SIX YEARS AMONG CANNIBALS.

From Household Words. bals were killed. They lost their heads. Without the least delay their bodies were cut up, and preparations made for a feast. I AM physician to a hospital in a large sea- The large bones were cut out to make fishport town. My curiosity was aroused lately hooks, spear-heads, tattoo instruments; parby the face of a man, which, as it lay upon ticular parts were cut off to be given as the pillow of a hospital bed, looked singularly offerings to the gods, and the rest of the savage. It was marked by a broad blue line flesh was cooked. Holes were then dug in extending from the lower level of his nose to the earth, and filled with dry wood, some an inch below the lips, and from the back of large stones being placed here and there one whisker to the back of the other. among the wood, to be heated when the pile Evidently such a tattoo-mark was not one was fired. After ignition, fresh wood was with which any white man would have been heaped on, and the fire kept up until the willingly disfigured. On the patient's re- ground had been made thoroughly hot. The covery I put some questions to him, and ashes being then raked out, the flesh was obtained the substance of the following put into the holes, and covered with the account. For several reasons I believe the stones and embers. It was so left for about tale to be a true one. It was not volunteered; half an hour, and at the end of that time the man appeared to be ashamed of his own taken out, and eaten by perhaps two hundred story, and required a steady cross-examination men. Before the feast was ready, the men before he would yield up half of what he had begun to drink an intoxicating liquor, had to say. The cross-questioning produced which resembled soap-suds in appearance, no inconsistent statements; no published ac- and soon took effect. This was the Cava counts contradict anything that he states; cup, of which travellers have written, and and he mentions many facts known in this Lord Byron has sung. Having no rum or country through books which it is not likely other spirits, and not understanding the way to prepare any ordinary fermented liquors, the islanders had been led to the discovery of a strange substitute. They procure a root called Cava root (which appears, by the by, to be very rich in starch); they cut it up, and chew it thoroughly; they then wash it in water, strain it through tappa cloth; and, throwing the fibrous part away, retain the washings. These are allowed to stand for a short time, during which they ferment, and acquire intoxicating power. This drink appears to act as slow poison; for indulgence in. it reduces men often to a miserable state of nervousness and blindness.

that he ever read.

David or Daniel Dash, native of the state of Virginia, embarked on board a whaling ship, as a common seaman, at the age of nineteen. His ship sailed round Cape Horn, and had been cruising about for perhaps nineteen months, when she was overtaken by a storm near the Marquesas; there she was driven ashore in spite of all exertions, and soon went to pieces. The crew consisted of thirty persons. The captain and twenty-four men took to the boats, and he believes escaped. He and four others swam to land. As soon as they arrived on shore they were surrounded by the natives, made prisoners, and carried a few miles into the interior. Being then placed in a long hut, the prince or chief came to them and arranged them in a line. Without any delay the choice was offered to them whether they would be tattooed or killed. The chief easily made his meaning understood; he produced first the usual tattooing implements, pointed to the marks on his own person, and then to the bodies of his prisoners. Presenting next a knife, he made a feint of cutting off their heads.

After this dumb-show, the chief offered to each man in succession, dagger or bowl, that is to say, knife or tattooing apparatus. Would they be dead men or savages? Dash's four companions, being his seniors, polled first at this election, and they chose the knife. He was, however, young to die, and willing to do anything to save his life. He chose to be tattooed. As soon as the decision of the five men had been ascertained, the four who had disdained to be made comrades by the canni

These natives seem from Daniel's account to be epicures in cannibalism; and it is rather agreeable to white men to know that they do not think so much of white men as they do of black. Black men's flesh is greatly preferred to pork, and their fondness for it is so decided that no man of that color would ever have a choice given him for his life. The whites on the contrary usually meet with the same treatment that Dash and his companions had experienced. The feast being over, tattooing operations were commenced upon him. The instruments employed were pieces of bone filed into the shape of very fine saws; they were about three inches long and varied from a pen-knife's to two fingers' breadth; these were set in cane handles, and when used were placed upon the skin and struck by a sort of wooden mallet till blood spirted out. Burnt human bones were then rubbed in over the wounds. The process was exceedingly. painful, so much so that only small portions of the skin were painted at a sitting. Three months elapsed before the whole tattooing

was compete. Dash was marked on the face,
on the breast, on the back, and from the toe
nails to the ankles. All the natives of this
island and the neighboring ones are tattooed.
The process seems to be compulsory, like some
of the initiations practised by the North
American Indians. It has to be undergone
alike by men and women. The priests or
doctors, called" Vahanna," are the operators,
The usual age for the operation is eighteen.
The father hands over his children to the
operator as they reach that age, with a certain
sum, either of goods, money, or land. In case
of his death before the children are suffi-
ciently mature he leaves some of his land for
the same purpose. The men
are usually
tattooed in patterns, women more plainly.
In women the lips are marked by small spots,
the ears are bored, and round the hole, faint
blue concentric lines are drawn. The hands
are marked as far as the wrists, looking as if
they were gloved. The feet are marked in a
similar way as far as the ankle, and there
extend stripes from the upper margin of this
tattooed shoe to the knee joint.

the infant. None of the people like cooked
fish; they all prefer it raw. Few die in in-
fancy; the great majority of children born
are reared. They seem almost to have an in-
stinct for the water. As soon as they can
walk to the edge of the stream they walk into
it, and they can swim as soon as or even
before they have learnt to run.
I may ob-
serve that all children appear to have a par-
ticular fondness for the water; but those only
can indulge it who go constantly either quite
naked, or in clothes not liable to be injured,
who at the same time have access to water
mild and genial as our summer air.

The natives of the Marquesas keep up their swimming powers throughout their lives, and attain extraordinary faculties. They have no fear of sharks; when one appears in the bay the natives singly or in numbers "go out to attack it" in its own element with their knives They have canoes, which they manage cleverly, and use in trading excursions to other islands, or in fishing.

The color of the islanders is similar to that of many a tawny Spaniard — a light When the process of tattooing had been mahogany. The men and women are of a properly completed, Dash was adopted by medium height, well made, and often very the chief into the tribe. This man "changed good-looking. Their dress consists of a piece places with him,' gave up his seat to him," of tappa cloth round the loins, concerning and "they exchanged names;" Dash became which they are as careful and proud as we Coonooai (Coonooy) or "the great chief," are in reference to the quality and fashion of and the chief David or Daniel Dash. The our more numerous and costly garments. chief could pronounce Daniel better than David, and so adopted that one of the two names which the sailor claims a right to use at option. The chief also gave him his daughter to wife, a well-built, handsome woman of nineteen years of age. He had to marry" also four-and-twenty others, who expected to be treated as his lawful spouses, but who were in some degree inferior to the princess.

room

The brothers and friends of these wives soon built for their new associate a hut of bamboo, in which the entire family resided. A small compartment was made for the princess and her spouse a sort of stateto mark their superiority. He was in every way treated as a chief; the brothers of his wife prepared his victuals; a pig was killed every second day for the use of his household, and they had as many boiled potatoes as they could eat. He had four children only during the time he remained on the island, three of whom died in their infancy. He was about ten months before he could speak the language perfectly, but he could make himself understood much earlier.

The women, he says, have, on the whole, few children. They suffer scarcely anything at a confinement; and do not usually nurse their children very long; they feed them with Cocoa-nut, bread-fruit, and raw fish, all these being finely chewed before they are given to

This tappa cloth is made by beating a part of the bark of the bread-fruit tree with a sort of wooden mall, which breaks up its fibres so that they may be stretched out, like the lace bark of the West Indies. This is carefully washed and bleached until it becomes as white and as fine as linen. It is never woven.

In disposition the islanders are, by Daniel's account, true savages. They are constantly at war with neighboring tribes. The country is full of mountains and woods, the former being very steep and difficult, the latter dense and extensive. The valleys and bays are the parts in and about which the inhabitants are chiefly clustered. A distance of four miles is frequently all the interspace between the lands belonging to two hostile tribes. The men are constantly at war, and have the Dyak fondness for heads. Scarcely a moonlight night elapses but one man or other goes on a head-hunting excursion. They often go alone, but usually hunt in twos or threes. They start before night-fall, so as to arrive in the neighborhood of the intended victim shortly after dark; they then either lie in ambush for a lone man, or go to a hut, disguising their voices, ask for shelter, or a light for their pipes. When the door is opened, they rush in; and if they can succeed in overpowering the inmates, they kill them, cut off their heads and return. The bodies are too heavy to be dragged over the mountains. The

to man

trophy or trophies being thus secured, are commonly savage amongst themselves, as man cut into as many parts as possible, and given - rather as man to woman. He had to the numerous gods to propitiate them and seen men thrashing women with the butt end to procure from them good luck. These gods of a musket, and had known limbs to be are usually uncouth figures, but by oversight broken in this way. In such cases it would I omitted to examine Daniel on this subject. be of no use for the wife to go home to her He spoke contemptuously of the people for father; he would only thrash her again and believing just what their doctor priests told send her back. It is not often that actual them said that they told them all sorts of murder takes place; when it does, atonement things but did not, of his own will, particu- is made to the friends of the deceased by larize any. presents, or the murderer is driven out into another tribe.

tions of the life of the living to convey food to the dead. Unlike some other savage nations, they keep the old people during the helplessness of age with assiduous care; the younger members of the family, or of the tribe, supply them regularly with provisions.

The climate is warm, genial, and healthy; sickness is rare; nevertheless, from the causes before mentioned, the population is on the decrease. Daniel was not aware that any European diseases had been introduced, nor were the people habitually given to intoxication.

As his account of the Taboo agreed completely with that made familiar by many The islanders have enough regard for their writers, not forgetting Herman Melville, I friends to show the delicate abstinence of not did not ask many questions about it. In eating them whether killed in battle or by these midnight expeditions the knife is used; chance. They never inter their dead, but in larger battles, however, the musket super- take them out to a distance in the woods, sedes all other arms. Great battles are very where a rude cane hut is built to protect each numerous; a fortnight never elapses without corpse from the sun and rain; a sort of one. My informant said, "He could not trough is made for the dead man's bed, in rightly tell what they fought for- he did not which his body is left. Two days afterwards think they knew themselves- they could not a hog is killed, cooked, and deposited by the be at peace." In these fights, between two bedside. This is done under the impression and three hundred will engage on either side; that the dead require food like the living, the scene of the battle is usually laid in the and the supply is continued long after the woods, and the combatants dodge to and fro flesh has crumbled into dust; in fact, until among the trees. None like to expose them- the family of the defunct has itself become selves fully; the whiz of a bullet immediately extinct. It forms one of the chief occupafrightens them, and causes them to drop upon the ground. In consequence of all this caution, the contests are often prolonged over from one to three days, and it rarely happens that more than four or five are killed on either side. They sometimes, but seldom, come to close quarters, when they fight with their muskets clubbed. As soon as a few men are killed, the losing side withdraws, the victims are then conveyed to their village by the conquerors, the "fancy" parts of their bodies are devoted to the gods, the rest is cooked and eaten by the men. The warriors do not appear to have much sense of honor; for the There are numerous feasts held in the strong tribes constantly make war upon the course of the year usually one every two weak, and two or three tribes now and then months. The occasion of such a feast is suspend their own quarrels to make more most commonly the reception of some recently effective war upon a fourth. In consequence tattooed individuals, male or female, among of this spirit many tribes are now almost the adult members of a tribe. The chief enexterminated and do not include more than tertainment then is dancing. When all is twenty or thirty men. All the people speak prepared, the men of the tribe arrange themone language, so that an union might be easily selves on one side of an open space- the effected if the temper of the people changed. women in a line opposite and parallel to them As they are savage in their war with-between these opposed sides there are placed hostile tribes, so they are rude and brutal in four men whose duty it is to keep time by their peace among themselves. From some beating drums. The drums are made by cause or another Daniel was constantly scooping the interior from a piece of wood and attacked by the women of the tribe, who, half stretching a shark skin over it, which is tightin savage fun and half in earnest, used to seize him by the beard and hair and shake him; this they could often do without fear of his wrath, as more than two or three would set on him at once. He considered that the attention was paid chiefly in fun, but he had Near the musicians the recently tattooed often to thrash the ladies vigorously before youths are placed "yellowed off," said Daniel, they would set him free. The men are not" with curry and cocou nut, till they shine

ened by cords made of cocoa-nut fibre. The musicians produce on them only discordant notes - but the rest of the people somewhat improve the effect by clapping their hands and singing.

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SIX YEARS AMONG CANNIBALS.

like burnished mahogany." They take no respect for his own safety; he never knew active part in the proceedings. are women, who are chosen for their good a very great deal about him, and if they The dancers what might happen." His wives "thought looks from amongst the wives and maidens fancied he had ever thought of going out to indiscriminately; they are usually six in fight, they would have set on him, and bound number, and are dressed very handsomely; him fast in his own house." He always told their head-dress consists of tortoiseshell, pearl, them, that if he went away, he would come and feathers; their other clothing is a long back again; and he believes, therefore, that robe of tappa cloth, open in front, and reach- they are still expecting him. He lived very ing to the ankles like a dressing gown. It is happily with his house-full of wives, dividing ornamented as far down as the hips, with his attentions very equally among them, and bright feathers, hair, &c. The fingers of the allowing due rank to "the princess." women when they dance are ornamented with was well treated by the men. long feathers, which are fastened to them in such a way as to give to the hands some- selves; the articles of barter being chiefly Ile The natives do a little trading among themwhat the appearance of wings. The motions pigs and tappa cloth, fish-hooks, muskets, are not by any means vivacious; the women powder, and things of that kind. Their sur move their hands, pretending to be birds; they gical skill is small; but they have good conwriggle their bodies about also in imitation stitutions upon which to practise, and seem of eels, and approach each other gradually to have learned certain good principles. The in this way on one heel. Successive sets of chief demand for the doctor's art is in the dancers thus present themselves, and the cure of musket-wounds, in which the treatfeast is kept up usually for three days; pork ment is to keep the track of the ball as clean and potatoes being eaten, and cava drunk; as possible. the singing of native songs is often added to increase and vary the enjoyment.

numerous names.

All the natives of the Marquesas have which belonged, in fact, to a graver class of Daniel himself had thirty, nicknames. His most common title (I write it from the sound), was Touanahheematehoei, or (Tou-an-â-e-mâ-te-o-ey), which meant "the great chief."

There was no lack of food. The people cultivated the (sweet) potato with success, and had plenty of yains and bread-fruit. They caught numbers of fish, and kept a great many swine.

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The tribe with which Daniel herded was, and his residence was on the island called if I recollect rightly, named the Cauachas, the names of the surrounding islands at the by the natives Motâni. He gave me, however, same time, and I am not quite sure that I have retained the proper one; but it was either Mat or Magdalena. The others are Rahuga, and Nukuhiva. Magdalena, Fatuiva, Toowata, Domenique,

of civilizing his old friends, he said that the French had established a settlement on RaIn answer to a question as to the possibility The savages were very fond of talking. during five years. They built a small fort, When he knew their language, a number of European houses, and churches; but finding huga (I think), where they had remained them would come to Daniel, set him in the the place too expensive, or for some other midst, and call upon him to tell them stories, reason, they then abandoned it. During the to which they would sit and listen quietly for night after their departure, all the natives hours. They wanted to know all about who had been friendly with the French were America, and white people; whether he had either killed or taken prisoners, and on the a wife at home, and the like." sion they asked whether he would take them that could be destroyed were pulled to pieces, On one occa- next day all the houses and other edifices with him to America. you would cry if I did." Yes," he said, "but and the prisoners were landed on another answered, "that is true; we should cry after it was before the French had it in charge. Ah, yes, they island; so the place became again as wild as our fathers and mothers come back to our lands. The whites," they some French missionaries in Ruapo. - we should cry to There are some French still in Rhuiva, and said, "must surely think very little of their fathers and mothers; or must leave them ville's story of adventures in the Marquesas, when they are very young, or they never I asked my patient about Typee or Happar. Having in my remembrance Herman Melcould go sailing all over the world as they do. He informed me that there was a Typee Bay If we attempted it, we should be always cry-in Nukiva (Nukuhiva), where the people ing either after our parents or our children.' Such conversations made the young white Happa in Domenique. chief a great favorite with his tribe, and he Hanapa Bay, where a white man named were very savage, and that he had heard of obtained such influence among them, that he Brown had been killed who had left his vessel He had heard also of believes he could have prevented them from there. again attacking other whites. He never went to war with them, however; "he had too much

six years, he and another white from another
After Daniel had been on the island about