Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1906-04-05
THE LITTLE ILoNCoTE MAN
Must Secure the Head Of a Man t6
Present TO his intended
Brios.

He is an Ilongote, and IA. WIN e'4-
dence OF that 4eep hiial leFo''oA 10
wbieh the children Of inns stranse tribe
of Filimnos is noted, revealed IN the
pose OF his lite, lithe brown Douy' ne
stands before MS father, as seahtiiiy
clad as his son, says an exchange
"oh, father, am in love- contesseS
the boy
1T is wen" is the slow cultural an
swer.
And / desire the youngest dausi's'
OF thy sworn friend for my WIFE,
For a moment the big man looks mo
the eyes of the little man before ham
then he turns and disappears into inc
straw and bamboo hut that he and his
call home.
Presently he is back again, with MS
favorite and most deliberately decorator
bolo in his hands Without a word ne
holds It toward the boy Without
word. the boy takes it. With a last wor-
shipful look at his parent, he glides
noiselessly away; and as long as he Is 10
sight the father remains watching every
graceful movement of his little man.
Early the next morning the boy finds
himself far from the village OF his
tribesmen, in a strange country. The
trail on which he stands has every APP
pearance of being frequently Travelled.
Tall grass, and dense. borders II lux
uriantly on either side. Carefully he Sc
lects a spot where he can command 2
good view of the trail for a considerable
distance in either direction. With even
greater care, so as not to break down
any grass, he separates Il, steps into the
opening, lets the grass fly back in place
and he is lost TO sight of anyone
CHANGING to pass that way.
For hours he waits, standing tense,
expectant. every faculty alert, the cum
ming OF the prey-hunting animal writ
ten in his fiat features Finally his
trained ears catch a strangely familiar
noise. II is faint and afar of. II Is
made neither by bird nor beast nor rep
tile nor rasping vegetation. Nearer anu
nearer the sound approaches, with
clock-like regularity, Now il comes
lightly from the last bend Of the trail
which the listener turned Now Il IS
close at hand, still delicate and regular
Now II has moved 20 the other side-the
grass is silently swiftly parted, a 1.-THE
arm swings over a boyish head. a Dol,
CLEANS for a second in the sunlight and
the next claims the lone travellers head
When the little man turns his face
toward his fathers home a quarter ofan
hour later he carries with him the head
a bit OF his victims breast, his heart am
a finger or two. And when. the next day
he holds up his grewsome trophies 20 his
fathers gaze the man proudly and
hastily goes about among his friends
proclaiming the prowess and fitness 81
his son to take unto himself a wife
even though he is shade under the age
at which an llongote usually marries.
Meantime, after a good meal. the boy
places the head on a stick in front OF his
fathers house Around II the men Of
the tribe gather They dance an that
day and far into the night They dance
the next day and the following night. al
most without ceasing. The third day
they are still dancing about the head
For nine days they dance about Il. In
honor Of the boys fitness to take a wife
And the father is the merriest, maddest
dancer OF them all.
The jewellers all but worn out, on the
tenth day they make their way 70 the
home Of the bride, the boy bearing hi.
strange wedding gifts, the father ad-
ditional gifts of spears. knives ana
bolos. These they hand to the girl A
trusted friend tremendously buries the
head under the house. over this spot
the little man receives the hand Of his
bride. also child in years. and the next
day the two begin the building VI their
grass and bamboo home