body of
the victim sacrificed has been cut to bits. From the place of the
sacrifice they then go to the house of their chief or the master of the
feast, holding branches in their hands which they place in a large
bamboo, which is not only the chief adornment but the altar of the house
in which they meet * * * The principal part is reserved for the old man
or master of the feast, he standing near the bamboo which I have
mentioned above, holding the vessel of wine in his hand, and, talking
with his comrades, addresses the great demon called _Darago_, whose
feast they are celebrating, in the following words: 'Darago, we are
making you this feast, with great good will and gladness, offering you
the blood of the sacrifice which we have made and this wine which we
drink so that you may be our friend, accompany us, and be propitious in
our wars.' * * * * * * * * * * *

"When they marry, if the lovers think that it will be of any use they
make a human sacrifice so that they may have a good marriage, so that
the weather may be good, so that they may have no storm, sickness, etc.,
all things which they attribute to the devil. In the same way also when
they learn that there is any contagious disease, or fear death, several
of them assemble and make a human sacrifice, asking the devil to let
them live, since they generously offer him that victim. They also
believe that the disease can be conjured. But the time that it is
necessary to make a sacrifice, according to the law of the Bagobos, is
at the death of anyone of the family, before they can remove the
_lalaoan_ or mourning * * * At the point and on the day assigned, all
the sacrificers assemble, or possibly one member of each of the families
who are in mourning, at times fifty or more. The value of the slave
sacrificed is paid among them all, and he who pays most has the right to
sacrifice first."[**]

[**] In BLAIR and ROBERTSON, Vol. XLIII. pp. 244-51, will be found a
very interesting letter from FATHER GISBERT, in which he describes the
sacrifice of a Bagabo[sic] half-blood who had fallen in debt.

The official files in the Governor's office at Davao contain an account,
written by Gov. Bolton, of the sacrifice at Cataloonan, July 1, 1904.
This was held to secure the return to health of Chief Obo, who later
died.

[Transcriber's note: The two paragraphs immediately above both comprise
a single footnote.]

By the side of the trail, or in the forests, little shrines or pl