The virtue of the king’s wives is, however, most scrupulously guarded; each of them having a male and a female attendant, whose duty it is to watch them on all occasions. Should it be discovered that any of the queens have been unfaithful, these attendants are punished with death, unless they have given the first intimation.
Immediately after child-birth, women are obliged to retire to the woods, where they remain ten days, and must not be seen by the men. The queen, who had a daughter whilst I was there, had a house for the purpose of retirement; but, in general, they have no other shelter but what the woods afford. They also retire in the same manner three days in every month.[28]
A simple garment, called pow, forms the principal part of the dress of the women; it consists of a piece of cloth about one yard broad and three in length, wrapped several times round the waist, with the end tucked in below, and reaching to the calf of the leg. In cold weather, they throw another piece of cloth, like a plaid, over their shoulders. Round the neck they often wear wreaths of the leaves of a fragrant plant called miri, resembling those of the vine.
An ivory ornament, called palava, is very generally worn, suspended by a hair necklace, neatly plaited into small cords. The hole through which it is passed is large enough to admit the thumb, and the plaits are so numerous as to fill it entirely.
The hair is combed back in front, and plastered over with a kind of lime made from burnt shells. This practice bleaches that on the forehead nearly white.
Their heads are adorned with wreaths of flowers taken from the stalk, and strung on the stem of a small creeping plant. They prefer purple, yellow, and white, and arrange them alternately three or four inches of each colour. This is twined several times round the head, and has a very elegant appearance.
They are at great pains in ornamenting themselves, for which purpose every female is provided with a small mirror. All ranks pay the utmost attention to personal cleanliness.
The dress of the men consists merely of a small girdle, made of taper, called the maro. Upon great occasions, the chiefs wear elegant cloaks and helmets of red and yellow feathers.
The cloth called taper is entirely manufactured by women, and is made from a bark of a tree, which is first steeped in water, and then beat out with a piece of wood, grooved or furrowed like a crimping machine. The bark is laid upon another piece of wood, grooved like the former. As these two instruments are at right angles during the operation, the marks in the cloth are crossed like warp and woof.