Wild Life in Southern Seas. 
278 
former wives, explaining to his newly-wedded 
one and the white traders, that while he had no 
cause of complaint against the original sharers 
of his married life, they were women of no 
rank or position, and would not themselves feel 
aggrieved had he persisted in his intention. 
His conduct was in no degree singular in this 
respect, and the three wives got on very happily 
together afterwards. Like the people of the 
South Pacific Islands, however, the woman to 
whom a Micronesian chief or person of distinc¬ 
tion is first united in marriage is generally con¬ 
sidered as the head of the establishment, and 
although he may subsequently marry one or 
two more wives of higher rank than the first, 
she would hold a superior position to the new¬ 
comers. 
