kabe_ five, is
simply _abba_ one, and _akkabu_, hand; that the word for six is
literally "one [finger] of the other [hand]," for seven "two [fingers]
of the other [hand]," and so on to ten, which is compounded of _biama_
two, and _akkabu_ hands. Would they count eleven, they say _abba
kutihibena_ one [toe] from the feet, and for twenty the expression is
_abba lukku_ one man, both hands and feet. Thus, in truth, they have
only four numerals, and it is even a question whether these are
primitive, for _kabbuhin_ seems a strengthened form of _abba_, and
_bibuti_ to bear the same relation to _biama_. Therefore we may look
back to a time when this nation knew not how to express any numbers
beyond one and two.

Although these numbers do not take peculiar terminations when applied to
different objects, as in the languages of Central America and Mexico,
they have a great variety of forms to express the relationship in which
they are used. The ordinals are:

atenennuati, first.
ibiamatteti, second.
wakabbuhinteti, our third, etc.

To the question, How many at a time? the answer is:

likinnekewai, one alone.
biamanuman, two at a time, etc.

If simply, How many? it is:

abbahu, one.
biamahu, two.

If, For which time? it is:

tibiakuja, for the first time.
tibiamattetu, for the second time.

and so on.

VERBS.

The verbs are sometimes derived from nouns, sometimes from participles,
sometimes from other verbs, and have reflexive, passive, frequentative,
and other forms. Thus from _lana_, the name of a certain black dye,
comes _lannatuen_ to color with this dye, _alannatunna_ to color oneself
with it, _alannattukuttun_ to let oneself be colored with it,
_alanattukuttunnua_ to be colored with it.

The infinitive ends in _in_, _uen_, _un_, _an_, _unnua_, _en_, and _un_.
Those in _in_, _uen_, _un_, and _an_ are transitive, in _unnua_ are
passive and neuter, the others are transitive, intransitive, or neuter.

The passive voice is formed by the medium of a verb of permission, thus:

amalitin, to make.
amalitikittin, to let make.
amalitikittunnua, to be made.
assimakin, to call.
assimakuttuen, to let call,
assimakuttunnua