164 PEOPLES OF THE PHILIPPINES 
The principle of a fair fight has no meaning to the 
Filipino. That he possesses a strong sense of justice is 
evident not only from his well-defined codes of law, but 
from his general conduct. But once hostilities begin, 
no quarter is given. The method of slaying is im- 
material as long as the end is attained. Most attacks are 
made from ambush, and as readily upon the aged or 
women and children as on fighting men. Among the 
head-hunting tribes no distinction is drawn between 
skulls of warriors and those of non-combatants, and the 
attitude of the more southerly magani is the same. 
Often too, once the fighting spirit is roused, little differ- 
ence is made between the enemy proper and those even 
remotely associated with him by co-residence in the 
same region. All the emotional tensity of the East 
Indian which he so carefully represses in his daily 
conduct flares up as soon as he draws his kris. 
The connection between head-hunting and human 
sacrifice appears to be pretty well established for the 
Philippines by the fact that the two practices were very 
nearly mutually exclusive. The northern nationalities 
preferred head-taking, the central and southern ones 
sacrifice, but few, if any, followed both customs, and not 
one, with the exception of the Mohammedans, had 
reached the point of abandoning both. 
Weapons. The prevailing weapons were the spear 
and the sword, the latter being replaced in parts of the 
head-hunting area of northern Luzon by the battle ax. 
In this matter also tribal bent was definite. A group 
that used the ax employed it consistently and had no 
swords, and vice versa. The ax cannot be said to be the 
earlier form; but it is that which prevailed among the 
more primitive tribes possessing least iron and least 
ability in its manufacture. The various forms of swords 
have already been described. 
