ASSASSINS' BATONS OF MALAITA.— BAN N IE. 17 



south-west that of ' ' Subey. ' ' Composed of hard, heavy wood, they are beautifully 

 inlaid with a small fretwork of tastefully carved pieces of mother-of-pearl shell, 

 artistically arranged and fixed in mosaic fashion to indelibly adhere to the stem 

 of the baton with a pigment made from the fruit of the Parinarium laurinum, 

 which hardens as firm as cement and takes a polish equal to the finest lacquer. 

 The knob at the end is incased in a network plaited with fine strands from the 

 outer skin of rattan cane. This cane network is frequently lined with pulverised 

 iron pyrites to give the baton additional weight. Although formidable articles 

 in appearance and quite serviceable for use should occasion arise, I have never 

 heard of their being used as weapons of offence ; they are simply worn as badges 

 of distinction by the bravoes or hired assassins of Southern Malaita. And these 

 murderous braggarts delight to swagger about in a crowd at one or other of 

 their numerous festivals or dances each with his "hau" or " subey" suspended 

 from his neck by a chain or necklace composed of native currency, to which are 

 added the teeth and sometimes the jaws of their victims. 



I was informed by the chief of Supina, Southern Malaita, that a young man 

 is sometimes chosen who has never previously taken human life ; he is directed 

 to set forth and kill some particular individual; a "subey" is handed to him 

 as a death warrant, and he goes forth to perform his mission well knowing that 

 be dare not return to his own village to restore the "subey" or emblem of death 

 to his chief without sufficient evidence of the accomplishment of his murderous 

 errand, under the penalty of death to himself. 



Specimen No.: Q.M. E 13/295. (Plate IX, Fig. 2.) 



No. 1. — In length measures 392 mm. The lower half of the staff is studded 

 with about 150 small fretwork pieces of mother-of-pearl shell inlaid and fixed 

 with a strong preparation made from the nut of the Parinarium laurinum, 

 A. Gray. In a similar manner a pearl-shell disc of the circumference of a 

 shilling is let into the base. The upper part of the staff is polished hardwood, 

 surmounted at the apex with a globular knob encased in woven grass work. In 

 this instance the knob is not part and parcel of the baton, but is attached to the 

 staff by the woven grass work, which passes through two holes perforated in 

 the hardwood, and additionally strengthened by two rings of plaited cane, dyed 

 red, bound round the juncture of the globular end with the staff. 



Specimen No.: Q.M. E 13/300. (Plate IX, Pig. 3.) 



No. 2. — Measures 426 mm., and somewhat resembles No. 1, but its base is 

 shaped like a fishtail; and it is more elaborately inlaid with the fine mother-of- 

 pearl fretwork. These small pieces of pearl-shell on this baton number about 

 360. At the termination of the shell ornamentation the staff is circled by a ring 

 of the small discs of shell which compose the native currency, numbering 21. 



B 



