of the heaps and shout wildly, calling upon
the recipient. This may be done by name, or it may in the case of a
chief be done by the name of a spot, say a mound or hollow, adjoining
the village from which he comes. Here, again, priority is given first
to chiefs, and next to important personages. The man so called upon
comes running forward with his wife or another woman, picks up his
vegetables and fruit, and runs back again with them. Then the chiefs
go on to another heap, and again afterwards to the others, one by one,
going through the same process in each case, until everything has been
distributed. Some of the women then go back to their own villages,
carrying with them a portion of the food which has been given to their
husbands, but leaving the rest with the latter. Sometimes some of the
guest men go home also. But anyone who is proposing to return to the
village of the feast must leave some of his food, or bring food on
his return, as no more will be given to him.

Twelfth: The next stage is the collection of the village pigs. This
may take some time, as many of them are running about in the bush,
and have to be caught; and some of them have been agisted out as above
mentio