248 BEYER AND BARTON. 



I have no hesitancy In saying that two or three years ago, before Governor 

 Gallman had performed his truly wonderful work among the Ifugaos, this scram- 

 ble would have become a fight in which somebody would have lost his life. 

 That such a thing could take place >vithout danger was incomprehensible to the 

 old women of Ki&ngan, who doubtless remembered sons or husbands, brothers or 

 cousins, who had lost their lives in such an affair. With the memory of these 

 old times in their minds they caught me by the arms trying to drag me off with 

 them and said: "Balton [Barton], come home; we don't know the mind of 

 the people. They are likely to kill you." When I persisted in refusing to miss 

 the rest of the ceremony they told me to keep my revolver ready. 



Looking back on this incident I am sure that I was in little or no danger, 

 but must give credit to my Ifugao boy who attended me for having the wisest 

 head in the party. This boy immediately thought of my horse which was picketed 

 near, and ran to it, taking with him one or two responsible KiSrigan men to help 

 him watch and defend it. Had he not done so some meat-hungry, hot-headed 

 Ifugao might easily have stuck a bolo in its side during the scramble and attendant 

 confusion. Immediately some 500 or more Ifugaos would have been right on top 

 of the carcass and hacking at it with their long knives, and it probably would 

 have been impossible ever to find out who gave the first thrust. 



The priests who had performed the ceremony, after the people had 

 quieted somewhat, began scolding and cursing those who had run 

 away with the meat. Finally, they managed to prevail upon the meat 

 snatchers to bring back three small pieces about the size of their hands, 

 from which I concluded that Ifugao is a language admirably adapted 

 to stating a situation clearly, — for I know how hungry for meat these 

 Ifugaos become. 



Three old men stuck their spears into a piece of meat and begau 

 a series of long stories the theme of which was some past confusion 

 of enemies. At the conclusion of each story they said : "Not there but 

 here; not then but now." The mere telling of these stories is believed 

 to secure a like confusion and destruction of the enemies of the present. 

 When this ceremony had been completed each old man raised his spear 

 quickly in order to secure the impaled meat for himself. If he had 

 not done this it would have been snatched by those who were waiting 

 for that purpose, and made the object of another scramble. In one 

 case one of the old men just missed ripping open the abdomen of the 

 man who stood in front. 



THE BURIAL. 



The ceremonies on the hill being finished, the people made an attempt 

 to assemble by rancherias and to file along the trail to bury Aligiiyun. 

 Nagakaran rancheria took the lead. As the jDrocession came near the 

 gTave the men took off their headdresses and strung them on a long 

 pole which was laid across the trail. A Nagakaran man went to 

 where Aligiiyun was sitting, picked him up, carried him to the grave, 

 and placed him in a sitting posture facing Kurug. Aliguyun was not 

 wrapped in a death blanket as corpses usually are. His body was 

 neglected in order to make him angry and incite him to vengeance. 



