Adventures in New Guinea James Chalmers

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and praying that He would care for them during the day, and that no
unpleasantness might occur with the Aroma natives. All along this coast,
and right away down to Elema as far as Bald Head, the Motu tribe has a
wonderful influence, and in a few years excellent pioneers may be had
from it. They must have been a terrible lot in the past. I have heard
much from themselves of piracy, murder, and robbery, and all along here
they tell terrible tales. A Motu chief in one of our meetings, speaking
of the past and the present, concluded by saying: "Since the arrival of
the foreigners (teachers), we have changed and will continue to change."
An old chief, Aiio, from the Mekeo district, came in to see me, and
brought me as a present a splendid head-dress, which is hung up by Kone
in front of the tent for all to see. On giving him a present of salt, it
was pleasant to see the old fellow's expression of pleasure. He is
anxious I should go inland as soon as possible; I tell him I must wait
for tomahawks.
At seven o'clock on the morning of the 13th of June, I started to visit
Madu, the chief of the Motu Lavao. We went up from the bight, a large
saltwater creek, with dense mangrove on both banks,--a veritable bed of
fever,--and anchoring our boats, we walked through the deserted village
of Paitana and on for about a mile and a half to Motu Lavao. The path
leads along a narrow tract of good country, with dense swamps on both
sides. The village is large, with good houses kept nice and clean; but I
can conceive of no more unhealthy locality--swamp all around. A number
of people were down with fever, some in their houses, others lying
exposed to the sun. I asked them if they had no _vatavata_ (spirits)
knocking around in their district, and did they not much trouble them.
"Oh, trouble us much, very much." I told them I thought so, and the
sooner they removed from that place the better--that they were right in
the centre of sickness and death. They said, "And what is to become of