iv RELIGION 83

parents are agreeable the palai go on another day with zu, and
the girl's parents brew zu. The price to be paid is fixed by
custom, as before explained, but the amount to be paid down
has to be settled by negotiation, and this is often a long
business, the palai urging the poverty of the bridegroom's
family, while the bride's parents try to fix the sum as
high as possible. When this difficulty has been overcome
the palai go again with zu, and the girl's parents also
provide zu. On that day the girl is escorted by her friends to
the house of the bridegroom's parents. This is called "Loi." As
they pass through the village all the children pelt them with
dirt, but on arrival they are welcomed with brimming cups of
zu, and the bridegroom says to the bride, " Oh! your cloth is
dirty," and gives her a new one. After some time the bride-
groom produces a fowl, and this is killed by the puithiam,
who says certain charms while doing so. This fowl is called
" rem arJ1—i.e.," the fowl of agreement"—and directly it is
killed the bride and bridegroom pledge each other in zu. Then
the bride and her young friends retire, while the rest of the
party remain and have a great feast, consuming the " rem ar,"
and also the fowls and zu, which the bridegroom receives from
the bride's aunt, pu, thian, and palai. The next day
towards evening, the bridegroom's mother or other elderly
female relative goes to the bride's house accompanied by two
or three young girls, and they escort the bride to her husband's
house and hand her over to him. The young companions of
the bridegroom sometimes amuse themselves by collecting a
number of fowls under the house, tying she-goats up in the
verandah, while the kids are tied at the far end of the village,
and throw stones at the house throughout the night, so that
the happy couple get but little sleep. This is called "In-
ngaithlak." On the following morning the bride returns to
her mother's house, and for some time, occasionally for several
weeks, the bride will spend her days at her mother's house,
only going to her husband's after dark.

Different clans have different methods of disposing of their 8
dead. The following is the custom of all true Lusheis, whenever
the means of the deceased's family are sufficient to meet the
expenses.

G2