by a natural process of
selection. He is invariably one who, by his prowess and intelligence,
commands the respect and the obedience of all. Assisted by a local
justice of the peace, a bailiff, and a secretary, he conducts affairs
according to the old traditions handed down almost from the beginning
of the world. The families live together, thus preserving clans,
while blood feuds with the neighboring clans or tribes lead to a
system of perpetual extermination, which will be continued till the
tribe becomes extinct. And if the enemy himself can not be killed,
the nearest relative or friend will satisfy the aggressor's hatred
just as well. Cannibalism has been practiced in this tribe with fearful
and disgusting rites. The human sacrifices that they make appease not
only the great spirit, but the lesser ones, the man and wife, or evil
spirits, and the father and son, good spirits. When they go to war,
the lighting men use lances, swords, and bows and arrows. On their
wooden shields, daubed over with red paint, arranged around the edges
like a fringe, are tufts of hair--the souvenirs of men whom they have
killed. Their coats of mail are made of carabao horn cut into small
plates, or of pieces of rattan.

The only use they have for money is to make it into decorations and
embellishments for their most valued weapons, anklets and rings and
collars, which they wear without discrimination. They are a very
imaginative and a superstitious people. From their infancy they
are familiar with the dwarfs, the giants, and the witches, which,
according to the tales of the old women, haunt the woods. A crocodile
that lives down in the center of the earth causes the earthquakes, and,
to put a stop to these, the crocodiles must be persuaded by religious
incantations to go back to bed. A solar eclipse threatens a great
calamity to them, and they are sure that if they do not frighten away
the serpent who is trying to devour the sun, their land will never
see the morning light again. To this end they unite in beating drums
and making a loud noise with sticks.

They bury their dead in coffins made of hollowed logs. A pot of rice
and the familiar weapons will be placed within the grave, so that the
soul will have protection and a food supply for the long journey. And,
like Jacob, the prospective bridegroom has to serve the parents of the
bride for five or seven years before the marriage ceremony can take
place. The marriage-ties are sacred ev