Sketches from Formosa.

WELCOMED BY THE TSARISEN TRIBE 195
all of them wearing a reasonable amount of clothing
not a few, indeed, being rather prettily arrayed in bright-
coloured dresses, and ornamented with earrings, bangles,
and necklaces of cornelian stone.
Of course, we were at once conducted to the residence
of the Chief a long low substantially built house on
the left, with betel-nut palms in front, and a wide paved
court, into which had gathered a very eager and ex-
pectant crowd of the villagers. Another noticeable
building we passed was the storehouse or granary for
preserving the common stock of rice, millet, taro, and
sweet potatoes ; our attention having also been called
to a spacious stone platform under the wide-spreading
of an immense four-trunked banyan, and which the
by-standers told me was used as the Judgment-place
or general Palaver-house of the tribe.
I have referred to the Chief, but was not prepared
for a couple of stately-looking
meet me in that capacity. It
dames coming forth to
appears that in South
Formosa it is no uncommon thing to have women
acting as chiefs and village-elders ; an arrangement I
do not remember to have met with among any of the
northern tribes, but one which appears to
with complete success. The two women
work here
who now
welcomed us were sisters, had bright intelligent faces,
and were quite evidently accustomed to receive the
respectful obedience of the people
around them. As
already stated, their rule extends over eighteen villages ;
although it should be observed that, in addition, each
of those villages has also its own resident head-man or
head-woman, as the case may be.
Messengers having been sent on before to announce
our approach, the natives were there in strong force ;
and at the critical moment of introduction, as well as
during our subsequent speechifying and interviews