TlIE FEASTS OF THE CANNIBALS, 



445 



diment, composed of red or Cliili peppej's and a few 

 gi^ains of coai-se salt, gi'oimd up between two flat 

 stones. Foi-merly it appeal's to have been tbe cus- 

 tom to broil the human fleshy for Mr. Marsden states 

 that, in December, 1780, a native of Nias, who 

 stabbed a Batta at Batang Taroh, the river I 

 crossed on the suspension bridge, was seized at 

 six one morning, and, without any judicial process, 

 was tied to a stake, cut in pieces with the utmost 

 eagerness while yet alive, and eaten upon the spot, 

 partly broiled^ but mostly raw. 



It is probably on account of the difficulty of 

 penetrating theii- inland and elevated coimtiy, and 

 from the natural ferocity of these people, that the 

 Mohammedan priests of the neighboring country of 

 Menangkabau have failed to induce the Battas to 

 adopt their religion. The first white men who went 

 up far into the interior appeal' to have been Mr. 

 Ward and Mr. Buiton, two English missionaries, 

 about the year 1820. 



They started from this place, and reached the 

 Silindong valley. Their object was to reach Lake 

 Toba, but they were only obliged to retuin on ac- 

 count of theii' becoming seriously ill. The Mndly 

 manner in which they were treated is very different 

 from the reception all other white men have re- 

 ceived at the hands of these cannibala 



It appears that the next white men who went np 

 into the interior of this country were two American 

 missionaries, Hemy Lyman and Samuel Munson, 

 graduates of Amhei'st College, and natives of Massa- 

 chusetts. In 1835 they sailed from Batavia to Pa- 



