NAULUMATUA. 175 
of the last chief were laid, was eaten on the sly by this 
cannibal, whose morbid taste for human flesh was ac- 
knowledged by all the people in the town. . . . Tobi, 
one of our party, happened to stumble into the chief's 
house, and he distinctly saw a human hand hanging in 
the smoke over the fireplace. Now, although the dis- 
tribution of all the other parts had been accurately de- 
tailed to us, no mention was made of this, so that the 
dissimulation of Naulumatua was clear enough. Most 
probably, had we approached the spot, the inviting 
morsel would have been quickly conveyed out of the 
way. Mr. Waterhouse was informed that the chief 
continued to eat his portion at intervals throughout the 
day, until it was all demolished; but an old favourite 
of the town helps him out with it.” Thus far Mac- 
donald. 
Naulumatua was the half-brother of Kuruduadua, 
and only died a short time previous to our v.sit, and the 
court was still in mourning for him, which was the 
-reason of our not having either dance or song. His 
head-wife took me to his grave, and lamenting his 
death, said that he might still be alive if he had only 
abstained from eating human flesh, and that both she 
and Danford had done all in their power to convince 
him that he was ruining his constitution systemati- 
cally by that indulgence. For it appears that human 
flesh is extremely difficult to digest, and that even the 
strongest and most healthy men suffer from confined 
bowels for two or three days after a cannibal feast. 
Probably, in order to assist the process of digestion, 
“ bokola,” as dead men’s flesh is technically termed, is 
