Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-03-15
lGNOBLE GAME.

Vet the Common People Of Fiji are Not Allowed to
Hunt It--How the Chiefs Enjoy the Great Priv
iIege of Shooting Rats-The Rodents Used for
Food.
TFrom the London Sporting and Dramatic Newsl
The rat is commonly eaten by the
lower order of Fijians. The animals are
not so large as in our parts of the world,
but rather between the size of mouse
and rat, and much of the same color;
they live chiefly upon such vegetable
substances as sugar-cane, bread-fruit,
etc. The common people, however,
are not allowed to hunt this game, that
privile ge being reserved for chiefs, mata-
BODIES and mooas. The plan and regu-
lations of the game of "fanna-gooms
(rat shooting) are as follows: A party
of chiefs having resolvedto go rat shoot
ing, some of their attendants are ordered
to procure and roast some cocoa nut,
which being done, and the chiefs having
informed them what road they intend to
take, they proceed along the appointed
road, chewing the roasted nut very fine
ly as they go, and splitting, or rather
blowing, a little of it at time out of
their mouths with considerable force, but
SO as not to scatter the particles far from
0dCu OOAISI, 1O1 IL bL1OJ NS1S SIIS'
tnbuted the rat would not attempt
to stop and pick them up, and
if the pieces were too large he would run
away with one piece instead of stopping
to eat his fill The bait is thus distrib-
uted at moderate distances on each side
of the road, and the men proceed till
they arrive at the place appointed for
them to stop at. If in their way they
come to any CROSSROADS, they stick reed,
in the ground in the middle of such
cross roads, as q taboo or mark of pro-
hibition for anyone to come down that
way, and disturb the rats while the chiefs
are shooting; and this no one will do, for
even if a considerable chief be passing
that way, on seeing the taboo he will
stop at distance and sit down on the
ground out of respect or politeness to
his fellow-chiefs, and wait patiently till
the shooting party has gone by; petty
chief or one of the lower orders would
not dare to infringe upon this taboo at
the risk of his life. The distributors of
the bait having arrived at the place ap-
pointed for them to stop at, sit down to
prepare cava, having previously given
the orders of their chiefs to the owners
of the neighboring plantations to send
supply of refreshments, such as pork,
yams, fowls and ripe plantains. The
company of chiefs having divided them
selves into two parties, set out about
ten minutes after the boohi Cor company
that distributes the bait) and follow one
another closely In row along the mid
die of the road, armed with bows and ar
rows. 1t must be noticed, however,
that the two parties are mixed; the great
est chief, in general, proceeding first, be-
hind him one of the opposite party, then
one of the same party with the first, and
behind him again one of the other party.
and SO on alternately. The rules of the
game are these: No one may shoot
rat that is in advance of him, except he
who happens to be first In the row (for
their situations change, as Will directly
be SEEM; but any one may shoot a rat
that is either abreast Of him or behind
him. As soon as a man has shot, whether
he hits the rat or not, he changes his sit
uation with the man behind him, so that
it may happen that the last man, if he
has not shot SO often as the others, may
come to be first, and vice versa, the first
come to be last; and for the same reason
two or three or more of the same party
may come to be Immediately behind one
another. Whichever party kills ten
rats first wins the game. If there be
plenty of rats they generally play three
or four games. In returning, as they ar
rive at any CROSSROADS they pull up the
reeds placed as a taboo, that pas
sengers coming afterwards may not
be interrupted In their progress.
When they have arrived at the
place where the boohi are waiting, they
sit down and partake of what is prepared
for them; afterwards, if they are dis
posed to pursue their diversion, they
send the boohi on to prepare another
portion OF the road; the length of road
prepared at a time Is generally about a
quarter of mile. IF during the game
any one of either party sees fair shot
at a bird, hemay take aim at it; if hekills
it, it counts the same as a rat, but
whether he hits 1t or not, If he ventures
a shot he changes place with the man
hind him. Every now and than they
stop and make peculiar noise with the
lips, like the soneak of rat, which fire.
gently brings them out of the bushes
and they sit upright on their launches
as if In the attitude of listening. If a
rat is alarmed by their approach, and is
running awas one or more cry out /" too!'
(stopD with a sudden percussion of the
tongue, which word is used, we may
suppose, on account of the sharp and
sudden tone with which it may be pro-
nounced. This has generally the effect
of making the rat stop, when he sits up
and appears too much frightened to make
his escape. When he is in the act of
running away, the squeaking noise with
the lips, instead of stopping him, would
cause him to run faster. They also fire.
gently use another sound similar to that
we use when we wish to answer In the
affirmative without opening the lips,
consisting in sort of humming noise
sounding Through the nostriIs, but rather
more short and sudden. The arrows
used on these occasions art nearly siz