it until the body is thoroughly dried. In a
fortnight's time he will be placed in a large hole that is dug under
his house. He will be put in a niche, or aperture, in the wall, where
already his deceased relatives' remains are deposited, and then all
is over."

This hole, thought I, must be similar to the one I went into the
other night at Laganguilan.

The explanation that I had just received completely satisfied me, and
I did not request to be present again at the ceremony. I resolved,
since I was very comfortably seated, under the shade of a balete,
upon availing myself of the obliging disposition of my guide, to ask
him to inform me, suddenly changing the conversation all the while,
how his tribe managed to wage war on the Guinans, their mortal enemies.

"The Guinans," said he to me, without drawing in any way on my
patience, "wear the same arms as we do. They are neither stronger,
nor more skilful, nor more vigorous. We have two modes of fighting
them. Sometimes we give them a grand battle at mid-day, and then we
meet them face to face, under a burning sun; at other times, during
some dark night, we creep in silence to their dwelling-places, and
if we be able to surprise any of them we cut off their heads, which
we take away with us, and then we get up a feast, such as you have
already witnessed."

That word "feast" recalled to my mind the sanguinary orgie, or
carousing, I had been present at, and particularly the share I
had taken in it, so that I felt I was blushing and growing pale by
turns. The Indian took no heed of it, and went on thus:

"In the grand battles all the men belonging to a village are compelled
to take up arms, and to march against the foe. It is generally in
the midst of a wood that the two armies meet. As soon as they come in
sight of each other they set up crying and howling on both sides. Each
man then rushes upon his enemy, and upon this shock depends the
fate of the victory; for one of the armies is always panic-struck,
and scampers away; then it is that the other pursues it, and kills
as many as possible, taking care to preserve the heads, which they
bring home with them." [9]

"Why it is a hide-and-seek fight, the consequences of which are,
however, very cruel," I said. My Indian was of the same opinion,
and rejoined:

"In general the conquerors are ever those who are cleverest in
concealing themselves, in order to surprise their enemies, and who
then dash on them bawling and ho