content to devote
themselves to the rearing of their offspring, who, in return, rendered
heart-whole affection to their mothers. I never witnessed such docility
and loving obedience as was displayed by the children of this island to
those who had the care of them, and while I remained at Engano I never
heard a child cry or saw a woman in tears.

As the girls reach maturity, which they do in these latitudes at the
age of about twelve years, they are instructed by their mothers how to
perform the necessary work, and become very skilful at throwing the
lance, harpoon, or any manner of dart, being bred to it from their
infancy. These girls, from this training, possess wonderful eyesight,
and will descry a sail at sea farther than any sailor could see it.

The dress adopted by the dwellers on the Female Island, though scanty
to civilized eyes, is nevertheless suited to their manner of life. It
consists of tapa cloth cut in a deep fringe depending from waist to
knee. Their hair, which is long, hangs down their backs. Those who,
like Sylvia, have red hair, are mostly freckled and rosy, which, so far
from detracting from their beauty, rather adds to their charms. The
dark-haired ones are burnt brown by the sun.

I was now taken by Sylvia to be presented to the wise-ones, at whose
instigation I had been brought to the island. These I found to be men,
if indeed they could be called such, but they were so wizened in
appearance as more to resemble monkeys. Their manner of life is so
austere as to make it a matter for marvel that body and soul could
cling together. They will not kill an animal for food, or for any other
purpose, not even a fly or a flea, or anything in fact that has life;
for they say they have all souls, and it would be a sin to kill them.
They eat no vegetables in a green state, only such as are dry, for they
believe that even green leaves have life. And they sleep on the bare
ground, naked, without anything to cover them, or to soften the
mountain rocks which form their bed. They fast every day, and drink
nothing but water. Yet, in spite of the rigour of their discipline,
they attain to extreme old age; not one of the wise men, so Sylvia
informed me, being less than one hundred years old, while some were
accredited with upwards of two centuries of life. By reason of their
abstinence, they are supposed to be gifted with mysterious occult
powers, notably second sight, by which they are able to locate
strangers