Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/57

 WAE. 37 Incentives to bravery are not withheld. Young women, and women of rank, are promised to such as shall, by their prowess, render them- selves deserving. A woman given as a reward for valour is called, " The cable of the land ; " and the Chief who gives her is esteemed a benefactor, his people testifying their gratitude by giving him a feast and presents. Promises of such rewards are made in a short speech, the substance of which is the same in all cases : " Be faithful to my cause ; do not listen to those who call you to desert me. Your reward will be. princely." The forces collected for war rarely exceed in number a thousand men. An army of four or five thousand is only assembled by an im- mense effort. Sometimes flags are used, but they are only paltry affairs. When all is ready, the army is led probably against some mountain fastness, or a town fortified with an earth rampart, about six feet thick, faced with large stones, surmounted by a reed-fence or cocoa-nut trunks, and surrounded by a muddy moat. Some of their fastnesses well de- serve the name. One was visited by myself, where ten men might defy a host. After wearily climbing up a rugged path, hidden and encum- bered with rank vegetation, I reached the verge of a precipice. This was the end of the path, and beyond it, at the distance of several yards, in the face of the cliff, was the entrance to the fortress. To get to this opening it was necessary to insert my toes in the natural crevices of the perpendicular rock, laying hold with my hands on any irregularity within reach, and thus move sideways until a small landing at the door- way was reached. Some of these strongholds have, in addition to their natural difficulty of access, strong palisades and stone breastworks pierced with loopholes. Sometimes a fortress has only one gateway, with a traverse leading to it ; but from four to eight entrances are generally found. At the top of the gateway, on the inside, there is sometimes a raised and covered platform for a Ibok-out. The gates are formed by strong sliding bars inside : without, on either side, are sub- stantial bastions. Visitors capable of judging give theFijians credit for skill in arranging these several parts, so as to afford an excellent defence even against musketry. The garrisons are often well provisioned, but ill watered. Since the introduction of orange and lemon trees, some fortifications have a row of these in lieu of the wicker-like fence, and the naked natives fear these prickly living walls greatly. It is in garrisons that drums are used, and, by various beats, warning is given to friends outside of the approach of danger or an attack. By the same means