os' limited knowledge, it must be said that in his
further talk with the Professor he showed himself to be possessed of
qualities which placed him far above the common run of the natives. When
he was asked why honor was such a prize to them, he answered:

"Our good men are happy to know that they are so placed that the Great
Spirit can take them. What greater happiness is there for him?"

"Don't you believe that trying to make your people happy and contented
will please the Great Spirit?"

"We do not know that. We do not know why the Great Spirit should want
the bodies of our great warriors and good men. We cannot understand
it."

"The white man believes that if you do good to your fellow-man it will
please the Great Spirit."

"That may be; but I do not see why. There is no reason why he should
care how I treat my people. That is not what he is up there for. What
good will it do him? How will it help him? I do not believe many of the
things I have been told by the wise men, and I have never sacrificed the
captives I have taken, although my father before me did. I try to make
my people happy, because when I see the Great Spirit giving us the day
and the bright light and the rain, so that the things about us may grow,
it seems to me that he is trying to be good to us, and I believe that is
what we should do to each other."

CHAPTER XI

EXPEDITION TO SUBDUE THE ILLYAS

The occupation of the little houses by the families of the natives gave
the boys the first close view of the people in their home lives. They
were exceedingly primitive. The leaf of the plantain tree was the
greatest boon to these people, and the women were engaged most of the
time in removing the beautiful fiber and in laboriously weaving cloth
from the strands.

They were exceedingly deft in this, and it is singular how quickly they
grasped the idea of the loom, as a means to make a better article. The
loom used by them was a very crude affair, and an idea may be gained of
its form by the accompanying illustration, which shows the fork of a
tree branch (A), which serves to hold the ends of the warp threads (B).
To weave the goods, the woof thread (C) is threaded back and forth, and
as they had no needles for the purpose, a thorn was used.

This thorn had no eye, but its large end was split, and the end of the
thread held in the cleft thus made. Every family had this primitive
loom, and the whole time, outside of their other household du