44 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



ingly clapping with their hands. Hearing the plaintive sound two 

 chiefs of the king's household, who had hitherto been sitting motionless 

 as statues within the room, moved to one and the other side of the door. 

 The head of a pig, a large bunch of cocoanuts, or a turtle would then 

 be timidly thrust part way within the opening, and a tremulous voice 

 outside would beg that his majesty, their great and gracious lord, would 

 condescend to accept as tribute so mean and unworthy an offering as 

 their poverty forced them to present, trusting that in his greatness he 

 would continue to protect and show them favor. When the voice ceased, 

 the two chiefs at the door would critically inspect the proffered speci- 

 men of tribute, calling attention to its faults as well as to its qualities, 

 and if its acceptance was recommended, all the chiefs who had been 

 crouching sphinx-like against the wall within the house would show 

 signs of life and majestically clapping their hands murmur " A ! woi ! 

 woi ! woi!! A tabua levu!" (a wonderfully large whale's tooth!). 

 Upon which the king himself usually spoke a few words and the tribute 

 was formally accepted. So abundant was this tribute that great heaps 

 of taro, yams, cocoanuts or turtles were nearly always to be seen upon 

 the village green of Mbau. 



In the old days, wars were waged over the slightest inattention 

 to this matter of tribute. The island of Maliki was charged to provide 

 turtles for Tanoa, but one day they presumed themselves to eat one of 

 the turtles they had caught ; hearing of which Tanoa sent a fleet of war 

 canoes, and every man and woman on Maliki was killed, the children 

 being captured in order that the boys of Mbau might club them to death 

 and thus earn their titles of Koroi (killers of men). 



The old king spoke not a word of English, but he was fond of rem- 

 iniscence. He remembered the Peacock of the Wilkes expedition, 

 being then a boy of about 8 years. He also spoke admiringly of Pro- 

 fessor Moseley, of the Challenger, and seemed saddened when told that 

 he was dead. 



The freedom with which he volunteered to discourse upon events of 

 cannibal times was surprising. He said that one day when he was a 

 little boy he had entered the house of Tanoa during the dinner hour, 

 and his grandfather, who always loved him, had given him the tongue 

 of the Mbakola 6 (man-to-be-eaten) and its taste was vinaka (good). 

 After this he " often dined with his grandfather," who " had a new man 

 nearly every day." Wilkes states that the Fijians esteemed women 

 more highly than men, but Eatu Epele declared that the best of meat 

 were old, lean men "whose flesh was red and whose fat was yellow," 

 and whose taste was "like pork with bananas." Women, he declared, 



6 Long pig, ' ' Vuaka-mbalavu, ' ' applied to designate cooked man, is not 

 grammatical Fijian, but is derived from a joke of the inveterate old cannibal 

 Tanoa. 



