Lolóma, or two years in cannibal-land: A story of old Fiji

Name: Lolóma, or two years in cannibal-land: A story of old Fiji
Author: Britton, Henry

Britton, Henry

Fiji -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Shipwrecks -- Fiction

With a view to the more intelligent discharge of my daily duties in
  Fiji, I added to other necessary studies the antiquities of that
  country. The more I examined the subject, the more I was assured
  that it was one of greater extent and interest than had been
  supposed. This belief led me to issue circular letters, addressed to
  the most intelligent native men in the islands. These letters put
  forth a long list of questions bearing on Fiji’s past, and concluded
  with an offer of prizes for the three best works thereon by native
  authors. Twelve months afterwards this call was nobly responded to
  by fifty competitors, and the result was as many essays, some of
  which were remarkably able and exhaustive, besides a large number of
  papers from non-competing writers. I now forward to you the pith of
  this cannibal literature, a literature which it was possible to
  secure only while the oldest inhabitants were still on this side of
  the spirit-world.

In the construction of this tale I have made use of the interesting
manuscript here referred to, though of course a very large portion of it
was not suited to my purposes. For the rest I have relied upon my own
acquaintance with the scenery of the country, and my own recollections
of the manners and customs of its people, which I had opportunities of
observing during my residence among them.

Some portions of the first half of this book have appeared in the
“_Australasian_” in the form of short stories.

          YORICK CLUB,
  _Melbourne, 30th November, 1883_.




                               CONTENTS.

[Illustration]


                 CHAP.                             PAGE.
                    I. OLD SYDNEY                      9

                   II. AT SEA                         13

                  III. AN INHOSPITABLE RECEPTION      22

                   IV. A RACE FOR LIFE                32

                    V. THE ISLAND-WORLD               36

                   VI. THE PRINCESS LOLÓMA            42

                  VII. FAIRY FOLK                     48

                 VIII. THE VALLEY OF TIVOLI           52

                   IX. CANNIBAL CHIEFS                61

                    X. WISDOM OF CANNIBAL-LAND        67

                   XI. THE WONDER OF CANNIBAL-LAND    75

                  XII. CAPTURE OF THE “EBBTIDE”       89

                 XIII. ELOPEMENT OF A GODDESS         95

                  XIV. A RIVAL’S STRATEGY            100

                   XV. ORDEAL BY SMOKE               105

                  XVI. OLD FRIENDS WITH NEW FACES    108

                 XVII. A CANOE VOYAGE                117

                XVIII. THE TEMPLE IS SET IN ORDER    127

                  XIX. GRIM-VISAGED WAR              132

                   XX. THE CANNIBAL BANQUET          137

                  XXI. A FISHING ADVENTURE           147

                 XXII. THE BIG FISH                  154

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Lolóma, or two years in cannibal-land: A story of old Fiji

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