on that treasure, their affairs are
not at the worst, and the idea of the little hoard serves to buoy up
their spirits and encourage them to struggle with wretchedness. It
usually therefore continues inviolate and descends to the heir, or is
lost to him by the sudden exit of the parent. From their apprehension of
dishonesty and insecurity of their houses their money is for the most
part concealed in the ground, the cavity of an old beam, or other secret
place; and a man on his death-bed has commonly some important discovery
of this nature to make to his assembled relations.

OUTLAWRY.

The practice of outlawing an individual of a family by the head of it
(called lepas or buang dangan surat, to let loose, or cast out with a
writing) has its foundation in the custom which obliges all the branches
to be responsible for the debts contracted by any one of the kindred.
When an extravagant and unprincipled spendthrift is running a career that
appears likely to involve his family in ruinous consequences, they have
the right of dissolving the connexion and clearing themselves of further
responsibility by this public act, which, as the writ expresses it, sends
forth the outcast, as a deer into the woods, no longer to be considered
as enjoying the privileges of society. This character is what they term
risau, though it is sometimes applied to persons not absolutely outlawed,
but of debauched and irregular manners.

In the Saxon law we find a strong resemblance to this custom; the kindred
of a murderer being exempt from the feud if they abandoned him to his
fate. They bound themselves in this case neither to converse with him nor
to furnish him with meat or other necessaries. This is precisely the
Sumatran outlawry, in which it is always particularly specified (beside
what relates to common debts) that if the outlaw kills a person the
relations shall not pay the compensation, nor claim it if he is killed.
But the writ must have been issued before the event, and they cannot free
themselves by a subsequent process, as it would seem the Saxons might. If
an outlaw commits murder the friends of the deceased may take personal
revenge on him, and are not liable to be called to an account for it; but
if such be killed, otherwise than in satisfaction for murder, although
his family have no claim, the prince of the country is entitled to a
certain compensation, all outlaws being nominally his property, like
other wild animals.

COMPENSAT