jgg Art. Vn.— A. Matsumum : 



formerly they employed shell-axes (Fig. 30), as already mention- 

 ed in Part I. Tins is clearly demonstrated by arclioeological re- 

 mains. Besides the shell-axes, stone implements were also in use 

 in Palan. Farther, side by side with those tools, iron hatchets, 

 though certainly small in number, were alread}^ employed in Palau 

 some 130 years ago ; for, according to Captain Wilson who visited 

 the islands at that time, '• he (the king) bore a hatchet on his 

 shoulder, the head of which was made of iron, a circumstance 

 which much surprized our people, as all the other hatchets they 

 had seen were of shell." ^ It seems that the natives of Palau had 

 another type of hatchet, the blade of which moved round. To 

 quote Captain Wilson (p. 312), "they had also another kind of 

 hatchet, which was formed in a manner to move round in a 

 groove, that the edge might act longitudinally, or transversely, by 

 which it would serve as a hatchet, or an adze, as occasion re- 

 quired." It is not certain whether hatchets of this type are still 

 found in use among the islanders ; but all we saw in Palau were 

 of an ordinary pattern. 



II. Weapons. 



1. Spears. — There are sevei'al kinds of weapons found in the 

 West Caroline Islands. We may hrst mention the spear, which 

 perhaps shows an improvement on a similar weapon used in Truk. 

 The cruel nature of uncivilized men may be noticed in the make 

 of these weapons. The spear of the Yap Islanders, which is 

 usually made of arcca palm wood, has one end sharpened. And 

 this head has a number of barbs affixed, for a length of 45 cm., 

 with the object of doing the enemy as much injury as possible. Some 



1 G. Keate, " The Pelew Islands," pp. 55, 56. 



