their flimsy bows, and fell face-downward on the ground, at the feet of
the victors. Under the circumstances, what could so noble a people as
were the Hili-lites do? They could not slaughter in cold blood nearly
twenty thousand trembling human creatures. So it was finally decided to
build a thousand large-sized row-boats, and it being the best time of
the year for that purpose, take them back to their own islands. This was
done. But in punishment for their offence, and as a constant reminder of
the existence of the Hili-lites--(who, as these savages knew, had
destroyed more than eighty thousand of their number, with a loss of only
twelve of their own killed, and thirty-seven seriously wounded--which
fact, by the bye, Peters says is inscribed on a monument in the City of
Hili-li, as well as recorded in the official history of the
Hili-lites)--as a constant reminder, I say, of a people so powerful,
they were ordered never, on any island in their group, to display any
object of a white color--the national color of the Hili-lites. So strict
and inclusive was this command, that the natives were ordered to take
each of their descendants as soon as his teeth appeared, and color them
with an indelible, metallic blue-black dye, repeating the operation
every year up to ten, and thereafter once in five years. The command
closed with the statement that the natives would be allowed to retain
the whites of their eyes, but only for the reason that, as they looked
at each other they would there, and only there, see the national color
of Hili-li, and so have always in mind the promise of the victors, that
if another descent on Hili-li were ever attempted, no single
native--man, woman, or child--would be allowed to live. In addition to
this, the Hili-lites engraved on a number of suitable rocks on each
island an inscription, briefly recording a reminder of the terrible
results of this attempt at conquest, heading each inscription with the
rude representation of a man with arm extended to the south, over which
and parallel with which was placed an arrow pointing to the