Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-27

we were working our way down the
coast in no particular hurry to get
anywhere, we suddenly heard the beat
| ing of a tom-tom. II was the bush
telegraph working furiously. | knew
that some kind of a message was go
ing out for the tom.tom Sounder as An
accompa niment to dances has a very
different note.
What's the message. Manga" |
asked my boy.
ME think it some Teller he die
finish" was his laconic reply.
We crossed the reef and beached the
boat and then hurried up TO the vii
lase, half hidden among the palms
All the natives were there in the clear
ing between the houses. dressed up in
everything they could put on. and
there was a deeply religious atmos-
phere about the gathering.
We understood the reason when we
saw huge funeral pyre built up 1t
was so high that we could just get a
glimpse of stiff figure sitting there.
the back turned toward us, and the
hands stretched out in an unnatural
way. All the people were gathered
around it.
JUST then they touched off the pyre.
a. fan as they could climb. Then they
lighted the wood from the four cor
ners and one or TWO persons remained
afte! il was burning we'll, for IL is
greatly 10 the credit Of the person who
is the last to jump down.
Taylor and | walked around the pile
examining ii with interest and watch
ing the natives eve longingly the cop
per iewelry that custom decreed
should be burned with the corpse.
W her we got to the front and were
standing there, looking up at It, Tay.
Tor suddenly gripped my arm. It's
thai darned girl we had. the one YOU
took care of at your house" he said
We were in NgaWelus. and the fig
ure on the pyre was I.awuSa. Her
face was painted vermilion. She had
her best clothes on and her hair was
glol iouSly bedecked. | shall ALWAYS
remember her expression AT that mo-
ment. Her eyes were staring out into
vacancy and there was the most pc
culiar twisted smile on her dead face.
as if she had rounded the circle of
her life and was contemptuous of
everything
BY this time the flames were leaping
toward the sky and the smoke curled
un in thick black clouds The wood
burned quickly. 1t was no time. it
seemed. before sudden spout of fire
sent up shower of sparks and she
shot down in the cUllapSing pile still
With that little smile Of diSdain on her
face.
Later Manga told me the real story.
As he had gathered it from the other
VIA gers. II seems that the carriers
haC returned 10 Ngawelus with the
reWs that Lawusa and her relatives
had died. When they brought this
news back the village set in To do the
Proper thing. Custom DEGREES that an
efflSN of any one who died away from
home must be built out of wood and
decorated with little bits of green
tWlss and wool and then burned on a
huge pNre.
II seems that these three persons
had no immediate heirs-at-law 50 their
IN cperty was distributed generally by
the village. The old man. who, was
tie brother of former chief. had q
number of pigs. of which property on
the island chiefly consists. and il was
considered the right thing 10 do 10 kill
Ill these pigs and hold a huge feast
fo,' three or four days. On the fourth
day, when the mourners were begin
Ming to recover from the feasting. in
walked I.awusa.. proclaimed dead.
kicking pale as a ghost.
CONSERVATION seized the people and
they ran in all objections. Gradually
all the village returned. They touched
LaWusa and found she was real and
ri eSently there was great rejoicing
over her unexpected reappea rance All
went well until she learned that her