jporter's journal. 



45 



intended to eat them, and expressed, with the strongest 

 marks of horror, my detestation of the practice. They all 

 assured me that they had no intention of eating them, and 

 promised a compliance with my wishes should I exact it : 

 but entreated 1 would indulge them with the bodies a day 

 or two longer to sing over and perform their ceremonies, 

 and that 1 would grant them two to offer as a sacrifice to 

 the manes of their priests, who had been slain ; requesting, 

 at the same time, that I would send a person to attend the 

 ceremony and witness their burial; assuring me that they 

 would bury them any depth I should wish. Gattanewa, 

 Tawattaa, and the other priest, then joined their earnest 

 entreaties to the rest, and informed me that it would be the 

 cause of great triumph to their enemies should I deprive 

 |hem of all the dead bodies, and would attribute to them 

 none of the honours of the victory obtained over them. 

 Qvercomeby their solicitude, I consented to their request, 

 <ind being in some measure satisfied that these people were 

 liot cannibals, I consented to their keeping two, on their 

 promise that the others should be sent to the camp. I re- 

 Inarked, that, as they brought back the dead bodies, every 

 person carefully avoided touching, not only them, but even 

 \he blood on the poles to which they were slung, and in 

 removing the covering of cocoa-nut leaves, a stick instead 

 of the hand was used for the purpose ; also that horror was 

 inarked on every countenance when their numerous wounds 

 \>f spears were exposed to view 5 for it must be observed, 

 ihat those who were covered with leaves bore innumerable 

 linarks of the spears which had been thrust into them at the 

 ipoment of their death ; the others had been despatched 

 Vith clubs, after they had been shot, the marks of which 

 were to be seen about their heads. This delicacy in con- 

 cealing the wounded body of an enemy, aad their caution 

 in avoiding the touch of the blood or the dead carcasses, 

 greatly staggered my belief of their being cannibals, al- 

 though they did not deny that they sometimes eat their 

 enemies, at least so we understood them ; but it is possible 

 we may have misunderstood. We had but httle opportu- 

 nity of gaining a knowledge of their language while we 

 remained among them ; but from the little we became 

 acquainted with, we are satisfied that it is not copious ; few 

 words serve to express all they wish to say ; and one word 



