when camp is moved each woman carries
virtually the whole household and the entire worldly belongings of the
family. Thus it is a common sight to see a woman carrying a load
consisting of one or two children and a quantity of miscellaneous
implements, such as heavy grindstones, stone hatchets, sewing-bones, yam-
sticks, &c. During the shifting of the camp the braves themselves stalk
along practically unencumbered, save only for their elaborate shield,
three spears (never more), and a stone tomahawk stuck in their belt of
woven opossum hair. The men do not smoke, knowing nothing of tobacco,
but their principal recreation and relaxation from the incessant hunting
consists in the making of their war weapons, which is a very important
part of their daily life. They will even fell a whole tree, as has
already been explained, to make a single spear shaft. As to the shield,
the elaborate carving upon it corresponds closely with the prowess of the
owner; and the more laurels he gains, the more intricate and elaborate
becomes the carving on his shield. Honour prevents undue pretence.

But we have wandered away from the consideration of the girl-children.
The baby girls play with their brothers and participate in their fights
until they are perhaps ten years of age. They are then expected to
accompany their mothers on the daily excursions in search of roots. When
the little girls are first taken out by their mothers they are instructed
in the use of the yam-stick, with which the roots are dug up out of the
earth. The stick used by the women is generally three feet or four feet
long, but the girl novices use a short one about fifteen inches in
length. Each woman, as I have said elsewhere, is also provided with a
reed basket or net, in which to hold the roots, this being usually woven
out of strings of prepared bark; or, failing that, native flax or palm
straw.

But the unfortunate wife occasionally makes the acquaintance of the heavy
yam-stick in a very unpleasant, not to say serious, manner. Of course,
there are domestic rows. We will suppose that the husband has lately
paid a great amount of attention to one of his younger wives--a
circumstance which naturally gives great offence to one of the older
women. This wife, when she has an opportunity and is alone with her
husband, commences to sing or chant a plaint--a little thing of quite her
own composing.

Into this song she weaves all the abuse which long experien