THE LIVING RACES OF MANKIND 



many turtles are kept. This man adopted a curious way of keeping his record. Every 

 time he consumed a human body he set up a stone, and it is said that when he died 

 his son counted no fewer than 900 stones. Human flesh was considered the greatest luxury, 

 and friends and relatives were occasionally sacrificed. At great feasts sometimes as many 

 as twenty human bodies were cooked. Slaves were kept for the purpose; but when a 

 chief demanded " long pig " nobody was safe, because his attendants would rush out and 

 kill the first person they happened to meet. The women were very seldom permitted to 

 partake of human flesh. 



The reader is probably aware that the practice of cannibalism is not based simply on the 

 appetite for human flesh, and that the idea underlying this revolting custom, in all parts of 

 the world in which it has been practised, is that when a man. eats another man he assimilates 

 the victim's qualities, it may be physical strength, courage, cleverness, or cunning. Hence it 

 was considered highly desirable to catch a brave enemy and to eat him, in order to partake 

 of his bravery. 



It is not surprising to learn that years ago human sacrifices were very frequent, 

 and often on a large scale. Every important event was attended by one or more 

 sacrifices. When a chief built a war-canoe, numbers of slaves and others were sacrificed 

 in order to bring "good luck." A big canoe belonging to a chief was dragged along 

 to the sea over the bodies of a number of men lying side by side to act as rollers. Of 

 course they were killed by the weight of the canoe; and afterwards their bodies were 

 baked and eaten. Like " Koko," in Mr. Gilbert's delightful Japanese opera, some chiefs 

 kept "a little list" secretly of people to whom they were not particularly attached; and 

 when the occasion demanded "long pig," some of these black-list men were sacrificed 

 without any warning. 



The Fijians, like many other primitive people, have no fear of death. In heathen times, 



I'hutu by Tltw. . 



A yi'IKT CiA.MK <>K SPEI.LU'AX* (VAVA, TdNHA INLANDS). 



