The Tanamen and their Wars. 163 
Pacific. This may be quite true, for it is a fact that they are 
much broken up into small tribes, which are continually at war 
with each other; but this in no way implies that there is a very 
great amount of hard fighting or of bloodshed. There is a 
great security against this in the fact that though a Tanaman has 
very little regard for the life of another, he has a very strong 
affection for his own, and will not put it in jeopardy unless he 
cannot help it. One day the shore tribe here went off to fight 
a hostile tribe three or four miles away. In the evening they 
appeared again, looking very well pleased with themselves—so 
much so as to lead one to believe that they had entirely exter- 
minated their foes. On enquiry, however, I found that not a 
man had been killed—in fact, no one had been ‘seen even. 
These noble warriors had gone as close to the village as they 
judged expedient, and there had banged away all day with the 
the most determined bravery, and returned at night covered 
with glory and perspiration. 
Another favourite mode of warfare is to get behind some 
well-sheltered rocky point, in range of an enemy’s village, and 
there to open fire upon any living thing that appears. 
Thisplan hasbeen adopted several times against avillageabout 
two miles along the beach, by a tribe living beyond it. A na- 
tive teacher lives in the village, and finding that it was 
rather uncomfortable to sit in his house when the bullets were 
tearing through it, he has put up astone wall, and when the 
firing commences, he creegs into cover, and lies there in safety 
till the ammunition of the attacking party is exhausted. 
It is not thus that blood is usually shed. When a man does 
fall, it is by an ambuscade. A party will way-lay the unfortu- 
nate native, and shoot him a ergo as he walks unsuspectingly 
along the path. And when a victim is thus secured, the can- 
nibal feast takes place, all the tribes in friendly alliance getting 
a share of the horrid meal. 
M2 
