Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1892-04-21

he was hidden, and to which he
went, taking his own native
servant with him. The banquet
had proceeded for some time with
out interruption, when at last, as
crown of the feast, beautiful
brown roast tjoint was brought from
the back of the house to the open
airy place where the repast was be-
ing held. This was cutup without
remark and handed round, and
the Dutch gentleman was on the
point of eating his portion, having
raised part Of it to his lips, when
his servant rushed forward and
stopped him, saying: "Master, do
not eat; it is boy" The chief,
on being questioned, admitted,
with no small pride at the extent
of his hospitality, that hearing
that the white man would feast
with him, he had ordered a young
boy to be killed and cooked in his
honor, as the greatest delicacy
obtainable, and that the joint be-
fore them was the best part the
thigh. Early travellers in New
Zealand always express aston
ishment when they discover the
cannibal propensities of the in
habitants, that SO gentle and
pleasant hammered people could
become on occasion such fero-
cious savages. Earle, who wrote
a very readable, intelligent, and
but little known account of the
'Maoris very early in the present
century, speaks of the gentle man
ners and kindly ways of a New
Zealand chief, whom afterward he
discovered to be an inveterate
cannibal. He relates that he
visited the place where was cook
ing the body of a young slave girl
that his friend had killed for the
purpose. The head was severed
from the body; the four quarters,
with the principal bones removed,
were compressed and packed into
a small oven in the ground, and
covered with earth. Itwas case
Of unjustifable cannibalism. No
revenge was gratified by the deed,
and no excuse could be made that
the body was eaten to perfect
=. hs
learned that the flesh takes many
hours to cook, that it is very tough
if not thoroughly cooked, but that
it pulls in pieces, like q piece Of
blotting-paper, if well done, He
continues that the victim was q
handsome, pleasant-looking girl
of 16, and one he used frequently
to see about the Pah. To quote
his own words: "While listening
to this frightful detail we felt sick
almost to fainting. We left Alto:
1.-THE chief who had killed the girl J
and again strolled toward the spo'
where this disgusting feast wa'
cooking. Not a native was nov
nearit, hot steam kept occa
sionally bursting from the
smothered mass, and the same
dog that we had seen take the
head Of the girl now crept from
beneath the bushes and sneakee
toward the village. To add to tht
| gloominess of the whole, a large
hawk rose heavily from the very
spot where the poor victim hat
been cut in pieces. My FRIEND
and I sat gazing in this melancholy
place. 1t was a lowering, gust.
day, and the moaning of the WING
through the bushes, as it swep
round the hill on which we were
seemed in unison with our feel
ings." Earle goes on to relate
how he and three other com
patriots, whom he summoned
from the beach for the purpose
with the Englishman's usua
Iimpertinence and intolerance o
customs differing from his own
determined to frustrate Atoi'
intention. They together visite'
the hill where the flesh was cook
ing, and destroying the oven
buried the remains in the earth
They found the heart put on on
side for the special delectation o
their constant friend and com
panion, Atoi. Earle was afterwar
good-humoredly told by the chic
that their interference had been Q
no avail, as they had found tn
grave where the flesh had bee
buried and opening it soon afte
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