THE MAN OF THE FOREST. 45 



to one of these. The South American Indian, 

 however, has never adopted such a system. In 

 early times there was a kind of association for 

 mutual defence, under a war chief, elected for the 

 purpose, but this was only a temporary arrange- 

 ment. The chieftain was not any the less bound 

 to hunt and fish for his wife or family his benab 

 was not a palace nor had he any servants. We 

 read of Indian slaves among the Caribs, but it 

 is doubtful whether this innovation was not due to 

 the fact that the Spanish conquerors offered suffi- 

 cient inducements to prevent this warlike people 

 eating their prisoners. When a lot of desirable 

 trinkets could be obtained for a captive, it might 

 easily follow that he would be reserved for sale. 

 The Carib, who is now almost extinct, was 

 an example of a more powerful animal than the 

 gentle Arawak. At enmity with the other tribes, 

 he could not settle on a particular hunting ground, 

 and therefore was a man-eater. It is doubtful, 

 however, whether this was not the result of neces- 

 sity, rather than choice, as he would rarely admit 

 to his Dutch or English friends, that he had such 

 a depraved appetite. The very fact that a little 

 shame was felt shows that cannibalism was only 

 exceptional and not, as was said by the Spaniards, 

 so common as to be almost universal. For an 



