jr. / . / j tVtf ®JffDlngir a | PRINCETON, N. J. Purchased by the Mary Cheves Dulles Fund. $*> % k Divrnm -E _U 7 A- A~ , 7^25 Section Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/landofnewguineap00rawl_0 THE LAND OF THE NEW GUINEA PYGMIES Dr. Marshall and Pygmies Dr. Marshall and the first two pygmies who visited our ca.np. The stiing bags contain all their worldly possessions. Dr. Marshall is 5 ft. 9 in. in height, so by comparison tne small stature of the pygmies will be understood. THE LAND OF THE NEW GUINEA PYGMIES AN ACCOUNT OF THE STORY OF A PIONEER JOURNEY OF EXPLORATION INTO THE HEART OF NEW GUINEA BY v CAPTAIN C. G. RAWLING, C.I.E., F.R.G.S. SOMERSET LIGHT INFANTRY AUTHOR OF “THE GREAT PLATEAU,” &C., &C. With 48 Illustrations & a Map PHILADELPHIA J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY LONDON: SEELEY, SERVICE 6- CO. LTD. l 9'3 TO Sir CLEMENTS R. MARKHAM, K.C.B., D.Sc., F.R.S., F.S.A. (LATE PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY) TO WHOSE EXPLORATIONS AND RESEARCH WE ARE SO HEAVILY INDEBTED ; TO WHOM EXPLORERS AND GEOGRAPHERS ARE UNDER SO GREAT AN OBLIGATION PREFACE My best thanks are due to H. S. Harrison, Esq., D.Sc., F.R.A.I., for his monograph on the Pygmies which I have ventured to introduce into this book as Chapter XIX. Not only is it a valuable addition to the scientific results of the expedition, but it suggests a line of thought which may be followed with advantage by all those who are interested in the origin of the living races of man. References and ultra- scientific terms have been omitted in order to bring before the general reader the trend of present thought on this subject. vii CONTENTS CHAPTER I Life in the sixteenth century — Gallant pioneers — A Portuguese explorer — Discovery of New Guinea — Dutch enterprise — Famous travellers — Native hostility — European annexation — The Dutch section — An unknown country . CHAPTER II Organising an expedition— Learning by experience — Forming the party — The survey staff — Transport arrangements — The food- problem — Ill-chosen supplies — En route — Dutch courtesy — Enlarging the staff — The line of advance — Java — Due east — A curious prison regime— Dobo — The island of New Guinea — The Mimika district — The coast-line CHAPTER III First impressions — A doubtful reception — First overtures— Boarded by savages — Exemplary behaviour — Into the un- known — The Mimika River — An enthusiastic welcome — Wakatimi — A village community — Selecting a site — Un- mannerly curiosity CHAPTER IV Coast and up-river tribes — The Papuan — Albinos — Native hair- dressing — Personal adornments — Native costume — Civilisa- tion and morality — Compulsory clothing — Widow’s weeds — Male attire — Improving nature — The drunken savage — Corporal punishment— Treatment of children — Female sub- jugation — Native diet — A curious delicacy — A fertile soil — Native indolence ........ PAGES 17-25 26-39 40-52 53-67 IX CONTEXTS CHAPTER V Shark-fishing — Poor sport — Barter and exchange — A primitive aboriginal — TJgly rumours — Cannibalism— An open question — Difficulties of pioneering — Learning the language — A Papuan canoe — Buying a fleet CHAPTER VI A missing comrade — A fruitless search — A heavy blow- — Unprofit- able zeal — River navigation — Collecting transport — The Mimika River — Difficult navigation — River flora — River fauna — Big game — Wallaby and cuscus — Insect pests — Snakes — A day of surprises — An extraordinary welcome CHAPTER VII Parimau — Single combat — Treatment of wives — Towards the hills — Forest growth — Woodcraft — The Kapare — Preparing for an attack — Negotiating — Panic — Wild scenery — Difficulties with coolies — Friendly villages — Difficult canoeing — Rain — Short rations CHAPTER VIH Unpleasant work — Chasing pygmies— Captured pygmies — Pygmy equipment — Primitive methods — Pygmy history — Penetrat- ing the mountains — Stalking human game — Brave Pygmies — Land of the Pygmies — Attempts to penetrate the country — Hill plantations — Fresh line of advance . CHAPTER IX Parimau — A promising farmyard — Native dogs — Pet animals — A cassowary — Up the Mimika — Arduous travelling — Capsised —The language — “ Oewera-mina ” — Birth, marriage, death — Disease — Burial — Medicine — A brisk market in skulls — Religion — Courage of the natives — Useful electric torch . X PAGES 68-79 80-94 95-107 108-121 122-141 CONTENTS CHAPTER X The track to Ibo — The Tuaba River — Inundations— Tattoo marks Hospitality — A critical moment — Expeditious house moving — A zoological collection — The bower-bird — Birds of paradise — Arrival of fresh coolies — Poling and paddling — Trade articles CHAPTER XI A village brawl — Cooled ardour — A pig festival — Highway robbery —Restitution — Theft — Dishonoured notes — Wife beating — Our steam-launch — A transformation — The Dreadnought . CHAPTER XII The village of Nime — An inundated village — A timely rescue — Barter and exchange — Clubs — Strategy — Second trip up the Kaiqua CHAPTER XIII Coast and up-river natives — The headman of Nime — A dignified character — Native curiosity — Photographs and pictures — Native drawings — Novelty and amusement— Scenery on the Atoeka — An albino — Buying a motor launch — Collapse of a village — A miserable experience — Halley’s comet — An enjoy- able change .......... CHAPTER XIV Up the Wataikwa — A stampede of carriers — A toilsome retreat — Vicarious punishment — Disappointing behaviour — New Guinea flies — The wet season — Crossing the Kamura — The hidden baggage — Difficult surveying — Alternative plans — The course of the Wataikwa — Pleasant speculations — A pre- carious position — Cutting through the forest — Hampered work — A turbulent stream — Hewing and cutting— Dense vegetation — Dreary work PAGES 142-156 157-172 173-180 181-195 196-210 XI CONTENTS CHAPTER XV Cheerless prospects — Shattered hopes — Ill-used Gurkhas — Fresh stores — A bolting gun-bearer — Birds of paradise — Return to the Wataikwa — Difficulties of surveying — Photographing the natives CHAPTER XVI Floods at Parimau — A burial — Depressing circumstances — A suc- cessful clearing — Natives’ idea of supply and demand — Mosquitoes and leeches — The value of medicine — Mortality of the expedition — Beri-beri — Malaria ..... CHAPTER XVII Illness of Goodfellow — A cheerless place — Our ill-fated launch — The art of poling — A hearty welcome — Propitiating the river gods — Scarcity of game — Loss of canoes — A rain-soaked country— Migration — Valuable detail work— Pygmy villages — The expedition split up — Lost coolies CHAPTER XVIII Tapiro Mountain — The home of the pygmies — Effects of the floods — A silent march — Nervous carriers — Excited pygmies — A poor joke — Churlish hosts — Physical characteristics — Dress — Personal treasures — Head-dresses — Plainsman and pygmy — A struggle for existence — Clearings — Elusive women — The incomprehensible white man — Superior plainsmen — My sus- picious guide — A hostile headsman — Timid women-folk — Our departure — Measurements of pygmies ..... CHAPTER XIX Dwarfs and giants — The pygmy question — Negritos or negrillos — Head-form — Origin of pygmies — Various views — An open question — Pygmy culture — Weapons — Fire-making — The use of stone — Arts and crafts —Decorative art — Social and tribal organisation — Status — Antiquity xii TAOES 211-221 222-233 234-245 246-264 265-278 CONTENTS CHAPTER XX Return to the coast — No coolies — A fine dancing hall — Native music — Dancing — The tocsin of war — A false alarm — A peace- ful time — Myriads of crabs — Native children— Children’s games — Methods of fishing — Brush turkey .... CHAPTER XXI Unpromising coolies — The problem of the hills— Our motor boat — Difficult navigation — Interested motives — A double murder —Organising the advance— The advance to the mountains — Papuans and the axes — A change in the river — Crossing the Wataikwa — A. flooded river — Coal — Rock formation — Unpro- mising prospects — An arduous climb— A grand outlook . CHAPTER XXII Searching for a ford — A dangerous undertaking — A plucky Gurkha — Building a bridge— Second stage of our advance — The stores an important factor— Effects of temperature — Bad going — Reduced rations — Miserable coolies — A race with the clouds — Success — A fine view — The Nassau range — Oil and minerals — The Utakwa River — Mount Idenburg — Tapiro Mountain — Plains and rivers — Doctor Lorentz — The price of success — The return journey — A feast and its results CHAPTER XXIII Preparing to leave — Bashful pygmy women— A hurricane — Motor boat on fire — The Atoeka River — A cordial welcome — Inspect- ing a village — Dancing halls — A return visit — Keen traders — The Kamura — A collision — Kamura village — A wild-looking crew — Attacked — An erratic motor — A glorious bay — Gorgeous coloured fish — Return to Wakatimi .... xiii PAGES 279-290 291-307 308-326 327-341 CONTENTS CHAPTER XXIV PAGES Wania Bay — An unexpected bar — Our unfortunate motor boat — A lost propeller — A critical position — Salving the launch — A humorous comparison — The last voyage — A welcome sight — An unexpected reinforcement 342-352 CHAPTER XXV Completed work — Results of the expedition — Disappjinted hopes — Relief ships — Anticipating trouble — Scenes of turmoil — Civilising influence — Dobo — Dispersal of the Expedition — Dutch hospitality 353-360 Ixdex 361-366 XIV ILLUSTRATIONS Dr. Marshall and Pygmies ..... Frontispiece PAGE A Forest Impassable for Man ..... 4 6 Wakatimi Village ....... 46 Types of Papuans ....... . 50 A Papuan Family ....... . 56 Widows’ Weeds ....... . 60 A Native Beauty ....... 64 On the Lower Reaches of the Mimika River . 76 Canoe Building — Roughly Shaping a Canoe . 78 Canoe Building — Levering the Prepared Log . . 78 At Parimau ........ • 92 An Elderly Widow ....... 92 In the Village of Parimau ...... • • 96 Pygmies Making Fire ...... . 112 Pygmies of the Tapiro Tribe ..... . 116 Wamberimi Village ....... . 124 Parimau Camp ........ . 124 An Idle Dandy of Parimau ..... . 134 Papuans Experimenting with Soap .... . 134 Tattooed Woman ....... . 144 Parimau ......... . 144 XV ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Men Securing and Binding the Boars . . . . 160 The Slaughter Platform . . . . . . . 160 A Pig Feast — Wailing and Lamentation . . . . .162 A Pig Feast — Women Crying Over the Carcases . . . 162 Forcing the Canoes Past the Timber Blocks on the Mimika . 178 A Party of Papuans Travelling Fast on the Kaiqua River . . 178 A Headman . . . . . . . . . .182 Effects of a Flood . . . . . . . . .192 Greater Bird of Paradise ........ 216 A Patriarch .......... 224 View Looking East from Parimau Clearing .... 228 “ The Idle, Slothful Savage ” . . . . . . . 228 Boy Scouts .......... 228 Tapiro Pygmies ......... 250 A Typical Pygmy House ........ 256 At Wamberimi .......... 262 Tapiro Pygmies — A Friendly Attitude ..... 262 Plainsmen and Pygmies ........ 268 A Dancing Hall ......... 282 Tapiro Pygmies — Discussing the Situation .... 282 From Above Iwaka Camp ........ 304 The Wataikwa River ........ 304 The Gurkha Jangbir . . . . . . . .310 Spanning the Torrent . . . . . . . .310 Women Using the Stone Axe . . . . . . .314 The Camp at 5400 Feet . . . . . . . .314 Suspicious Movements ....... 333 XVI THE LAND OF THE NEW GUINEA PYGMIES CHAPTER I Life in the sixteenth century — Gallant pioneers — A Portuguese explorer — Discovery of New Guinea — Dutch enterprise — Famous travellers — Native hostility — European annexation — The Dutch section — An unknown country D URING the sixteenth century Europe was in a state of perpetual strife. Out of a chaos of religious conflicts, social strife, and prolonged war, emerged the Renaissance. Its advent was heralded alike by the outspoken, un- compromising utterances of Luther, and the polished, cynical essays of Erasmus. It was necessary to every country, every profession, every trade. To the masses life in Europe had become intolerable. Religion, which then played the most important part in men’s lives, had passed imperceptibly from the sublime to the ridiculous, and thence to the grotesque. Vice in every form had reached its culminating point in the excesses of the Borgias. Taste in art and literature was degenerate and depraved to a degree. War had satiated the highest in the land with conquest and plunder, and sickened the lowest with misery and destitution. Thus it came about that men, bolder than their 17 B LIFE IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY fellows, disgusted with life in Europe, went forth to find new homes across the Atlantic, limitless to them and uncharted, beset with unknown perils. It is to the intolerable state of life in Europe before the Renaissance that we owe the discovery of the New World. With the progress which accompanied the Reformation, trade helped to carry forward the work of populating new countries and the fashioning of the map of our world of to-day. Of all countries, Spain and Portugal perhaps derived the greatest advantage from the Renaissance. It is to them, therefore, that we chiefly owe the discovery of countries across the seas. Spanish names are to be found on many a promontory and inlet of the New World — everlasting monuments to her dauntless seamen. In the Americas these pioneers were soon followed by British adventurers and merchants. The names of Grenville and Hawkins, Raleigh and Drake, and of many others whose gallant deeds have made history, rise before us as we turn over the pages of the past. Where they cut their way through tangled jungle, or waded, staggering in the slime of some pesti- lential marsh, or fought desperately with their backs to their beached ships against tribes to whom mercy was unknown, now stand teeming cities, with their busy streets and crowded markets, or prosperous farmsteads in the midst of their shady pastures and fields of corn. Their work has been continued and completed by suc- cessive generations, toiling with axe and plough as the pioneers of future Empire. And yet there remains one country, the greater part of which is as unchanged to-day as when the first Portuguese seaman sighted it wellnigh four centuries 18 A PORTUGUESE EXPLORER ago. We can imagine the crew, weary with their year-long voyage, weak probably from scurvy, straining their eyes landward as the ship, foul and encrusted, slowly approached the shore, and with what excite- ment and wonder they surveyed the tangled stretches of jungle, mist-veiled, slashed here and there with the gleam of water, backed by mountains unknown and mysterious, and seamed with dark and gloomy gorges. For such is New Guinea to-day. It was Jorge de Meneses, sent from Malacca to com- mand the Portuguese at the Spice Islands, who (it is believed) in 1527 was the first to land in New Guinea. In this remote corner of the world existed the most deadly rivalry between Spain and Portugal. Early in the sixteenth century a Papal Bull divided the entire East Indies between the two countries. The dividing- line was a meridian drawn in the Atlantic, then arrived at by the roughest of dead reckoning, which unfortu- nately ran close to the valuable Moluccas, the Spice Islands, and constant strife therefore arose as to its exact position. The Spaniards reached the Spice Islands by way of the Pacific ; the Portuguese from India and Malacca. The immediate result of this rivalry was the discovery of New Guinea, lying directly in the route to the Moluccas. Meneses attempted a new route around the North of Borneo, and, landing at New Guinea, remained there several months without realising at all the importance or size of the island. The natives of the Moluccas called the inhabitants Papuans, on account of their woolly hair, and Meneses therefore called the island Papua. When the monsoon changed, he gladly sailed away to join his comrades at Tanati, 19 DISCOVERY OF NEW GUINEA The next to touch on the shores of New Guinea was the Spaniard, Alvaro de Saavedra, who sailed across the Pacific from South America, where Pizarro was fighting desperately to carry out his conquest of Peru. In 1529 Charles V sold the Spanish claims on the Spice Islands to the Crown of Portugal. Eight years later, in 1537, Grijalva and Alverado were despatched from Mexico by Hernan Cortes. They were wrecked on the north coast, where Grijalva was murdered by his mutinous crew, who were themselves taken prisoners by the natives. The castaways were finally released by the Portuguese and taken to the Moluccas. In 1545 the island received the name by which we know it to-day. Ortis de Retes, thinking himself the discoverer, named it New Guinea, on account of the resemblance the inhabitants bore to those of the West Coast of Africa. Only the British section of the island now retains the more ancient designation of Papua. So far only the northern coast had been visited, but in 1606 Louis Vaiz de Torres landed in Milne Bay on the southern shore. He made extensive observa- tions, mapped a certain portion of the coast, and discovered the straits between New Guinea and Aus- tralia which now bear his name. All records, however, of his discovery were lost till 1762, when they were found by Dalrymple in the archives of Manilla, though his map was not brought to light till 1878. Any attempt, however, to colonise New Guinea, such as was taking place in the Americas, invariably met with disaster. Early in the seventeenth century Holland, usurping the place of the declining Portuguese Empire, appeared upon the scene. Captain Willem Jansz of the yacht 20 DUTCH ENTERPRISE Dyske was the first Dutchman to land. The in- habitants, however, proved hostile, and attacked and killed eleven of his thirty sailors. Another attempt under Schouten and Le Maine in 1616 likewise failed, many of the crew being killed and wounded. Janz Carstensz, travelling eastwards, passed the island in 1623. He was the first to place on record the existence of a mountain range possessing snowfields and glaciers. To perpetuate this discovery, his name has been given to the highest visible snow-peak, and it is to this dis- trict that the travels recounted in this book mainly refer. In 1642 came the famous navigator Abel Janez Tasman. Little more was heard of the island till the year 1700, when William Dampier, despatched by George III, sailed round the eastern end and dis- covered the channel separating the island of New Britain from that of New Guinea. In 1714 the island was nominally ceded to the Dutch by the Sultan of Tidore, this being recognised in London in 1824. For fifty years no traveller approached the coast, and it was not until the arrival of the Englishman, Captain Carteret, in 1767, that any further discoveries of importance were made in this part of the world. The following year Bougainville touched these shores. In 1770 Captain Cook visited the island, in 1771 Son- neret, and the East India Company in 1775. In 1784 England obtained the right of free trade. In 1791 arrived MacCluer and Edwards, 1792 Captains Bligh and Portlock, 1793 D’Entrecasteau, and in the same year Mate Dell took possession of some islands in Torres Straits for England, and Captain Hayes of the East India Company, in addition to other discoveries, 21 FAMOUS TRAVELLERS established a station on the north coast ; but the natives, as usual resenting any attempt to occupy the country, forced him to retire a few years later. From this period it would be tedious and almost impossible to give a complete list of all the famous travellers who have contributed something to the world’s knowledge of the coast of New Guinea and neighbouring islands. It may, however, be interesting to mention a few of the most renowned. Lieutenant MacCluer surveyed large portions of the western coast in 1790, and was finally lost at sea in 1795. In 1826 IvolfF arrived ; in 1827 Admiral D’Urville completed a valuable survey of the north coast. Lieutenant Yule landed in 1846 and took pos- session of a portion of the south-east coast in the name of Great Britain. The largest river was discovered in 1845 by the gunboat Fly, from which it takes its name. In 1858 came Wallace, and thirteen years later Teys- mann. Admiral Moresby landed in 1875, followed by D ’Albertis, Macgregor, Maclay and others, amongst whom must not be forgotten that famous missionary the Rev. James Chalmers, who was afterwards so treacherously murdered on the coast. The resentment of the natives to any attempt at occupation, and their implacable hostility, resulted in many brutal murders and many complete disasters. In 1890 a British steam yacht was wrecked to the west of the Mimika River, and the entire crew killed and eaten. The disaster to the Pell occurred in 1900, a similar fate befalling the officers and crew near the present position of the Dutch settlement of Merauke. On the submission of the Sultan of Tidore to the Dutch in 1714, the latter, as suzerain power, acquired 22 EUROPEAN ANNEXATION all possessions of the former ruler and claimed the territory from the most westerly point eastwards to the 141st meridian. This boundary, with slight modi- fications, was accepted by the Powers in 1893, but it was not until 1899 that Holland took over direct con- trol of her section. By Imperial Letters Patent issued to the German New Guinea Company, Germany laid claim to and annexed the north-eastern portion of the island in 1884. The south-western section was formally taken over by Mr. Chester by order of the Premier of Queensland in 1883. This act was not confirmed by the Home Government, but the territory was nevertheless annexed to the British Crown in the following year, and the boundary between German and British territory fixed in 1885. To Germany went the newly named Bismarck Archipelago. Sufficient has been said to explain New Guinea’s meagre history and how its land has been parcelled out between the three European nations. Of the British section of Papua much is known ; it is partially civilised, and a considerable portion surveyed. Neither the Ger- man nor the Dutch sections are nearly so far advanced, but Holland of late years has displayed great zeal in the exploration of her half of the island, which, in addition to being twice as extensive, offers more serious obstacles to successful exploration than either of the other two. During the last two or three years eight expeditions have penetrated into the Dutch section of the island from all sides, of which the most important are : the Mam- berano River Expedition under Kapt. A. Herderschee, October 1909 to May 1910 ; Humboldt’s Bay Boundary 23 THE DUTCH SECTION Commission under F. J. P. Sachse, November 1909 ; the Fak-Fak Expedition under Kapt. Kock; the Utakwa Expedition under Kapt. J. Van der Bie and Lieutenant Postema, March to December 1910; the Island River Expedition under Herr A. Schaeffer and Kapt. Van der Ven ; the Digul River Expedition, and the three Expeditions under the well-known Dr. Lorentsz, in the last of which he reached his goal and penetrated to the Wilhelmina peaks. He was thus the first European to tread the snows of New Guinea. New Guinea as a whole still offers greater oppor- tunities for the explorer, collector and anthropologist, than any other portion of the globe. During the latter half of the last century so many vast areas of the world’s surface yielded up their secrets before the advance of civilisation that comparatively little pioneer exploration now remains to be accom- plished. New Guinea still resists the invader, and though its hidden secrets are one by one being brought to light, yet many years must elapse before sufficient knowledge of the country can be accumulated even to construct a sketch map of its entire surface, to say nothing of a complete scientific examination of its mammals, birds, reptiles, insects and plants, or a study of the many savage tribes which inhabit the highlands and the plains. The chief reasons for its still being an almost terra incognita are to be found in its remote situation from the ancient civilised world ; its impene- trable forests ; its rugged ranges and endless swamps ; its rains and fevers, and lastly its hostile and treacherous inhabitants, all of which obstacles have frequently proved insurmountable to the trader and traveller. It can be easily understood, therefore, why this 24 AN UNKNOWN COUNTRY country was selected as a virgin land in which to work when the British Ornithologists’ Union desired to com- memorate their jubilee by sending an expedition into a country hitherto unexplored. The object of the British Expedition, the adventures of which I shall relate, was to explore that unknown country to the east of Fak- Fak, and to the west of Dr. Lorentsz’s Nord River in the vicinity of the snowfields and glaciers of Carstensz Peak. Little or nothing was known of this great tract of country except what had been learnt by a flying visit paid to the Mimika and Utakwa Rivers a few years before. It had remained a land of mystery, impenetrable as when Carstensz had first seen it three hundred years before. 25 CHAPTER II Organising an expedition — Learning by experience — Forming the party— The survey staff — Transport arrangements — The food problem — Ill- chosen supplies — En route — Dutch courtesy — Enlarging the staff — The line of advance — Java — Due east — A curious prison regime — Dobo — The island of New Guinea — The Mimika district — The coast-line O the uninitiated the work involved in an expe- dition might appear to commence on the day- arranged for the start, but this is by no means the case. The organisation of an expedition requires the ability of a thorough business man, combined with an intimate knowledge of the special requirements demanded by the nature of the country to be tra- versed. The physical peculiarities of the country to be entered, its climate, inhabitants, local supplies and means of transport, as learnt by personal experience or from information gathered from the reports of former travellers, are of the first consideration. Such know- ledge can be gained only by months of careful study and thorough inquiry, and is of the utmost import- ance, for it must not be forgotten that one weak link may endanger the whole enterprise, and that for each country in the world different arrangements are necessary. The equipment down to the minutest detail, the quality and quantity of the transport, the favourable seasons of the year, the available funds, one’s com- panions, together with a host of other points, all re- quire the most careful consideration and thought. 26 ORGANISING AN EXPEDITION Perseverance and determination will surmount most obstacles, but can never make up for bad organisation. Even with the exercise of the greatest forethought and most careful preparation the plan of action and the arrangements made must be of a sufficiently elastic character to allow of alteration if unforeseen and insuperable difficulties should occur, so as to avoid the dislocation of the whole organisation. A pioneer expedition into an unknown land must necessarily undergo greater hardships and encounter more unexpected difficulties than one which can profit by the lessons of another, and though the Mimika district was a terra incognita until the landing of our party, one is compelled to acknowledge that much might have been gained by a more careful study and proper appreciation of the trials and difficulties ex- perienced by travellers in other parts of the country. Whether the scientific results would have been of greater value is another question, but it cannot be denied that much life, time, and money would have been saved. Here, however, there were compensa- tions, for, had the correct river been selected as the line of advance, it may be assumed that we should have reached the snows of the central range ; but, on the other hand, we should not have made the valu- able discovery of the existence of the pygmies. That careful organiser, Dr. Lorentsz, required three well- equipped expeditions, two on the same river, carried out in successive years, to reach Mount Juliana, and so it may be hoped that our next attempt, profiting by the lessons taught us in the present instance, may solve some of the problems that we left untouched. A committee, composed of members of the Orni- 27 FORMING THE PARTY thologists’ Union, was formed, in whose hands the entire arrangements were placed, and whose first act was to select as leader to the party Mr. Walter Goodfellow, a well-known and experienced collector. Shortly afterwards followed the appointments of Mr. AY. Stalker and Mr. G. C. Shortridge, who were to be responsible for the birds, mammals, and reptiles captured. The former had had many years’ experi- ence in the East, particularly in Northern Australia and Papua. The latter was known throughout South Africa, Australia, and the East Indian Islands, from whence he had brought many valuable collections to the British and other museums. Mr. A. F. R. AA r ollaston, medical officer, entomologist, and botanist to the late Ruwanzori Expedition, and author of that excellent book of travel, From Ruwanzori to the Congo, was appointed to the same posts on this pre- sent expedition. Thus composed, the personnel and the plans would have satisfied the originators of the scheme, but as is so often the case with expeditions sent into unknown lands, subscriptions did not come in as freely as was anticipated, and conversely the scope of the work was extended. The interest of the Royal Geographical Society of London was invoked in that part of the work connected with exploration and survey, and with their usual generosity where geo- graphical problems remain to be solved, they at once fell in with the proposal and liberally contributed to the funds. While in Tibet I had had some experience in the construction of maps, so I applied for the post of surveyor, and to my intense satisfaction obtained the appointment. My enthusiasm was slightly damped, however, when I learnt that there was to be no survey 28 THE SURVEY STAFF staff, and that I had to do the work alone. When I remembered the heavy casualty lists of former ex- peditions in other parts of the country we were about to enter, and realised that if I were to fall ill the survey work would come to an abrupt end, any uneasi- ness on my part as to the result must be excused. The collectors were three in number, or four, if we include Mr. Wollaston, who was likewise capable of assisting in that work, while I, as surveyor, stood alone. After some delay the sanction of the committee was therefore obtained for an additional surveyor to be appointed, and here I was fortunate enough to obtain the services of one eminently suited to the work. Dr. E. Marshall, one of the three who had accom- panied Sir E. Shackleton on his final advance to the South Pole, had but lately returned to England. On the Antarctic Expedition he had held the posts of medical officer and cartographer, and when the objects of the present expedition were explained to him he expressed his willingness to join as assistant surveyor and surgeon. The European staff was now complete. Through the kindness of Sir Edward Grey and the British Minister at the Hague permission had been obtained from the Dutch Government for the expedi- tion to land on the south coast of Dutch New Guinea on any date after January 1 , 1910, together with a courteous offer of assistance from the authorities of the Netherlands India. The Dutch section of New Guinea had been chosen on account of the vast extent of the unknown areas, and the western half in particular, because of the proximity of the great central range of mountains to the coast, a district which was thought likely to contain unknown varieties of birds and 29 TRANSPORT ARRANGEMENTS mammals. To reduce the area still further the Mimika district was selected for the disembarkation, as the Snow Peaks of Carstensz were reported to lie within a reason- able distance — i.e. about seventy to eighty miles to the north. While the preliminary arrangements were being made in London, Shortridge was working in Borneo, from whence it was arranged that he should join the main party as it passed through Java ; and that Stalker, who was likewise in the East, should set out at once and enlist one hundred carriers from the various islands scattered throughout the Archipelago. To avoid delay ten ex-military police Gurkhas from India were engaged for the twofold object of guarding the camps and, on account of their knowledge of jungle life and fondness for shooting, of collecting natural history specimens. These Gurkhas were enrolled at Darjeeling and sent to Singapore to await our arrival, but as it afterwards turned out they were not much used for the former purpose, as an escort of Javanese troops was supplied by the Dutch. The equipment and tinned food were brought from England, and the supplies for the coolies from Java and Amboina. A suitable and plentiful supply of food for the whole force is naturally of the first importance. Owing to the dearth of local supplies in New Guinea, it was found necessary to import all provisions needed for the expedition. It is true that sago palms grow in the swamps, but Malays are not sago eaters, and, in addition, we wished to leave the low-lying ground as soon as possible and take to the mountains, where sago trees do not exist. Throughout our stay in the country the numbers of 30 THE FOOD PROBLEM men employed by the Dutch and British varied between one hundred and twenty and two hundred, whose rations were one and a quarter pounds of rice and a quarter of a pound of dried meat and fish, together with tea and salt. Thus it will be understood that owing to the uncertainty as to when fresh stores might be brought by the visiting ships, and the lack of local supplies, it was necessary to import and stock an im- mense quantity of provisions. The preservation of these, on account of the excessive humidity of the climate, caused much anxiety, particularly as the con- signments of rice for the first half-year arrived in sacks, and were consequently spoilt by the first shower of rain. A noticeable improvement took place when the Dutch plan of packing the rice in sealed kerosene tins was adopted, but the work of closing the tins had to be performed with care, as the slightest defect in soldering let in the moisture with equally fatal results. From the same cause immense quantities of dried meat and fish were at times ruined, as old wooden kerosene cases were used to pack the food in, and being thus exposed to heat and rain, a few days were sufficient to turn the whole into a putrid mass. Coolies were continually employed in drying it, but with indifferent success. The provisions selected for our own consumption were of so remarkable a description that I am almost tempted to reprint the list, but as this might produce unseemly merriment amongst those who were not forced to consume them, and also to show that I am not alone in my opinion as to their unsuitability, I will quote from Dr. Wollaston’s report : “ Some of our own stores were, to say the least, ill-chosen. It ap- peared that a large quantity of stores had been brought 81 ILL-CHOSEX STPPLIES from the Shackleton Expedition, which had returned from the Antarctic a few months before we left England. However suitable those provisions may have been for a Polar expedition, they were not the sort of thing one would have chosen for a journey in the tropics. F or instance, large tins of 4 bully-beef ’ are excellent in a cold climate, but when you open them near the Equator you find that they consist of pallid lumps of pink flesh swimming in a nasty gravy. Pea- soup and pea-flour, of which we had nearly four hundred pounds’ weight, strike terror into the stoutest heart when the temperature is 86 degrees in the shade. Pickles are all very well in their way for those that like them, but one hundred and sixty bottles was more than a generous allowance. . . . The packing was almost as remarkable as the choice of the stores themselves ; they were secured in strong packing-cases of large and variable size, fastened with bands of iron and an incredible number of nails, suitable enough to withstand the banging Polar storms, but not well adapted to their present purpose. The boxes were all too big for convenient transport, and as each one was filled with food of one kind only every box had to be opened at once and a selection made from them."’ Let me add that besides “ bully-beef” the principal articles of food were tinned salmon and fresh herrings. It will be understood that ringing the changes on the above for eight months not only palled on the appetite, but was likely so to lower the constitution as to render it unfit to withstand the hardships necessitated by a prolonged sojourn in jungle and swamp. Such neces- saries as sugar, candles, kc. were omitted amidst the luxuries mentioned above. At the end of eight months, 32 EN ROUTE as a consequence of our representations as to the un- suitability of the supplies, an excellent store was sent out from England, well chosen and properly packed. As the story of our travels proceeds, my readers will be able to form their own opinion as to the per- fection, or otherwise, of the transport arrangements. We left England on 27th October 1909, and reached Singapore three weeks later. Here we found the Gurkhas living in the Native Infantry Lines, feel- ing quite at home, but much ruffled in temper by being repeatedly taken for Japanese by the native population of this cosmopolitan port, who, to the Gurkhas’ surprise, said that they had never heard of the existence of this hardy mountain race. On the 21st November we sailed in the Dutch packet for Batavia, the capital of Java, and reached there two days later. On the way we passed the scene of the disaster of the ill-fated French mail, La Seyne, which had been sunk a few days before in a collision with the British ship Onda. Her masts were just visible above the water, with lights burning to mark the spot where many bodies still lay entombed, and where, it is said, scores of the passengers and crew were devoured by sharks as they attempted to swim to the shore. At Batavia the members of the expedition received every possible assistance from the Governor-General, and from General von Daalen, the Commander-in- Chief ; the former of whom, to our great regret, succumbed shortly afterwards to an attack of cholera. It was here arranged that an escort of forty Javanese troops, under the command of Lieutenant H. A. Cramer, an infantry officer selected from the Head- quarters Staff for this purpose, together with a staff of 33 C ENLARGING THE STAFF European non-commissioned officers should be attached to the expedition, as it was considered that the natives of New Guinea might oppose the landing on the coast, and in any case, the camps would need to be guarded whether the inhabitants appeared friendly or not. To assist the soldiers of the escort when in camp, and to act as their carriers should the expedition penetrate any distance into the mountains, sixty convicts were supplied, drawn mainly from Java, but with a sprink- ling of representatives of every island in the Archi- pelago, supposed to have been picked for their ability to withstand the hardships of the climate. Many of these men were convicted murderers, and all had been sentenced to long periods of imprisonment. Some were even brought in chains to the ship, where their shackles were struck off, for it was well known that from the shores of New Guinea there was no possible chance of escape. They were supposed to have volunteered for the expedition, with the know- ledge that as a reward for good work, the length of their sentences might be reduced. This practice of employing convict labour on New Guinea and other expeditions is commonly followed throughout the Dutch East India possessions, but whether the advan- tage of obtaining as good a ration as that served out to the soldier and a chance of a remission of their sentence outbalances the prospect of certain sickness, and very probable death to follow, is an open question. Less masculine-looking men than the Javanese it would be impossible to find. Their large rounded hips and soft flabby bodies to the casual observer give them the appearance of women. To assist the expedition by every means in their 34 THE LINE OF ADVANCE power the Dutch Government promised to transport the whole of our force and stores to whatever landing- place might be selected as the point of disembarkation and, as far as practicable, to keep up a two to three monthly service between Amboina and New Guinea. It had been the intention of Mr. Goodfellow before leaving England to make use of the Utakwa River as the line of advance towards the mountains, but from information obtained in Batavia this was changed to the Mimika River. These were the only two rivers in this portion of New Guinea the mouths of which had been previously visited, and from the information avail- able there seemed little to choose between them. As a matter of fact, as was afterwards proved, the Mimika is but a small jungle-fed stream rising in the low foot- hills fifty miles to the west of Carstensz peak ; while the Utakwa is navigable for an ocean-going steamer for a distance of seventeen miles from its mouth, and runs directly from the snow mountain itself. We had the choice of either, and chose the wrong one, and this, little as we expected it at the time, precluded all possi- bility of our ever reaching the snowfields and glaciers of the central range. There followed an unavoidable delay of three weeks, during which time the soldiers and convicts were collected, and the ship prepared to take the heavy load of stores and building material, a cargo which not only filled her hold, but was piled high upon her decks. While this work was in progress, Marshall and I made a tour through Java, but of this I need say little, as a report on this rich and prosperous island, an example of the colonising abilities of the Dutch, is outside the province of this book. With its teeming 35 DUE EAST and peaceful population, its rich soil and intensive cultivation, it stands as a model of what the greater islands of Borneo and Sumatra will doubtless develop into in years to come. Compared with many other parts of the world the scenery is, to my mind, tame, though undeniably beautiful. Its places of interest are few and far between and, with the exception of the ruins of the ancient Buddhist temple of Boro-Boder, brought to light by Sir Stamford Raffles over a hundred years ago, and the active volcanoes, have little to attract the ordinary tourist. With the exception of the one temple mentioned above, there is nothing to approach in grandeur the glorious palaces and forts of British India, or the ruins of the temples and the homes of past dynasties scattered throughout that land. What struck me most during the journey was the scrupulous cleanliness of the native villages, the result, I understand, of a Government order. Would that the Indian Government could do likewise ! The transport Nias, 850 tons, laden to her Plimsoll line, and crowded with soldiers, convicts and stores, left Soerabaia, the western port of Java, on Christ- mas Day, 1909 , her decks piled high with bamboo poles, matting and building material. Her course lay almost due east, past the lovely islands of Bali and Lombok, clothed with their rice fields and dense forest vegetation, the summits of the mountains hidden in a mass of fleecy clouds, to Macassar in Celebes, and thence through a still, sajjphire sea to Amboina. Stalker had preceded us to this place for the pur- pose of collecting a hundred coolies to act as carriers for the expedition. For want of room it was impos- 36 A CURIOUS PRISON REGIME sible to accommodate these men on board, and they were therefore shipped to Dobo by passenger steamer, to await a second trip to be made by the Nias. Dobo, the chief settlement in the Aru Islands, was reached on January the 3rd. Dobo is a most unin- teresting place, built on a spit of sand at the entrance of one of the numerous channels which split the islands into small fragments. The houses are built of corru- gated iron, and are inhabited by a cosmopolitan collec- tion of Chinese, Japanese, Indians and Malays, all dependent directly or indirectly on the pearl fishing industry. The only peculiarity the town can boast of is that the doors of the jail are permanently thrown open, and the prisoners can wander where they like, enter and depart at will, only being compelled to spend the night within the walls. It is reported, with what truth I cannot say, that a few years ago there was trouble in the prison, which was only quelled by the Governor announcing his intention to lock the prisoners out, a threat which soon brought the rebellious ones to reason. As the islands are of coral, the question of fresh water is a serious one ; every drop of rain being collected and stored with great care. The huge hulk of an old iron ship belonging to the Celebes Trading Company, moored in the harbour and used as a store-ship for the pearl fishing fleet, is roofed with corrugated iron, and forms the most lasting watertank in the district. The town has no hotel, and requires none, for the hospitality extended to strangers by the British repre- sentatives of the Celebes Trading Company is prover- bial in this part of the world. By five o’clock the same afternoon we had embarked 37 THE ISLAND OF NEW GUINEA upon the last and shortest stage of the journey, with the knowledge that when the sun next rose scarcely ten miles would separate us from the land upon which our minds had so long been set. A sketch of the general aspect of the island of New Guinea, the land we were about to enter, will not here be out of place. To parody a guide-book : “It is the largest island in the world, being some one thousand one hundred miles in length, by four hundred miles in breadth, and having an area of three hundred and seven thousand square miles, or about the size of Great Britain and France combined. Throughout its entire length from east to west stretches a vast mountain range, of which the highest point is believed to be Mount Carstensz. To the north and south of this chain, which is known in the various districts under different names, stretch vast swampy plains covered with the densest forest, intersected by endless rivers, and inhabited by savage tribes. “ Owing to its proximity to the Equator, and on account of the central range which impedes every wind that blows, the climate is both hot and damp, and for these reasons is extremely unhealthy. Were it not for its great physical and climatic obstacles, and for the hostility shown by its inhabitants to the stranger, New Guinea would long ago have been explored and its secrets revealed, instead of being, as it is at present, the least known and most savage land on the surface of the globe.” To the Mimika district, the particular section we are most interested in, the same remarks hold good, with the difference that the mountains here rise to a greater altitude than elsewhere, and the plains are 38 THE COAST LINE less extensive. Dense forest covers every foot of ground ; there are no lakes or open stretches of water, nor, it may be added, forest paths. The only lines of communication are the rivers and the open sea, with dug-outs as the means of transport. The natives congregate along the banks of the rivers and the coast, the forest itself being practically uninhabited. The coast line, to the casual observer, is hard and straight, with numberless small bays and creeks, but these are so hidden from passing ships, that they form no guide as to whether they are the mouths of great rivers or of muddy inlets. The bays, however, are often of great size, and would be invaluable as harbours were it possible to make use of them ; but evershifting and treacherous bars close their mouths, thus rendering the great majority useless to sea-going craft. 39 CHAPTER III First impressions — A doubtful reception — First overtures — Boarded by savages — Exemplary behaviour — Into the unknown — The Mimika river — An enthusiastic welcome — Wakatimi — A village community — Selecting a site — Unmannerly curiosity I T was morning. The Nias was creeping on an easy swell through a cold, grey sea towards land. Five miles away a narrow strip of sand stretched east and west as far as the eye could see, broken here and there by groups of casuarina trees marking the mouths of hidden creeks and rivers. Between these estuaries mangrove swamps, and beyond, a level, unbroken plain of tangled forest, a belt forty miles in width and hundreds of miles in length, impenetrable, impassable save by river craft. Over all hung a dense canopy of mist. The sun rose, and with it came into view range upon range of knife- edged ridges ; behind these a mighty rampart of rock, black, and apparently impreg- nable, showed hard and clear against the sky. Owing to the early morning haze and the great distance, but little of the great cliff could be distinguished beyond its bold outline. The regular and unbroken crest fell steadily away towards the west until it vanished into the valley dividing the so-called Snowy Range from the Charles Louis Mountains, and in the east reached its highest point in Mount Carstensz. Carstensz, with its many peaks of nearly equal alti- 40 FIRST IMPRESSIONS tude, grew in splendour as the icy pinnacles, snowfields, and glaciers caught the rays of the rising sun. It was a magnificent spectacle, this 14,000 feet of rock capped by 2000 feet of snow. Glaciers rolled down the slopes, broken by occasional chimneys of black rock, which, far from lessening the effect, only helped to bring into more vivid contrast the virginal whiteness of the snow. In conjunction with, and immediately to the west of this great mass, lay a gently undulating snow field, and beyond that again another group of snow-clad peaks, now named after the Governor-General of the Netherlands India. Gaze as we might, in vain could we discover any- thing of the lie of the rivers or of the general trend of the ridges, nor was there anything to indicate which was the one most likely to be followed by the expedi- tion in its progress inland. Other events, however, now took place, of sufficient interest to stop, for the time being, any speculation as to the future. A thin column of smoke was rising from the nearest promontory, an outpost of the Charles Louis Range, and this, evidently a signal of the approach of danger, was repeated with astonishing rapidity every few miles along the coast. At the same time a number of canoes, laden with savages, shot out from the inlets, paddling hard to cut us off, but owing to the Nias now shaping an easterly course along the coast, the majority were soon out of the running, but others, having more warning, were able to place themselves directly in the track and, waiting till we had passed, followed exci- tedly in rear, whilst a few, avoiding a close approach, 41 A DOUBTFUL RECEPTION remained satisfied with a distant inspection. There is no sight more beautiful or more animated all the world over than a fleet of these dug-outs, each manned by a dozen or more Papuans, who, standing and working in perfect unison, drive their frail craft through the trough of a choppy sea with mighty strokes of their paddles. The fine physique of these men, with their shining black skins, their only conspicuous ornament a few white feathers in their hair, is shown to the best advantage when wielding their paddles, and the whole scene forms a perfect example of beauty and force combined. N umbers of canoes at varying intervals were still fol- lowing the ship, when at 3 p.m. Commander van Her- werden came to the conclusion that the Mimika River had been overshot. This was not to be wondered at, as with every mouth and creek exactly like the last, the chances of locating the entrance were decidedly remote. The relief-ships later on did not experience similar difficulties, for a peculiar formation of trees at the mouth of the river was sufficient indication of the position required. It by no means followed, however, that when once they had arrived the stores would be landed or the sick removed from the shore, for on more than one occasion the heavy surf forbade a landing, and the ship was compelled to weigh anchor and depart, to the grievous disappointment of all on shore. No canoes venturing near or paying any attention to our hails, the launch was lowered, and made for a spot where numbers of excited and gesticulating savages could be seen collected on the sands. Those in the canoes were evidently beginning to realise that our intentions were peaceable, for before we had gone far they began to close in, and it was to them we turned 42 FIRST OVERTURES for the required information. One canoe in particular was signalled out, not so much on account of its greater size, but because of some bright bunting seen waving from the stern. To our intense surprise, a nearer approach showed this to be a pilot’s Union Jack which, before we got to close quarters, was taken down and stowed away, probably from fear that it might be seized. Try as we would, we were never able to per- suade these people to bring it forth for our inspection ; when asked for it, they simply expressed complete ignorance of what we desired, a simple and effective subterfuge owing to our limited knowledge of the language. Possibly it might have told a tale they thought it better that we should not know. We chose, however, to look upon the augury as a good one, and, steaming alongside, beckoned to the most important- looking individual in the canoe to come into the launch, a feat he was nothing loath to perform. Without uttering a word, he proceeded to shake hands all round, including in his attentions the engine-driver and stokers, giving the ordinary hand-grip to commence with, but immediately snatching his fingers away. The Papuans of this district, as we afterwards found, occa- sionally greet one another in this fashion, but more often with both hands, and if this does not show suffi- cient warmth they add a kiss. The word Mimika was sufficient for our newfound guide to point to a promontory some two or three miles to the west. He accompanied us on board the Nias, and comported himself with perfect decorum, as, indeed, was only to be expected, for he turned out to be the chief of the village of N ime, and the most import- ant individual in the district. There was, however, 43 BOARDED BY SAVAGES nothing in his style of dress to distinguish him from his followers. Seeing their chief step on board with every sign of confidence, the rest were encouraged to follow his example, and within a minute the gangway was blocked with a seething mass of savages. No signs of fear were displayed, no shyness, and no undue curiosity — the one idea was to set foot on board ; and it was evident they had been treated with such consideration when visited by the Dutch ship three years previously that the arrival of the white man gave rise to no feelings of fear or suspicion. On they came, boatload after boatload, till a hundred naked savages were grouped in a compact mass on the deck. F or the moment they had obtained their heart's desire and were satisfied, but soon the bolder spirits began to trickle away down below, to emerge shortly afterwards dressed in the cast-off cloth- ing of the Malay firemen, horrible and ludicrous examples of how the human form can be disfigured. Broad grins suffused their faces, not unmixed with pride, when their now naked-looking companions gazed with jealous eyes upon these acquisitions. The anchor was soon raised, and within an hour a fresh berth had been taken up in three and a half fathoms of water, and two miles from the mouth of the Mimika River. At dusk the captain gave orders for the ship to be cleared, but in this he had reckoned without his guests. Determined to spend the night on board, the canoes had been sent away as soon as the owners had set foot on deck, thus removing the only possible means of com- munication with the shore. Three newly arrived canoes were, however, commandeered, and into them as many 44 EXEMPLARY BEHAVIOUR Papuans as possible were driven, and as it was out of the question to force the remainder to reach dry land by swimming, particularly as the sea was full of sharks, we had perforce to allow many to remain on board. It mattered little, as they were behaving themselves in the most exemplary manner. A more phlegmatic crew I have never seen ; squatting in silent rows, they absorbed everything presented from food to the veriest trifles, and neither the electric light nor the throbs of the engine seemed to cause the least surprise or fear. Unaccustomed to late nights they dropped off to sleep as soon as darkness came on, tucking themselves into one another in long rows, their faces in the same direction and their heads resting upon the brass-bound steps or any other convenient projection. With day- light came dozens of fresh craft, and in these our too- clinging friends took their departure. Before deciding on our future course of action it was necessary, first of all, to examine the river and its banks, in order to select some suitable site upon which to build the base camp, for when once the stores had been landed there would be no possible chance of moving to another position. The launch was again lowered, and within an hour of daybreak Goodfellow, Cramer, and I, together with ten Javanese soldiers and the guide of the previous day, were approaching the bar across the mouth of the Mimika, on which the surf was beating heavily. All went well. Two fathoms of water lay over the bar ; the enclosed mouth of the river opened out into a bay a mile in length and a thousand yards in width, with sufficient water to float any boat we were ever likely to use. On either hand lay the villages of Atabo and Taroke, evidently erected 45 INTO THE UNKNOWN merely as temporary shelters for those engaged in sea fish- ing. Astonished throngs watched us pass in silence, the bolder men in the foreground, the women and children peeping from behind the mat doors of the huts. These showed no fear, though possibly their numbers alone gave them confidence ; as we progressed up stream the occupants of odd canoes encountered fled terror-stricken into the undergrowth at the first sign of the white man, in two instances leaving their canoes drifting helplessly on the current of the stream. Mangrove trees covered the banks, their bare roots projecting in a tangled mass from a sea of slimy mud, over which no man could move. This growth gradu- ally gave place to vegetation requiring a more solid foundation beneath which scrub jungle appeared, be- coming more and more dense the further we advanced. Up beautiful stretches of the gently winding river we passed, cheered by distant views of the mountains and the snows of Carstensz, at this early hour clear of cloud. Dank and gloomy creeks opened out on either hand, in the smallest of which fishing-nets could be seen so placed as to entrap the fish on the falling of the tide. Slimy, evil-smelling mud covered the land, silent evi- dence of the inundation which took place at every tide ; everywhere roamed countless numbers of crabs, large and small, together with a species of climbing fish which, with swift strokes of its tail and fins, sought cover amidst the roots, or, if on a branch, flopped noisily into the water. Overhead passed white cocka- toos, screaming with fear, their yellow crests distended with surprise ; egrets, tree ducks, pigeons, flocks of beautiful but noisy parrots and lories, and innumer- able other varieties of bird life. On the bank basked a 46 A Forest impassable for Man The four-mile belt of mangrove swamp along the coast ; showing the tidal mark. Wakatimi Village A village situated opposite to the base camp, and noted for perpetual strife and drunken brawls. THE MIMIKA RIVER small alligator, whilst water- snakes, making for the nearest cover, now and again rippled the glassy surface of the water. This highway of the island teemed with animal life startled into activity by the unwonted apparition of a steam launch. Three miles from the mouth the river divided ; the Mimika proper still flowed from the north, while from the west entered the Watuka, with a volume three times as great as the former and of a milky colour, a fairly certain proof that its source was in the distant mountains. The Mimika was but a tributary, and, to judge by its dark and oily waters, a jungle-fed stream, with its origin to be found not amidst the distant snows or even the highlands of the lower ranges, but probably in the marshy levels of the low-lying plain. Still, as the Watuka came from the west and our course lay evidently to the east, in the direction of the snow mountains, no apparent object was to be gained by changing to that more prepossessing looking river. The Mimika had been selected as the line of advance whilst we were in Java, and to this decision we had to adhere, there being no river transport at our disposal wherewith to prospect for other routes should the one chosen prove unsatisfactory. The Mimika had by now shrunk to a width of about a hundred yards, the slimy banks being covered to the water’s edge with a tangled mass of creepers and cacti, and evidently, even at this distance from the sea, subject to periodic inundations. Not a soul was to be seen. The river seemed as deserted as the grave. This was due either to fear, or more probably had been arranged by the savages in order to afford a more striking welcome, for, as our launch suddenly rounded a bend in the river, a wild 47 AX ENTHUSIASTIC WELCOME yell from the banks burst upon our ears, immediately followed by the appearance of a dozen well-filled canoes. Without awaiting our closer approach, every man cast himself backwards into the river, only to scramble on board again and repeat the performance, which might have gone on for ever had we not rapidly steamed through the fleet. Escorted by their canoes we turned into a straight stretch of water, at the far end of which the cocoa-nut palms of a village could be distinguished, the rising smoke showing where the huts lay. This was Wakatimi, spoken of by the Dutch, and near which place Goodfellow had hoped to find a convenient site for the base camp. The excitement was intense. Men, women, and children poured down to the banks of the river, adding their clamour to that of our escort in the canoes. No welcome could have been more enthusiastic, and few sights more astonishing. The women cast themselves into the mud, rolling over and over and plastering themselves from head to foot, while the men and boys preferred the cleaner operation of throwing themselves backwards into the water. The women, now hardly to be recognised as human beings, but delirious with joy and excitement, started an inartistic dance, going down on hands and feet and wriggling their bodies from side to side with their sterns waving in the air ; their chief desire appeared to be to throw as much movement into that part of their anatomy as the position would allow. The moment we set foot on land the women and children fled for safety to their huts, diving into them like a lot of rabbits into their burrows, and there remained, rows of frizzy heads and gleaming eyes being the only evidence of their existence. 48 WAKATIMI Wakatimi itself consisted of one long row of about a hundred huts placed side by side and touching one another, so that the whole village somewhat resembled a single room. In front of the habitations ran the main street, bordered on the river side by a thick row of cocoa-nut palms. Small muddy creeks led from the river to the trees, and in these minute harbours rested the canoes. Cleanliness was not practised in any form, the refuse of the huts and the remains of the feasts being cast into heaps close by ; over these roamed boys, pigs, and dogs seeking for food or a point of vantage from whence to survey the scene. Unlike other districts of New Guinea, where the house is almost invariably erected upon piles, the huts are here built upon the ground and are of the rudest possible description. A more permanent form of building is not favoured by the natives of these districts, for the heavy rainfall, playing havoc with any ground cleared of vegetation, often changes the course of the rivers ; and, in addition to this, owing to each district being rapidly denuded of its available food-supplies, the tribes are obliged to adopt a more or less nomadic life. Those living on the coast are less affected by the question of food, as fresh fish is always available and, even when sago is scarce, suffer little inconvenience. Not only in appearance but in reality is the village one long room, for a new arrival builds his hut on to the end of the row of buildings already standing and, when completed, removes the partition. This com- munal building, for such it may be conveniently termed, may stretch to any length according to the amount of ground available and the number of families to be housed. 49 D A VILLAGE COMMUNITY Each family owns its particular doorway, but be- yond this there is no privacy or right of possession. The floor consists of sand brought from the seashore, upon which, to make the place a little more habitable, grass mats are laid. Fireplaces are dotted about any- where, each family possessing at least one which is used primarily for the purpose of cooking, and at night as a stove round which the members of the family curl for the sake of warmth. Smoke fills the interior of the huts, escaping as best it may, blackening the walls and human skulls and bones which dangle from the roof or are suspended from any convenient pro- jection. Of furniture there is none, except for an occasional wood pillow, to our minds the most im- possible of rests, since it is balanced upon two legs and is so decorated with carving as not to leave one square inch of smooth surface upon which to rest the neck. Encumbering the floor space is an indescribable conglomeration of babies, pi-dogs, sago dishes, full and empty string bags, bows and arrows, and other objects, whilst just outside the entrance, ready for instant use, stand the spears and stone clubs, as freely used in family quarrels as in repelling a hostile force. But I am getting on too fast. Our thoughts at this time were focussed upon the one idea of obtaining a good site for the base camp, in the choosing of which two things had to be remembered. First, to select a spot within easy distance of the sea and yet beyond the reach of inundation, and next to see that it was close to a native village, from whence it was hoped local labour might be obtained for the construction of the huts and o to pole the canoes up the river. Wakatimi seemed to offer both these advantages. From the general air of 50 Types of Papuans 1. A coast Papuan with hair dressed as a halo. 2. The headman of Parimau village. 3. A coast native wearing a necklace of cassowary feathers. 4. The best carrier. Note the Semitic type. SELECTING A SITE permanency which pervaded the village, it appeared unlikely that the site was subject to floods, though it was evident, from the great rise in the river which took place daily, that we were still within the area of tidal waters. The lie of the land led one to believe that the effect of the tide was to be felt for many miles farther inland, and that a safer site might be found higher up the river, but then it was improbable that another village existed within a reasonable distance, and, moreover, without a launch great difficulty would be experienced in communicating with the relief ships. On the bank opposite to the village a possible site offered ; at this point the river doubled upon itself, leaving a peninsula almost surrounded by water. Here sanitary arrangements would be more easily supervised, and we would be near to, and yet not affected by, the Papuan habitations. On this spot Goodfellow decided that the stores should be landed and the base camp built, as in addition to its other advantages it was of a convenient size and only sparsely timbered. Having been escorted up and down the village two or three times by the able-bodied men, and after in- dulging in various amenities (neither knowing the other’s language), including introductions to the more important-looking savages, we crossed to the peninsula, and there left Cramer and his men to camp for the night and prepare for the advent of the stores and building material on the morrow. Cramer had a more unpleasant task than was antici- pated, as the railing which he at once erected round his tents was over and over again pushed to the ground by the weight of the ever-increasing number of spectators. He spent a most uncomfortable night, but next day 51 UNMANNERLY CURIOSITY some relief was experienced by adding to the working parties who, in time, were able to build a palisade sufficient to withstand all possible strain. It was not that the Papuans were offensive ; it was simply an overbearing desire to see more of the weird race who had so unexpectedly come into their midst. Later on, as the novelty wore off, their behaviour became less pleasant, sulkiness and insolence taking the place of curiosity, to such an extent that it was found necessary on two occasions to make an example of the offenders. Relations then improved, and remained more or less friendly to the close of the expedition. Drink was entirely responsible for any hostile feel- ing displayed, and the cutting down of some of the sugar-palm trees in the vicinity of the camp removed temptation out of their way. As these trees were used for no other purpose than the extraction of beer, this involved no real hardship on the villagers. 52 CHAPTER IV Coast and up-river tribes — The Papuan — Albinos — Native hairdressing — Personal adornments — Native costume — Civilisation and morality — Compulsory clothing — Widow’s weeds — Male attire — Improving nature — The drunken savage — Corporal punishment — Treatment of children — Female subjugation — Native diet — A curious delicacy — A fertile soil — Native indolence T HE inhabited portion of the Mimika district con- sists of four distinct zones. The most southerly is the belt of land twelve miles in width running along the coast, and inhabited by the people known as the coast tribes. Immediately to the north of this is a barren or sparsely tenanted strip of country ; while to the north again, but still in the plains, is the zone com- prising the territory containing the headwaters of the smaller rivers, and inhabited by people usually known as the up-river natives. There still remain the lower foothills of the main central range of mountains in which dwell the small men, or the pygmies, called by the plainsmen Tapiros. Of this latter race I shall have more to say later on. Though the plainsmen live on the same river, and are doubtless of the same stock, the coast and up-river tribes are at constant enmity, neither branch desiring intercourse with the other, nor, except on rare occasions, is there any trade between them. With the tribes which live directly to the east and west they each have the closest relations, though even here they are not too demonstrative in their affection when they meet. This 53 THE PAPUAN is hardly to be wondered at, when it is known that even individuals and families of the same village are per- petually quarrelling amongst themselves, the slightest excuse being usually sufficient to fan into flame the smouldering embers of real or imaginary wrongs. Physically the Papuan of the Mimika Coast is an extraordinarily fine creature, which is all the more surprising when the slothful life he leads, the meagre food upon which he subsists, and the amount of disease prevalent in this swampy district are taken into con- sideration. The average height is about five feet six and a half inches, slightly above that of the average European, whilst the chest measurement shows an excess of two and a half inches. The muscular develop- ment is immense. The arms slightly exceed in length those of the AVestern races, though the lower limbs are not so powerfully moulded as the trunk and upper extremities. The head is small in circumference, on account of the slight development of the occipital pro- minence. The jaw is heavy and square, but not prognathous. The eyes, set rather close together, are dark brown in colour, the iris not hard and distinct, but gradually merging into the blotch } 7 light brown of the eyeball. The nose is straight, arched, and decidedly Semitic in type, the nostrils being flattened, but not to the same extent as in the negro. The teeth, as is the case with all savages, are strong and regular, and in the case of the males often filed to a point. I have used the word “ filed,” but the way in which this deformity is effected is by chipping away the sides of the teeth with pieces of flints or sharpened shells, used in the same way as a chisel. In colour the Papuan is almost coal black, the women being slightly fairer than 54 NATIVE HAIRDRESSING the men. During our stay we saw three albinos at various times, all males. Two of these were full-grown men ; both possessed hair of a dirty reddish colour, while their skins were of a pale whity-pink, with here and there patches of a darker hue. Though of good physique, the weird colouring and disfiguring blotches rendered them altogether repulsive objects. A black man always appears dressed, and, from the point of decency, requires no clothes, but these two, owing to their sickly and uneven colouring, appeared not only objectionable but naked as well. The third was a baby of about nine months old, of which the parents, both coal-black Papuans, were inordinately proud. His hair was sandy, and his eyes (practically without pigment) of a pale grey colour. In their heedless way the parents habitually carry their children face uppermost, so that this mite, in the full glare of the sun’s rays, suffered considerably, judging from the way in which he screwed up his eyes. It is a pity that the Mimika Papuan cuts off that magnificent crop of fuzzy hair which is so much re- spected and admired in other parts of New Guinea, for in so doing he loses much of his natural picturesque appearance. This wonderful head covering, which if left to itself will provide the owner with a natural adornment three or four feet in circumference, is here so trimmed that the growth is reduced to, at the most, four or five inches. Until our advent knives were unknown, and the hair was removed by a slow and not altogether pleasant operation, in which the barber either made use of a sharpened shell or got rid of the superfluous article by placing it on the edge of a split cane and rubbing it with a stone until the desired effect 55 PERSONAL ADORNMENTS was obtained. This custom may be of some use from the point of view of cleanliness, but it certainly does not completely eradicate the objectionable insects so prevalent amongst these people. Their hair either remains as it leaves the tender mercies of the barber or is plaited into small ridges, a fashion that gives an uncommonly neat appearance to the wearer, but which requires so much time for its completion that days and even weeks elapse before it is again taken in hand. This custom is mainly confined to the young bloods, the older men, being careless as to their appearance, prefer to let the hair grow as nature intended it. Into the hair is thrust, particularly on festive days, a number of white cockatoo’s tail feathers, which stand out at every angle, and on still more rare occasions some brilliantly-coloured flower. In some instances many feathers of the same bird are formed into a ray standing up all around the head, affording a very pleasing effect. The glorious orange plumes of the Greater Bird of Paradise are only worn on very im- portant occasions, or by the performers at a sing-song, thus greatly adding to the picturesqueness of such a scene. These feathers are kept in position by a band passed round the wearer’s brow, or by a kind of crown made of plaited grass in which as many as five plumes are sported at one time. One or two men encountered during the last month of our stay, who said they came from another district farther west, wore their hair in the form of a half halo, the rays being formed of many pieces of cane plaited into the hair, and standing at right angles to the scalp. This must have proved highly uncomfortable at night, necessitating the use of a wood pillow or something upon which to rest the 56 A Papuan Family The woman is wearing a pendant of boar’s tushes and trade beads. Cockatoo’s feathers are in the man’s hair, and plaited grass bracelets protect the wrist from injury when firing with bow and arrow. NATIVE COSTUME neck. Round the biceps, and also above the calf, are sewn bands of finely-woven grass, two or three inches in width, worked into some pattern by the introduc- tion of another strand of bright yellow. No other decorations are favoured, except occasionally a string of large blue and white beads slung around the neck. These beads are often much worn at the edges, appear to be of great age, and have most pro- bably been brought into the land by the natives of the Kei Islands to the south. That these latter people do occasionally visit the coast of New Guinea is certain, as the Papuans know them by name and apparently bear them no enmity. Their probable object in coming is to seek for cocoa-nuts with which to trade in copra, a valuable commodity in the East. The women are given to still less self-adornment than the men, and, with the exception of a few beads, wear nothing but the loin-cloth. This is made from the bark of a tree, beaten for hours until it is as thin and pliable as paper. A strip is passed between the legs and through a string tied round the waist, leaving about a foot of the ends pendant in front and behind. Poor wretches ! their days are one long round of toil, and they have little leisure to think of trinkets or decoration. Girls are similarly adorned when very young, but boys go about quite nude until they are fourteen or fifteen years of age, or even until fully grown ; some indeed refuse to wear anything all their lives. Nothing obscene or indecent is ever visible to the stranger, and the absence of privacy in the com- munal home tends to preclude the possibility of im- moral behaviour at any other time. Immorality is one of the evils which spring from 57 CIVILISATION AND MORALITY civilisation. At present the morals of these natives are as nature made them, and will remain so until the advent of the trader with unlimited cloth, or of those misguided missioners, whose first idea in converting the savage to Christianity is to conceal from view, behind hideous and non-hygienic garments, the form of one of the finest animals in creation. With this phase of civilisation, dirt, disease, and vice will take root and flourish, to end doubtless here, as elsewhere, in the extermination of the aboriginal stock. This question of compulsory clothing, insisted upon by so many in their efforts to convert the savage to Chris- tianity, is the one and only point in proselytising work to which I am entirely opposed. In a climate like this, where day and night, month in and month out, the temperature lies between 70° and 93° Fahrenheit, where the heavens pour down an everlasting flood, and where the only means of communication are by river and sodden jungle paths, can anything be more ridicu- lous than to supplement the natural oily skin covering of the native by the unhealthy, uncomfortable, and ugly garments which custom has decreed civilised man must wear ? Take Amboina for example. What can be more inappropriate than the black alpaca coverings worn by the Christian women ? One might almost weep at the sight were it not so ludicrous. I am glad to see that the Administrator of British New Guinea has lately issued a warning to all natives against the prevailing craze for European clothing. Let us hope that it may bear fruit. Apart from this minor point, however, there is no portion of the earth’s surface where the teaching of the great message, “love one another,” is more urgently required. 58 MALE ATTIRE If dress can be looked upon as a source of pleasure, widows in Papua are to be envied, inasmuch as they are required to adopt outward and visible signs of their bereavement. A widow of standing will decorate her- self with a short and scanty bodice of woven grass, which leaves the stomach bare, while from the hips will hang a still more ragged form of skirt, usually in an unspeakably dirty state. Surmounting all is a peculiarly-shaped poke bonnet, made of the same material, which fits tightly to the head and projects in front as much as a foot ; unless the lady wishes to be seen, this completely hides her face. Young widows are not so careful to conceal their charms, and are usually satisfied with the scantiest of skirts in the form of bunches of grass hanging in front and behind, and, if they fancy it, with more tufts hanging from the biceps. As may be imagined, these do not favour the bonnet. As is to be expected in a country situated on the Equator and at the level of the sea, clothing is practi- cally non-existent. The style of dress worn by the men varies according to the taste of the individual, almost all having some form of pubic covering. The kind most commonly worn consists of a strip of bark cloth, similar to that of the women, but narrower and shorter, a large white and flat sea-shell placed on the stomach, under which is caught the prasputium, or a hollow and beautifully carved bamboo, five or six inches in length. On this latter sheath they expend all their ingenuity and knowledge of carving, a picture of the human eye occupying a prominent position, as it does on all household and personal articles. Tattooing is of the crudest description, and is not 59 IMPROVING NATURE practised to any great extent ; it usually takes the form of scarifying the breasts of the women on the inner sides, thus contracting the skin and raising unsightly ridges three-quarters of an inch or more in height. Some few have their backs cicatrised in a like manner ; the slashes are made in any direction and, so far as we could judge, without following any definite pattern. This operation is performed with sharp shells heated in the fire ; it is a painful process, from which the men are exempt, except for the tribal mark which they all have on the buttocks, in the shape of a diamond with three lines radiating from the corners. The lobes of the ears of men and women alike are pierced, and any ornament fancied by the wearer is suspended from them. After our arrival many of our useless odds and ends, such as saccharine bottles, Jew’s harps, Ike., there found a rest- ing-place. The lobes and sometimes the septum of the nose are likewise pierced, the initiation ceremony taking place when the child is ten or twelve years of age ; the hole is kept open by a plug of wood, to which a fresh twist is given daily. Aseptic surgery being quite unknown, it is not surprising that in many instances the septum sloughs away, and the man is left with a nose as pointed as a needle. When it is desired to impart a particularly fierce expression to the face, the split mandible of the hornbill is worn through the hole in the septum. This ornament, consisting of two thin white blades of horn, each five to six inches in length, with the ends curving upwards, will so alter the expression of the wearer as to convert the mildest looking man into the fiercest and most truculent of warriors. These savages, violent and hasty in temper, rush to 60 Widow’s Weeds A widow in her weeds of tufts of grass and plaited bodice THE DRUNKEN SAVAGE arms on the slightest provocation. Without warning, a peaceful village is in a moment converted into a scene of turmoil and strife ; spears whizz through the air, clubs are wielded indiscriminately and with murderous intent, while the place resounds with wild yells of all and sundry. It is curious that the members of small communities such as these cannot live together in harmony. Wakatimi was a particularly guilty village in this respect, a day rarely passing without noisy and sanguinary broils, and it was drink which was largely responsible for this state of affairs. Beer-drinking parties set out daily for the popular spot where the sugar palms grew and remained there for hours, return- ing sodden with alcohol to the village in a fit state to participate in any brawl or devilment which might be on foot. Two small boys usually accompanied each party to climb and tap the sugar-palms and make themselves generally useful. The return to the village was heralded by loud and discordant cries and much singing, followed soon after by wife beating, house burning, or some such attractive form of amusement. One case, however, I must mention, which shows that here, as in other more civilised parts of the world, when a married couple quarrel, it is not always the man who has things all his own way. The headman of Wakatimi, a pleasant enough creature when sober, invariably wanted to fight when under the influence of drink, and usually chose his wife as the object upon which to work off his feelings. Returning one day from a carouse, he seized his bow and arrows and used his wife as a target. But the trees of the village were in the way, so taking to his canoe, he pushed off into the open stream and started 61 CORPORAL PUNISHMENT his practice afresh. What with the lurching of the canoe and a muddled brain the shooting was decidedly poor, and this enabled his wife to stand in comparative safety upon the bank and dare him to do his worst. Satisfied with the brave show, and having exhausted his stock of arrows, he returned to the shore, little dreaming of the reception which awaited him. Scream- ing with rage, the infuriated wife tore the bow from his hands and broke it into splinters over his back and over the canoe. Completely cowed, he turned and cooled his heated head in the water, and was then driven, an abject and pitiable wreck, to their hovel, whilst his angry spouse followed him up and improved the occasion with an endless stream of Billingsgate. Fathers and mothers are alike kind to their children. As is natural, during babyhood the mother’s affection is the stronger, but at the age of five or six the boy frees himself from such trammels, goes out when he wishes, does what he chooses, and merely returns to the family hut for his due allowance of sago and fish, or occasionally to refresh himself at the maternal breast. Girls are more timid, cling closely to their mothers, and join at an early age in the daily labour in the sago-swamps ; they rarely leave their mothers until the time comes for them to found a new home and family of their own. Boys appear more numerous than girls ; possibly, as in Tibet, a provision of Nature to keep down the population. The children are well-behaved little creatures ; they know better than to behave disrespectfully to their fathers or to anyone bigger than themselves, and never hesitate to obey an order. They are consequently treated with kindness and are only beaten on rare occasions, and, 62 TREATMENT OF CHILDREN from what I have seen, only when they deserve it. Uncontrollable temper is their besetting sin ; an obstreperous boy, wild with rage at being thwarted, will defy his mother and all his female relations. For a time every persuasive epithet is used to reduce him to submission, and not till all peaceful means have been exhausted is corporal punishment resorted to. It then descends like a tornado in the form of a shower of blows from the irate mother, sufficient to drive all breath from the body and thus ensure silence and submission. I never saw a girl struck. Justice, as we understand the term, is unknown. Here, might is right, and it is entirely in the hands of the stronger to settle what is right and what is wrong. Woman, the weaker creature, is consequently relegated to a very inferior position, and is, in fact, the slave, body and soul, of her lord and master, becoming his property to deal with as he pleases. Condemned to toil from morning till night, beaten if she does not satisfy his every want, the wife seeks for and prepares her master’s food, builds his hut, makes the matting and bark cloth for his bedding and his clothing, carries his household goods from place to place and helps to pole his canoe. Her chastity is of no value in his eyes, he will offer her to the first white man he meets, and probably to all his friends. But little ground is cultivated. A few cocoa-nut and banana trees and two or three dozen tobacco plants are found in the neighbourhood of most villages, but the natives depend for their food -supply almost entirely upon what the jungle and rivers produce. Sago is the staple food, and an unlimited supply is to be found in any of the forest swamps. Collection entails 63 NATIVE DIET much labour, the tree having to be felled before the food can be extracted. The simplest and most usual way of cooking the sago is by rolling it into balls and placing it on the hot embers until warmed through, when the outer crust becomes hard. It is quite taste- less and gives little pleasure to a civilised palate, but that it is nutritious goes without saying, and indeed is proved by the splendid physique of the savages. The next most important article of diet is fish, and this can always be obtained in ample quantities if the water is in good condition for fishing, and if sufficient perseverance is shown. Along the coast enough fish can be caught to supply the needs of the villagers with the minimum of exertion. Meat is much appre- ciated and eagerly sought after, pig being considered the daintiest morsel, then wallaby, cuscus, and casso- wary. Now and again a bird is obtained, but this is generally the result of luck rather than skill. The above are the chief articles of food, and any other supplies which may be brought in are looked upon more as occasional luxuries than articles of every- day diet. These comprise small alligators, tortoises, iguanas, snakes, prawns, and last but not least the white grubs found in the decaying trunks of the sugar palm. These grubs, which are about two inches in length and nearly as thick as one’s little finger, are to be found in tens of thousands in a tree ripe enough to support them, and are looked upon as a great delicacy. It is a most interesting and rather disgusting sight when a lucky finder hauls the trunk of a grub-bearing palm down stream and grounds it on the village shore. Apparently it then becomes the property of all, or the whole village is invited to join in the feast, which 64 A Native Beauty The belle of Parimau with her child. On the right is a fishing-net for use in small creeks. A CURIOUS DELICACY amounts to the same thing. Without loss of time every soul — man, woman, and child — troops down to the find, the tiniest tots toddling in rear of their elders, all hastening along bent on being in at the death, each carrying whatever instrument first comes to hand with which to detach a piece of the richly laden wood. Others hasten up from more distant huts and join the crowd until it resembles a swarm of black ants seething round the body of a dead animal. From time to time one of them having secured a good slice breaks away from the surging mass and departs to devour his meal at leisure. For those who remain to deal with the main portion of the trunk there is now no time to be wasted, and the wriggling grubs are drawn from their holes and popped into their captors’ mouths as fast as they can be seized. When the tree brought in is particularly rich in food the greedier natives may be seen with half a dozen squirming grubs in each hand, all destined for the same sad end as soon as space can be found. The sight is not a pretty one, but it is worth watching to see the smile of satisfaction upon the faces of the gourmets as they enjoy this un- expected addition to their usual monotonous diet. Bananas grow well wherever there is light and air, but the young shoots of this tree have to be transplanted, and though this entails but the lightest labour, they are not produced in any quantity except at the village of Obota, at the mouth of the Kapard. There are no cocoa-nut trees along the upper reaches of the rivers, though they form an important item in the food-supply of the villages on the coast, and with the exception of sago, there is practically no vegetable food found grow- ing in a wild state in the forests. There is indeed a 65 E A FERTILE SOIL tree bearing a small green fruit resembling a plum in flavour and appearance, but this only ripens for a very limited period of the year. Small and tasteless figs of various descriptions are to be met with, but of such poor quality as not to be worth picking, besides which a worm appears in them before they ripen. Near the villages one occasionally sees one or two bread-fruit or papaya trees, but they are few and far between, and no trouble is taken to cultivate them. The natural richness of the soil is such that even the most primitive methods of agriculture would be amply rewarded ; but in Papua, as elsewhere, one observes that where nature is most lavish in her gifts man is too indolent to make use of them. That the soil is of great natural fertility was shown not only by the flourishing gardens, the result of a few months’ work on the part of the Dutch soldiers and convicts at Wakatimi, but also by the luxuriant growth of the few seeds planted in our small gardens at Parimau. A single pumpkin plant would grow completely over the roof of a hut and, spreading to the next, would envelop it also in its folds. Rice grew and flourished without any attention being paid to it from the day it was sown ; and beans, planted by our Gurkha escort, attained a height of 25 feet within a few months of being placed in the ground, and produced a plentiful crop to the great satisfaction of the sturdy hillmen who had introduced them into the country. So rich is the soil that successful cultivation is rendered difficult by the great amount of labour required to keep the ground clear of weeds and other parasitic plants. The vigorous bush springs up im- mediately and relentlessly throttles the foreign 66 NATIVE INDOLENCE importation, so that, without constant weeding, the cleared area in a comparatively short time reverts to its forest growth ; the indigenous weeds and shrubs indeed appear to flourish with renewed vigour on such a clearing, as if eager to reconquer the ground tempo- rarily wrested from them by the renegade plants which exist only to serve the needs of man. Before our arrival the primitive tools in the possession of the savages made it impossible for any thorough clearing of the ground to be successfully carried out, but even with proper implements it is most unlikely that their natural indolence will allow them seriously to attempt the removal of weeds and shrubs which in this country of luxuriant growth is an essential preliminary to any effort at cultivation. Some axes we left behind, but it is highly probable that they are now more fre- quently used in family or tribal quarrels than for the useful but uncongenial purposes for which they were intended, and I do not doubt that the forest has long since reclaimed the flourishing gardens which we handed over to the villages on our departure. Such were the people amongst whom we were to pursue our labours for the next fifteen months, and such were our first impressions of the unknown country into the interior of which no European expedition had hitherto penetrated. What lay before us we did not know, but through all our struggles and disappoint- ments the thought that we were doing something, however small, to lift the veil from one of the dark places of the earth buoyed us up and gave us courage for further effort. 67 CHAPTER V Shark-fishing — Poor sport — Barter and exchange — A primitive aboriginal — Ugly rumours — Cannibalism — An open question — Difficulties of pioneering — Learning the language — A Papuan canoe — Buying a fleet UR IN G the days following our arrival at Wakatimi the work of transferring the stores from the ship to the base camp was carried on without intermission, and by the ninth day everything had been landed, and the huts were in course of erection. The forest had been cleared over an area of a couple of acres — not a difficult task, as the land there was more sparsely tim- bered than at any other spot in the district. During the progress of this work, those who were still on the ship varied the monotony of their hours by fishing for sharks. Having heard that the waters sur- rounding New Guinea swarmed with these objectionable creatures, we had, when in Batavia, purchased two large iron hooks with wire attachments ; these, together with a good, strong rope and a few pounds of pork, formed a very efficient outfit. Before casting the bait overboard elaborate preparations were made, in Hew of the anticipated struggle, to bring a powerful strain to bear on the fine as soon as the hook was well home. The fishermen had but a few minutes to wait before a steady pull on the line showed that a shark had already got to work. Many willing hands grasped the rope, ready to meet the rush which was expected, but, except for a run of a few yards, and half a dozen sullen tugs, the fight turned out a fiasco. Two men were all that were required to drag the beast alongside ; he was there 68 SHARK-FISHING despatched with a couple of bullets, and the carcase hauled on deck. After much chopping with axes the hook was extracted, and the body cut into pieces and thrown overboard. Two more were captured in rapid succession, the bellies of each filled with cast-away portions of their deceased relative, but neither gave a better display of strength or courage than the first victim, though three or four bullets were necessary to finish them off. We were surprised to find that such immense and reputedly savage creatures could have so little fight in them. The game proved so uninteresting that after the capture of the third victim it was aban- doned, and this decision was the more readily come to as the captain had strong objections to his deck being turned into a shambles. When one considers the size of these sharks, it is hard to believe that such monsters are incapable of putting up a better fight for their lives. Though some of the stories one has heard of ferocious struggles and desperate rushes made by sharks when hooked are doubtless exaggerated, many are so well authenticated that one must assume that the sharks which abound in the seas of New Guinea are more cowardly and sluggish than those in other waters, where they are considered to afford good sport. None of the sharks we caught were small, and though when drawn alongside the ship they were quite anxious to get away, they did not seem to have sufficient strength to do so. They subsist mainly on crabs and what can be found on the bed of the sea. The smaller kind the natives themselves catch and devour with as much relish as they do other and more prepossessing-looking fish. Sharks are always put down as savage and vora- cious antagonists when they meet man in their own element, but from what we were able to observe this 69 BARTER AND EXCHANGE cannot be considered as universally true. The Papuans go far out to sea in their frail craft, and in rough weather often get upset ; in fact, this happened to them many times whilst hanging around our ship, but on no occasion was a man attacked, nor did the natives show any fear of such an eventuality. While those at sea were enjoying this mild sport, those on land had plenty of opportunity to examine the people amongst whom they had been cast. As they had no idea how long we were to stay in their country, the Papuans displayed great anxiety during the first few weeks to take our rubbish in exchange for their most valued possessions. At this time everything new was precious in their eyes, however useless in reality. Little enough they had to barter, but what they brought was eagerly sought for by the collectors, or, if it was in the shape of food, by the soldiers and coolies. Paddles, bows and arrows, carved prows of canoes, stone axes and clubs, cocoa-nuts, crabs, bits of fish,