Tanese Customs. 169 
To avert this, then, whenever a native falls ill, he sends out 
friends, blowing conches and offering presents to the disease- 
makers, who, if these are satisfactory, accept them, cease burn- 
ing, and the sufferer thereupon recovers. 
It is curious what a strong hold this belief has upon the 
minds of the natives, and probably it is this very belief which 
causes results which happen apparently through the burning of 
the nahak ; for if a Tanaman hears that someone is burning his 
nahak, the probability is that he will fall ill through sheer 
fright ; and again, if he hears that the disease-maker has stopped 
burning, he will often speedily recover—especially if there is 
nothing wrong with him. When a death does occur, even al- 
though presents have been accepted by the, disease-makers, it 
does not shake them in their belief, for they think then that the 
presents were not sufficient. 
Their ideas of a future state are very vague. They have 
some belief in a happy sort of world to come—its happiness 
consisting of plenty to eat and drink, and nothing to do. All 
go there, but the stingy. ‘The stingy man is their especial aver- 
sion. On Tana, one man has only to ask anything from his 
neighbours, and he gets it. Not understanding this custom of 
theirs, I was once rather non- plussed. While sitting in the ver- 
andah one day, smoking, a young man came up with an old 
musket in his hand, and commenced to praise the appearance 
of my pipe. After waiting a short time—probably to see whether 
I would not take the hint—he said, “ What for you no give me 
pipe?” So, by way of turning the tables on him, I said, “And 
what for you no give me your musket?” Whereupon, to my 
dismay, he handed it to me with a cheerful grin; and I was 
obliged to explain that I was only in joke, that I didn’t want 
his old blunderbuss, and that I did want my pipe. He left me 
in high dudgeon, much offended at my breach of etiquette. 
I remember it used to be a favourite subject of discussion at 
