PART II

THE SOLOMON ISLANDS

VII • South Sea traders good and bad; their ups and downs—Nicolas the Greek—The Mambare river massacre—Some queer creatures with queerer ways—“A fitting end to a wasted life” • 71

VIII • Natives who have had no chance; their villages without streets and their curious huts—The tambu and canoe houses—An unlucky trader • 84

IX • Solomon Islands—Ingova’s head-hunters—How whole tribes were wiped out—Savage invasions and clever tactics • 94

X • Clothes and the men—Love of adornment—Natives who are not keen on eating—Methods of cooking their food—Betel-nut chewing • 104

XI • Some clever ways of catching fish—How the bonito is landed—Native nets—Pig-hunting—The sly opossum and the crocodile • 113

XII • A curious religion—Burying the dead, and some graveyards—Dances and music—Native artists and how fire is made • 124

XIII • What “hope” is to the Solomon islander—The use of the evil eye • 134