FL661524

16
in deciding questions of dispute but no
one is actually the chief a king or ruler. They
have hardly a word that would signify chief
or king. The word Uddu may be applied
to a man who takes a formal part in a battle
or otherwise exercises some influence
Thy are continually almost at war talk against
tribe, [words crossed out] but their wars are not often
violent or fierce. A few words of [indecipherable]
made against a tribe or some quarrel about a woman
contemptuous song may [indecipherable] a battle. But
sometimes they settle their disputes by a kind
of duel or by a long angry discussion when
they at last make mutual concessions.
After a war is passed, it may be without
shedding much blood or even of someone
killed they often make friends before they
part. They dislike much of being [indecipherable]
cowards, and if afraid to fight their
antagonists they often procure a mediator
Thus they frequently got me to act as mediator [indecipherable]
I generally could guess when they were
afraid to fight, they then would commu-
nicate to me, for they knew I would [indecipherable]
their apprehension of a great fight. And if
I managed to stop the fight as I mostly
did, they would excuse their apparent [indecipherable]
[indecipherable] saying they would have fought but
Mr [indecipherable] prevented them. [words crossed out]