CANARY ISLANDS. 131 



mediately upon conviction, he was led to the place of exe- 

 cution. Then he was stretched out on the ground with his 

 head placed on a flat stone, and the executioner, a man set 

 apart for that office, taking a heavy stone, and lifting it as 

 high as he could, suddenly let it fall on the criminal's 

 head. But for crime not worthy of death, they used the 

 lex talionis, " eye for eye, tooth for tooth," etc. 



In their wars, they viewed it as base and mean to mo- 

 lest or injure the women and children of their enemies, 

 considering them innocent, and therefore improper object^ 

 of resentment. Their war instruments were clubs, stones, 

 and sharp-pointed poles hardened by fire. 



They had public places set apart for fighting duels, 

 which consisted of eminences or stages raised above the 

 ground. When a challenge was given and accepted, the 

 parties went to the council of the island, which was com- 

 posed of twelve members, called gai/res, and obtained a 

 license to fight. They then went to the facag to have 

 this license confirmed. This being done they brought 

 together all their friends to be spectators to their gallan- 

 try and behavior. They next mounted upon two stones, 

 placed on each side of the stage, where they stood with 

 their feet stationary till both had thrown three rounds of 

 stones at one another. Though they were good marks- 

 men, yet they generally avoided those missive weapons by 

 the agile writhing of their bodies. Then arming them- 

 selves with sharp stones in their left hand, and clubs in 

 their right, they approached one another and continued 

 beating and cutting one another until they were nearly 

 exhausted, when the parties retired, by consent, and re- 

 freshed themselves. They then returned to the scene of 

 action and renewed their engagement, continuing with 

 increased violence, until their council cried out gama ! 

 gama ! (enough! enough!) when they immediately 

 ceased fight, and afterwards remained friends. If, during the 

 combat, one of tlie party happened to break his club, the 

 other immediately desisted from striking, and there the 

 dispute ended, and neither of them were declared victor. 

 If they were deeply wounded, they beat a rush until 

 it became like flax, which they dipped into hot butter and 

 applied to the wound ; the older the butter was, the sooner 

 it effected a cure. 



