Adventures in New Guinea James Chalmers

46
bay, anchoring opposite to Naroopoo. I landed, and soon had an admiring
crowd round me. I was dressed in white, with black leather boots.
Sitting on a verandah, some, more daring than others, would come up,
touch my shirt and trousers, bite their fingers, and run away. Again and
again this was done by the bold ones, who always eyed my boots. After
consultation, one old woman mustered courage, came up, touched my
trousers, and finally my boots. She was trembling all over, but horror
of horrors, to add to her fear, lifting my foot, I pulled my boot off;
she screamed and ran, some others setting out with her, and did not stop
until quite out of sight.
After visiting several villages, and finding that the bay was thickly
populated, I went on board. The following morning many canoes came
alongside, and on our getting up steam were much afraid. It was evident
they wanted to show us that they had confidence in us, but it was
difficult with the steam up, the snorting and general commotion on board
being so great. We warned them on getting up anchor to clear off. Why
should they? There was no sail, nor were we going to move. A commotion
aft, canoes with crews clearing away to a very safe distance. One canoe
hanging on is pulled under, a wild shout, a moment's silence, and then
there is a loud roar of laughter, when they see canoe and paddlers appear
astern at some distance. We rounded One Tree Point and could see no
entrance to a bay, just a few miles beyond, but since explored and named
Lawes Bay. Keeping on, we anchored outside of the Roux Islands, in a
fine safe harbour. Before leaving our friends at South Cape, they were
boasting of having visited some place on the coast, where, on showing
their large knives, the natives all left, they helping themselves to a
good many things.
We had some difficulty in getting a canoe to come alongside, and it was
not until we had fastened a piece of red cloth to a stick and floated it