Adventures in New Guinea James Chalmers

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grass bound tight at one end, and hanging from a girdle behind, to be
used as a seat when they sit down. It is a stretch of imagination to say
it looks like a tail. They are very anxious we should accompany them on
their return, and say they will show us plenty of villages and people.
Yesterday we had great feasting in the villages on yams and taro. To an
Eastern Polynesian it would be ridiculous to call it a feast, seeing
there was no pig. In the evening we had a good deal of palavering with
spears and shields, fighting an imaginary foe, and at times retreating.
Their movements are swift and graceful: advance, retreat, advance,
pursue, ward off to the right, to the left, shield up, down, aside,
struck on knee, a shout, all gone through, with the greatest alacrity,
and I am not at all astonished at so few being killed or wounded in a
fight. They value shields that bear the marks of spears.
19_th_.--Our old friend Oriope came in to-day, and handed us the
tomahawk, stolen by the deserter on our last trip. He says when he heard
how Someri had served us he sent at once to Sogeri, and got the tomahawk,
telling them it was very wrong to steal from such dear friends of his.
One of the Kupele natives stole a knife, but he had to give it up to the
Keninumu friends, who returned it to us. I should have liked to have
started a station at Chokinumu, so as to try the climate of both sides of
the district this wet season.
23_rd_.--We find it impossible to get the men to help us with the house
whilst so many of us are here, so we return to the port, hoping to get
into Chokinumu soon. The people, seeing that we are really going, have
begged hard for Jakoba to be left, and they promise faithfully to assist
him in finishing the house. Jakoba being anxious to remain with them, I
consented.
24_th_.--Arrived at Moumiri about two p.m. We heard there that Tabori