The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-11-18

!, 1915
ency. Of course, and had. trouble WITH
their consonant-locked syllables and
g~utturals. but in . fashion ] could
talk.
Day followed day with q monotony
Of Ease. I was no longer satisfied
with the noisome flesh Of disgusting
crabs and the eggs Of gulls.
Delicacies of fish and flesh and hith-
erto unheard Of fruits were served -
to me to satiation. My tattered ~
pamas were replaced with garments
Of coco fiber and feather ineryed for
ceremonial wear.
The necessity Of entering into the
lives of the natives brought repulsivs
revelations, which I endured as best
I could since, If I were to influence
them, I must proceed with a nice di.
plomacy. My "futtered folk and wild"
could not be hurriedly herded in new
folds.
Departing spirits, they believed, fol-
lowed the sun into the west. Gods
visited mortals, though usually in in.
visible forms, and were fond of flesh
of enemies slain in battle. Fetish and
superstition took a hundred phases.
Their gusty and savage minds were
childishly susceptible, and in their
quickly reused affections they were as
demonstrative as collies.
I began shortly to look about for
some simple miracle wherein the new
goddess might manifest herself as q
deity of b~enefaction, as well as Of
cond!gn punishment. The opportuni-
ty came in a fashion most unexpected,
and the result hardly made for a re-
form enlightenment.
I was told that there dwelt In stilt-
supported villages of grass on the far
side of the island a warlike tribe with
whom my people were hostile.
My folk were bushmen and dreaded
the sea, but these enemies were salt
water men, who could with ak and ads
scoop from the solid tree an outrig.
ger canoe, and who were terrible in
their strength. Their king was lord
over several villages, and about his
house went-this they told me with
bated breath-a row of three hundred
round stones. and each stone stood for
an enemy slain and eaten.
For many seasons there had been
peace, but one day there arrived at
my plateau a delegation Of grief-torn
warriors. A small village had been
attacked and two heads taken to swell
the row of stones around the canoe
house. They had now come to pro-
pitiate the deity bearing fruits and ex-
quisitely wrought spears. They be-
sought the forgiveness of my gracious
lady, because they could offer no enc
mics flesh-the most god-satisfying
of sacrifices.
This omission, however. they swore
to remedy, If victory were permitted
to hover over them in fight. Among
the most devout of the petitioners was
Ra Tuiki, the aged chief with white
hair. They urged me to accompany
them to their principal village and lay
the hand Of blessing on their clubs
and spears.
Through dense tangles of palm and
fern and margrove and moss I val
borne in a rough hammock of fiber.
Great soft-winged butterflies floated
across the course of our march. Bril-
liant birds auttered of, twittering and
screaming. I should have preferred
walking, but my position prohibited
it. To condescend meant to become
a mere man.
In their squalid village of grass
novels l found the excitement of war
like preparation. . It was my first view
of their home life-and my last.
1 was taken to the house of the chief
or sub-king, who lay MORALLY hurt Of
an arrow wound and who wished to
have the blessing of the highest priest
that his spirit might take it's course
honorably and without curse to the
west.
He lay on his mat dying, and he
was older and repulsive to the
eye than Ra Tuiki. His ears had been
stretched by many huge ornaments,
and the cartilage of his s vas torn
ragged where the chances Of battle
had pulled out rings and spikes. His
eager eyes gazed up at me out Of .
face stiffened and set with age; and
by his mat lay, unwrapped from their
fiber coverings so that they might
comfort his passing spirit, two excel
lently preserved negroid heads.
shuddered, but I laid my hand On his
slanting forehead-and I have seen
men die with less dignity.
As night brought the closing in Of
choking jungle-shadows, a h~alf-dozen
red fires leaped up to drive their rib
bons of red fare into the blackness.
They wavered itfully and grotesquely
upon twisting, leaping black bodies,
which were pa~radoxically preparing
for the ordeal Of the morrow by hid
eous orgies and dances and fatigue