Adventures in New Guinea James Chalmers

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hair is woolly. Joe said on arriving here, "Hallo, these people same as
mine, hair just the same." They are scarcely so dark. A few are brightcoloured,
but all have the woolly hair. A goodly number suffer from
sores on feet and other parts of body. Their one want is a tomahawk. The
people seem to live in families. We had a good supper of taro and
cockatoo, the latter rather tough.
19_th_.--The carriers have not yet arrived. In the evening a woman
shouted and yelled; all rushed to their spears, and there was great
running, snorting, and blowing at some imaginary enemy. After the chief
came in, we lay about the fire for some time; then to our blankets. I
was beginning to nod, when some women in a neighbouring house began
giggling and laughing. Our friend wakened up and began talking. I told
him to sleep; he answered, _Kuku mahuta_, (Smoke, then sleep). He had
his smoke, and then began reciting. I remember, as a youth, being told,
when I could not sleep, to repeat a psalm or paraphrase, or count one
hundred to myself, and I should soon drop off. This fellow repeated
aloud and he must have been going over the mythologic lore of his family
for very many generations, and yet he did not sleep. At last, a smoke,
beginning with a scream of _kuku_. Now, surely sleep; but no, he changed
to a low monotonous chant, so grating on the sleepy man's nervous system
that it would have driven many desperate. At last, in the morning hours,
the notes became indistinct, long pauses were observed, and, finally, I
fell asleep.
The women carry exceedingly heavy loads up these steep hills. Yesterday
one woman had two large kits of taro, and a child of about two years on
the top of all. Ruatoka shot eight blue pigeons and one bird of paradise
to-day: the latter must be eaten with the best of all sauces--hunger. The
natives pick up heads, legs, and entrails, turn them on the fire and eat
them.