Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-02-11
r,,s,o,,a ~ The re;ee Islands.

Customs Of the Fejee Islands.
\ work recently Published in London. entitled
Cruise among the Island of the Northern IA
ciiic," by Captain Erskne, contains some spirit
ed descriptions of the habits aud customs OF the
natives of that region. The captain visited the
Samoan Islands, where the missionaries publish
a newspaper IN the native language, where he
found the inhabitants very peaceable. and so ut
tie disposed Ia that, were they attacked, they
would probably practice the iujunctions of the
Peace Society. Very different from these moi
fensiye folks. and affordng striking contrast to
Them the inhabitants ofthe Fejee Islands,
among whom cannibalism prevailed until quite
recently, and is still far from unknown. Lying
off the shore at night, you will hear drum beat
ing tap-a.t tap, tap tap, tap atap-it Is the death
d um of a caiInibal feast Not only do the Fe-
Jeans eal their prisoners taken in war, but the
same horrible ON awaits the wretched victims
Of shpwreck. Nainly may the stranded mariner
present himsefas casual traveller requiring
hospitality the hungry villagers detect what
they term ''salt water in his eyes" and spring
like tigers their pr ". So habtual indeed has
been the practice, that the missionaries say the
Friean language contains no word for simple
corpse, but the term used implies the idea of food
just we might have no other word than mutton
to describe our sheep. 1t is even asserted that
at periods of scarcity families will excha lge chill
dren for this horrible p.rpose. But the ordinary
mode of obtaininga supply in time of peace shy
kidnapping, and a. the flesh of women is prefer
red Ia that of men, these raids generally fall upon
the softer sex. We shall quote one narrative
from the many horrors rclat ID by Captain Ersk-
De.because the noble conduct of the English wo
men in some degree mitigates its revolving fea-
tues. Ihakonbeau, the ehiettain of Bau, hay
ing to give return banquet, has surprised and
captured fifteen women who came down To tie
beach to pick shell-fsh for food
ION Sunday the 18th of July, 1919, the hol-
low sound of the awful 'lai, or sacred drum bore
across the water to Viva. the intelligence that a
cargo of human victims had arrived in Bau, and
native Christian chief, Il believe Numeselemau)
who had quilted the capital to bring information
to the missions, related to the shuddering ladies,
whose husbands were absent at Bau, in Madal-
wood Bay, i'll Nanua LeuV. on their usual annu-
al meeting, the whole of the circumstance of the
capture. In the course of the day, reports IA to
the intentions of the authorities were brought o.
ver, but in the evening came a definite one, that
all were 10 be slaughtered ON the morrow.
And then was enacted scene which ought to
be ever memorable in the history of this mission.
ION the Monday morning, Mrs. Lyth and Mrs
] Calvert accompanied by Il Christian chiefa-
! bove mentioned, embarked in canoe for Bau,
! to save the lives of the doomed victims. Each
! carried whales tooth decorated with ribbons,
/ necessary offering on preferring petition TO IA
! chief for e,rn IN the exciting moment, these ad-
/
means of succeeding in their benevolent object.
/ As they landed at the wharf, not far from the
/ house of old lanoa, the father of Thakombau,
] and in this instance the person to whom they
were to add"ess themselves, the shrieks of two
women then being slaughtered for he days en-
tertainment chilled their blood, but did not daunt
/ their resolution They were yet in time 10 save
remnant Of The sacrifice. Ten had been killed
and eaten one had died Of her wounds; the life
OF one girl ha been begged by Thakombau
/ principle wife to whom she delivered a.
slave, and three only remained Regardless OF
the sancllty OF the place. it being "tahoued" to
i women, they forced themselves into Tnnoa'S
| chamber, who demanded with astonishment at
/ Their temerity, what these women did there
The Christian chief, who well maint ned his
lately adopted character, answered for them that
| they came to solicit the lives of the surviving
prisoners, nj the same time presenting the tive
whales teeth. Tanoa, apparently still full OF
wonder, took up one of these and turning to a
messenger desired him to carry it Immediately to
| NaVndl. (the eXccutioncr) and ask If it were
good a few minutes were passed in anxious
suspense. The messenger ret rncd, and 1T is
good WIS Nayndis answer. The women's
cause was gained, and old Tonoa thus pronounc-
ed his judgmcnt-"Ihose who are dead.are dead
those who are alive, shall live" With THEN
three rescued fellow creatures these heroic wo-
men retired and already had the satisfaction OF
experiencing that their during efforts had ploduc-
ed a more than hoped for effect A year or two
| ago, no voice but that of derision would have
| been raised against them. but now. on r, turning
to their canoe, hey were followed by umbers OF
their own sex blessing them for their exertions
aud urging them 10 perseyerc."
Medals of humane societies and what not-how
| trumpcry are such decorations compared with a
! memory like this!
But cannibalism is only one phase of the gene
| raj blood thirstincss of these savage ISLANDERS
When the king builds house, a man is buried a.
| live at the foot of each post to insure the edfce.
| AT the denth ot II chief one more of his wives
are invariably strnngled: and the chiefs them
selves, when grown old and lnirm, are buried n
| live, their wives in such eases eng previously
put TO death and thrown into the grave to make
bed for their doomed lord. The women indeed.
often made it point OF honor to die in this man
ncr and reject the efforts of the mi ssionaries TO
save them. In order that canoes may be fortu-
nate, they are frequently launched over the bod
les of living slaves, rollers. There are instan-
ces of all these atrocities in the very interesting
| narrative of John Jack ON, an English sailor who
i lived n prisoner i'll those Islands for two wears;
andthcy are amply confirmed by the captain :
owa personal observation. But. in .Iackson's
homey language, these horrors are too revolving
| for quotation.
\ CUNNING TRICK.-Dr. Walcott, the celebra
/ ted Peter Pndar, was an eccentric character, and
/ had great many queer notions of his own. A
good story Is tod by one of his contemporaries, of
/ tue manner III which he once trickrd his puhlishe
/ The latter wishing to buy the copy right of his
works, offered him by letter fc-annuity of
E2Jd. The doctor, learning that the publisher
/ very anxious to purchase demanded G300