See
how charming these young girls look coining from
_Licoo_!--how beautiful are their skins, diffusing around a
fragrance like the flowery precipice of _Mataloco_:' Let us
also visit _Licoo_; we will depart to-morrow."

A CANNIBAL BARGAIN

This story intimates, what may be true, that the Fijians first taught
the Tongans the art of war, and if the Tongans were not originally a
warlike people, we would have in that significant fact alone an
explanation of much of their superiority to other Pacific islanders.
The Fijians also appear to have taught them cannibalism, to which,
however, they never became so addicted as their teachers. Mariner (I.,
110-111) tells a story of two girls who, in a time of scarcity, agreed
to play a certain game with two young men on these conditions: if the
girls won, they were to divide a yam belonging to them and give half
to the men; if the two men won they were still to have their share of
the yam, but they were to go and kill a man and give half his body to
the girls. The men won and promptly proceeded to carry out their part
of the contract. Concealing themselves near a fortress, they soon saw
a man who came to fill his cocoanut shells with water. They rushed on
him with their clubs, brought the body home at the risk of their
lives, divided it and gave the young women the promised half.

THE HANDSOME CHIEFS

To Captain Cook the muscular Tongan men conveyed the suggestion of
strength rather than of beauty. They have, however, a legend which
indicates that they had a high opinion of their personal appearance.
It is related by Mariner (II., 129-34).

The god Langai dwelt in heaven with his two daughters. One
day, as he was going to attend a meeting of the gods, he
warned the daughters not to go to Tonga to gratify their
curiosity to see the handsome chiefs there. But hardly had
he gone when they made up their minds to do that very thing.
"Let us go to Tonga," they said to each other; "there our
celestial beauty will be appreciated more than here where
all the women are beautiful." So they went to Tonga and, arm
in arm, appeared before the feasting nobles, who were
astounded at their beauty and all wanted the girls. Soon the
nobles came to blows, and the din of battle was so great
that it reached the ears of the gods. Langai was despatched
to bring back and punish the girls. When he arrived, one of