The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-12-14

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS FROM THE
FEEJEE 1sLANDs-How THEY LOOK,
WHAT THEY HAVE DONE, AND WHAT
THEY SAID.
From the 81. Joseph tlfo.) Herald.
In our last issue we briefly announced
the arrival in st. Joseph of several ma
tives of the Feejee Islands, genuine man
eaters. The proprietor yesterday offered
the highest (Feeiee) market price for a
lot of twenty or more fine fat babies, in
order to give the strangers good square
meal, but could find no mothers having
spare children in good condition for the
spit; then, too, the cold snap operated
unfsvorably on our visitors. Fearing
that the Feejeeans would die either from
starvation or cold, the manager bundled
them up and took the first train for the
south, promising to visit st. Joseph some
time next summer. The distine euished
visitors were four in number. First in
Importance was the Princess Obavah, q
tat, lubberly female of about 25 years,
the granddaughter of the emperor of
200, 900 people. She is Christian, and
has lost all fondness for human flesh.
Then in Importance came Rabiau, a
dwarf, over thirty. five years old, and
only two feet high, Chief of the Rewa
tribe. Their two companions were
Rateu Boco Yoco, chief of the town of
lotaga, in the Island OF Ovalau, and
Raleu Mast Moa, chief in Bau, the main
town in the Fejee Islands. The two
gentlemen lsst-named were of middle
size, stroug-limbed and strong -necked,
with a complexion between q copper
color and black, with dark, curly, and
bushy hair. Whilst at the depot they
attracted considerable attention; a re-
porter of the Herald CHANGED to be at the
depot at the time, and interviewed the
princess, who has some smattering of
the English tongue, and willingly
answered all questions propounded to
her. She complained bitterly of the
cold, and wondered how any one could
live here through the winter. She
liked q climate where she could go
naked; despite her conversion to Chris
tianity her clothes didn't feel comfort
able on her. She had helped to eat quite
number of our countrymen, and had
two or three fine chops out of several
murdered missionaries, but that was be-
fore she was converted to Christianity,
and she was not heartily ashamed of her
conduct on those occasions. She was
surprised to see 80 many old and help
less men and women in America; in
Fejee. when the natives became old
and infirm the young men summarily re-
leased them from their earthly troubles
by means of a club or an AK. , She
thought the women here were too lezy,
and that the lash would do them good.
In her native land the women do all the
work, as it was fit and proper they
should. She was surprised, too, to find
that men here only had one wife apiece,
and seemed satisfied. In Feiee a big
chief often had four or five hundred
wives, and even men of the most ordi-
nary rank had five or six women to do
his work. She then introduced the re-
porter to the dwarf, who had eaten
nineteen ministers, all good and pious
men, and had picked his teeth with the
bones of their innocent offspring. He
still maintained remarkable fondness
for small children, but she hopes that
ne will soon become civilized and Chris
tianized. The two other chiefs, she
said, were horrible eannibals, with
Unsuitable appetites for human flesh.
They did not have any great fondness
for white men, although they had,
several years ago. helped to eat some
twenty shipwrecked sail.rs. But their
fondness for colored men seemed unaba-
ted. and a careful guard was kept upon
them whenever lady or gentleman of
color CHANGED in their presence. At this
interesting stage of the conversation the
train came rushing into the depot, and
the Feejeeans hastily gobbled up their
traps and hurried into the cars.