ometimes it was hard; sometimes not." Somerville
says that "slaves are kept chiefly for their heads, which are
demanded whenever any occasion necessitates them, such as the
death of the owner." He is speaking of the Solomon Islands.[698]
What Finsch says of the Melanesians may be extended to all the
inhabitants of the South Sea islands.[699] They will not work
because they do not need to. They have few wants. Pfeil wants to
make the people of German Melanesia work, in order that they may
contribute to the tasks of the human race. The problem presents
one of the great reasons for slavery in history.

+280. Slavery in the East Indies.+ The chief of Chittagong[700]
wrote to the English governor, in 1774, that slavery in his
district was due to the sale of himself by any person who was
destitute, and had no friends or position. He and his wife must
serve the master and his wife in any desired way, including
services which a free servant would not perform, "through fear of
demeaning himself and disgracing his family." Abolition of this
slavery would produce complaints by the masters, and would not
please the servants who are used to it. "Until lately the
universal custom prevailed in the hills of having debtor slaves."
The debtor gave one of his children or a female relative to serve
as a menial until the debt should be paid. The pawned persons
"were treated as members of the creditor's family and never
exposed to harsh usage." The effect of interference by the
English was that the wives and daughters of the great men
suddenly had to do all the housework. "Debtor and creditor lost
confidence in each other."[701] "There is a detestable and actual
slavery in these hills, which is now only carried on by
independent tribes, beyond English jurisdiction. This is the
captivity to the bow and spear,--men and women taken prisoners by
force in war, and sold from master to master. The origin of this
custom was the want of women."[702] In the Chin hills there are
slaves who are war captives, or criminals, or debtors, and others
who are voluntary slaves, or slaves by birth. The master had full
power of life and death, but, in fact, slaves were well treated.
The people made raids on the Burmese lowlands and seized captives
who were held for ransom. A slave man cohabits with a slave woman
and brings up his children with affection