40 
PORTER'S JOURNAL. 
beautiful,—-good, kind, benevolent, generous humane, Keheva, 
which signifies bad, is as extensive in its use as motakee, and, by 
suitable modulations of the voice, has meanings directly opposite. 
This is the case with many other words in their language; indeed, 
with all we became acquainted with. Kie-kie signifies to eat, it also 
signifies a troublesome fellow; may it not also have many other 
significations, with which we are unacquainted? it may signify to cut 
up, to divide, to sacrifice, to keefi as trophies; whether it has these 
significations I am unable to say, and Wilson could not inform 
me; but many circumstances induce me to believe they meant no 
more, when they informed me they sometimes ate their enemies. 
That they offer the bodies of their enemies as sacrifices to their 
gods I had more than once an opportunity of seeing, while I re¬ 
mained on the island. Unfortunately the wars we were under the 
necessity of carrying on against the hostile tribes furnished them 
with too many subjects. Their fondness for their bones as tro¬ 
phies, is evident to every person. Their skulls are carefully pre¬ 
served and hung up in their houses. Their thigh bones are formed 
into harpoons, and sometimes are richly ornamented with carvings; 
their smaller bones are formed into ornaments to be hung round 
their necks, representing figures of their gods: they are also con- 
verted into fan-handles, form part of the ornaments of their war 
conchs, and in fact compose a part of every description of ornament 
where they can possibly be applied. Many specimens of this kind 
of ornament are now in my possession; and there are few of the 
male natives who are destitute of them. I remarked, however, 
that none were in the house, or to be found among the numerous 
family of the venerable Gattanewa; and I am inclined to believe 
that the old man wished to signify this when he was understood 
to say that none of his family had ever eaten human flesh. After 
this little digression (if such it may be called) which is due to a 
people, who do not appear to deserve the stain which has been 
cast upon them, I shall proceed in my narrative. 
As I before observed, on my appearance the music (if it may 
be called such) ceased; anxious to know as much as possible the 
religion and other ceremonies of this people, I informed Gattane¬ 
wa that they might proceed. The priest mounted on his eleva¬ 
tion; tho warriors ranged themselves in lines about the squarq; 
