Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-10

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silently Joined great company Of
cats Of every hue conceivable; then
these also disappeared, and he was left
astonished.,
He Was Saved by Prayer.
This was an anodyne appearance. Take,
| instead, the experience Of Rua-a-Marite-
rangi on the Isle of Katiu. He had a need
for some pandanus, and crossed the isle to
the sea beach, where it chiefly fourisbes.
The day was still, and Rua was surprised
| to hear crashing sound among the
thickets and then the fall of considerable
tree. Here must be some one building q
canoe, and he entered the margin of the
wood to find and pass the time of day with
this chance neighbor.
The crashing sounded more at hand, and
then he was aware of something drawing
swiftly near among the treetcps. It swung
by its heels downward, like an ape, SO that
its hands were free for murder; it depended
safely by the slightest twigs; the speed of its
coming was incredible, and soon Rua recog-
nized it for corpse, horrible with age, its
bowels hanging as it came. Prayer was the
weapon of Christian in the Valley of the
Shadow, and it is to prayer that Rua-a-
Mariterangi attributes his escape. No
merely human expedition bad availed. This
demon was plainly from the grave, yet you
will observe he was abroad by day. And
inconsistent as it may seem with the hours
of the night watch and the many references
to the rising of the morning star, it is no
singular exception, I could never find a case
Of another who had seen this ghost, diurnal
and arboreal in its habits but others have
heard the fall of the tree, which seems the
signal of his coming.
But whether by day or night, the purpose
of the dead in these attained activities is
still the same. In Samoa, my informant
had no idea of the food OF the bush spirits;
no such ambiguity would exist in the mind
of Paumotuan. In that hungry erchi-
pelago, living and dead must alike toll for
nutriment, and the race having b.en canni-
bal in the past, the spirits are 80 still.
Where the living ate the dead. Mortified
nocturnal Imagination drew the shocking in
ference that the dead might eat the living.
Doubtless they slay men. doubtless even
mutllate them, in mere malice. Marquesan
spirits sometimes tear cut the eyes of travel
ers; but even that NAV be more practical
than appears, for the eye is cannibal
dainty.
And certainly the root idea of the dead, at
least in the far eastern islands, is to prowl
for food. 1t was as q dainty morsel for
meal that the woman denounced Donat at
the funeral. Nor is it only the dead who
eat the living; there are spirits besides who
prey in particular on the souls of the newly
dead. The point is clearly made in Tahi-
tian story. A child fell sick, grew swiftly
worse, and at last showed signs of death.
The mother hastened to the house of
sorcerer, who lived hard by. "You are yet
in time" said he; "a spirit has Just run past
my door carrying the soul of your child
wrapped in the leaf Of purao; but have
spirit stronger and swifter who will run him
down ere he has time to eat it." Wrapped,
you see, in a leaf. like other things edible
and corruptlble.
Experience With the Bird of Death.
Or take an experience of Mr.. Donat's on
the island Of Anaa. It was a night of q
high wind, with violent squalls; his child
was very sick, and the father, though he
had gone to bed, lay wakeful. hearkening to
the gale. Ali at once a fowl was violently
dashed on the house wall. Supposing he
had forgot to put it in shelter with the rest,
Donat arose, found the bird Ga cock) lying
on the veranda, and put 1t in the heuhouse,
the door of which he securely fastened.
Fifteen minutes later the business was re-
peated, only this time. a. it was being
dashed against the wall, the bird crew.
Again Donat replaced it,examining the hen
house thoroughly and finding it quite per-
feet; as he was SO engaged the wind puffed
ont his light. and be must prope back to the
door a good deal shaken. Yet a third time
the bird was dashed upon the wall; a third
time Donat set 1t, now near dead, beside its
mate. and he was scarce returned before
there came A rusb. like that of a furious
strong man. against the door, and a whistle
as loud as that Of q railway engine rang
about the house,
The sISentical readoy NAV bpra dakocf the
finger Of the temnest but the woman pava
nm ali for LOST and clustered ON the heidi
lamentinp. Notbino followed and 7 mnst
suppose The gale somevhat abated. for
presently after chief came visiting. He
was bold man to be abroad 40 late. but
doubtless carried n bright lantern. And he
was certainly q man of counsel. for as soon
as he heard the details of these disturbances
he was in a position to explain their nature.
sYour child" I" said he. must certainly die.
This is the evil spirit of an island who lies
in wait to eat the spirits of the newly dead"
And then he went on to expatiate on the
stran oeness of the spirits conduct He was
not usually. he explained so open of assault,
but sat silent OF the housetop waiting in
the guise of bird,
fon 0piiA' A'""1'
But the dead are not exclusive in their
diet. They carry with them to the grave,
in particular, the Polynesian taste for fish.
and enter at times with the living into a
partnership in fishery. Rua-a-Mariterangi
is again my authority. As Rua grew up
he was called at last to 60 a-hshlng with his
parent. They rowed into the lagoon at dusk,
in the stern, and the father began vainly to
~ 10 I'M ha ho ia 70 ha