GAXX] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 35 



toward the stranger, and ready to draw his machete and fight to 

 kill, with friend or foe ahke. 



Chiefs 



On the death of the head chief (noh calan or nohoch yumtat) among 

 the Santa Cruz and Icaiche the oldest of the subchiefs {clian yum- 

 topiloh) is supposed to succeed him; as a matter of fact there are 

 alwa3"s rival claimants for the chieftainship, and the subchief with 

 the strongest personality or greatest popularity among the soldiers 

 usually succeeds in grasping the office. There are nearly always 

 rival factions endeavoring to oust the chief in power, and the latter 

 rarely dies a natural death. The village subchiefs are elected by 

 the people. The power of the head chief is practically absolute 

 over the whole tribe., Some years ago, when Roman Pec was head 

 cliief , one of the subchiefs came to . Corozal, the nearest town in 

 British Honduras, to purchase powder, shot^ and other supplies. 

 He remained some time, as he had many friends in tlie place, and 

 obtained, among other things, a bottle of laudanum to relieve tooth- 

 ache. On returning to liis village he was met by three soldiers, 

 who informed him that he was to go with them at once to the head 

 chief, as the latter was angry with him on account of his long absence 

 from the country. Aware that this was equivalent to a sentence of 

 death, he asked permission to retire to his house for a few minutes, 

 to get ready for the journey, and taking advantage of the oppor- 

 tunity, he swallowed the whole contents of the bottle of laudanum. 

 This began to take effect very shortly, and long before reaching the 

 capital he was dead. 



The method of executing those sentenced to death is curious. 

 Tlie accused does not undergo a formal trial, but the evidence 

 against hun is placed before the head chief; if he is convicted, 

 he has an opportunity of defending himself and of producmg wit- 

 nesses in his behalf. Three or four soldiers are chosen by the chief 

 to carry out the sentence; this they do by chopping the victim 

 to death with their machetes when they catch him asleep or off 

 his guard. Several men always perform this act, all chopping the 

 victim at the same time, so that no single individual may be directly 

 responsible for his death. Imprisonment as a punishment for 

 crime is unkno\vn, fine, flogging, and death being the only three 

 methods employed for dealing with criminals. Fines and flogging 

 may be administered by the subchiefs, but sentence of death can 

 be passed only by the head chief. The severity of the flogging 

 is regulated by the nature of the offense, and after it is over the 

 recipient is compelled publicly to express sorrow for his crime and 

 go around humbly kissing the hands of all the spectators, after which 

 he is given a large calabash of anise to drink. The heaviest pun- 



