y
advance slowly toward each other, swinging the drawn bow and arrow
into play as if to shoot, then, apparently changing their minds or
the opportunity not being good for a death shot, they withdraw again
to the far ends of the ring. Advancing once more each one throws the
drawn bow and arrow upward, then toward the ground, calling heaven
and earth to witness his vow to kill the other. Presently one gets a
favorable opportunity, his bowstring twangs, and his opponent falls to
the ground. The victor utters a cry of triumph, dances up to the body
of his fallen foe, and cuts off the head with his bolo. He beckons
and cries out to the relatives of the dead man to come and avenge the
deed. Nobody appearing, he bears aloft the head of the enemy, shouting
exultingly and triumphantly as if to taunt them to respond. Still no
one comes. Then after waiting and listening for a time he replaces the
head with the trunk and covers the body over with leaves and dirt. This
ends the dance. Ordinarily it requires fifteen minutes for the full
performance. During this time the one who by previous arrangement
was to be the victor never for a single instant pauses or loses step.

CHAPTER VI

GENERAL SOCIAL LIFE

The Child

I was unable to learn anything in support of Montano's statement
that immediately after the birth of a child the mother rushes to a
river with it and plunges into the cold water. [20] On the contrary,
the child is not washed at all until it is several days old, and
the mother does not go to the stream until at least two days have
elapsed. It is customary to bury the placenta. The birth of a child
is not made the occasion of any special festivity. The naming is
usually done on the day of birth, but it may be done any time within
a few days. It is not common for the parents of the child to do the
naming, though they may do so, but some of the old people of the tribe
generally gather and select the name. Names of trees, objects, animals,
places near which the child was born, or of certain qualities and acts
or deeds all furnish material from which to select. For instance,
if a child is born under a guijo tree he may be called "Guijo;" a
monkey may be playing in the tree and the child will be named "Barac"
(monkey); or if the birth was during a heavy rain the child may be
called "Layos" (flood). Usually the most striking object near at hand
is selected. Like most primitive peoples, the Negritos use only one
na