Adventures in New Guinea James Chalmers

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68 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.
69 20_th_.--Yesterday evening, about six, the carriers came in with great shouting, and glad was I to see my lad and companion Maka then. Great was the joy at the division of salt and tobacco. Before we came here the women and children slept in the bush at night, the men in the village. They are at enmity with the natives on the flat across the ravine, and it seems that sometimes they get a night visit, and may lose a man. For the last two nights the women have been in the village, but every sound heard causes a shout. Last night, when just getting off, they came rushing up to our house, and calling on us to get up with our guns, as their enemies were coming. "Only fire off one, and it will frighten them away." We told them to go and sleep, and not be afraid. The state of fear of one another in which the savage lives is truly pitiful; to him every stranger seeks his life, and so does every other savage. The falling of a dry leaf at night, the tread of a pig, or the passage of a bird all rouse him, and he trembles with fear. How they relish salt! The smallest grain is picked carefully up. Fortunately we have a good deal of that commodity. Never have I seen salt-eating like this; only children eating sugar corresponds to it. Here as in all other parts of New Guinea--it is not the most powerful man who fights and kills most, but little abominable sneaks, treacherous in the extreme. Since our arrival here we find the thermometer from 82 to 84 degrees during the day, and as low as 68 degrees, more frequently 70 degrees, during the night. By bearings we are only about twenty miles in straight course from Port Moresby. [Tree houses: 101.jpg]
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1 Adventures in New Guinea James Ch
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3 Partial surveys of the south coas
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5 by the natives, has added enormou
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7 vegetable products--fine timber,
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9 take long for the natives to lear
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11 "To all to whom these presents s
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13 We left Sydney by the Dutch stea
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15 Murray Island. We went ashore th
Page 17 and 18: 17 of the Loyalty Island teachers,
Page 19 and 20: 19 We had a bath, then supper, and
Page 21 and 22: 21 been about thirty miles off, and
Page 23 and 24: 23 We walked about seven miles thro
Page 25 and 26: 25 About three in the afternoon, an
Page 27 and 28: 27 exchanging names with us, in hop
Page 29 and 30: 29 were still mourning. There had b
Page 31 and 32: 31 came off to us in a small one. W
Page 33 and 34: 33 who considers himself the chief
Page 35 and 36: 35 walls and roof finished, when al
Page 37 and 38: 37 moment, and one in which I am su
Page 39 and 40: 39 natives that I had hoped to go a
Page 41 and 42: 41 arm. On running through the vill
Page 43 and 44: 43 child. The people continued trou
Page 45 and 46: 45 Communication was held with some
Page 47 and 48: 47 astern, that the first canoe wou
Page 49 and 50: 49 formation of the land and the ma
Page 51 and 52: 51 me, I shall return." It had the
Page 53 and 54: 53 "Oh no, my friends; pull, you mu
Page 55 and 56: 55 A girl steals out from the crowd
Page 57 and 58: 57 all done up in small parcels, so
Page 59 and 60: 59 who knows what he may be up to?
Page 61 and 62: 61 in the distance, numbers more si
Page 63 and 64: 63 When in the boat, we asked the H
Page 65 and 66: 65 When sickness is in the family,
Page 67: 67 16_th_.--Ruatoka, Joe (an Africa
Page 71 and 72: 71 gave him some on his taro. He be
Page 73 and 74: 73 "If you go on you will be devour
Page 75 and 76: 75 teeth, hold with one hand, and w
Page 77 and 78: 77 understand them. It is very conv
Page 79 and 80: 79 to get tobacco and salt, their h
Page 81 and 82: 81 Owen Stanley. There will be plen
Page 83 and 84: 83 20_th_.--Last night, after turni
Page 85 and 86: 85 _Nao_, _nao_! (foreigners), and
Page 87 and 88: 87 They seem very much attached to
Page 89 and 90: 89 Seeing there was nothing for it-
Page 91 and 92: 91 Sogerians. I was sitting on the
Page 93 and 94: 93 natives. This part of the plain
Page 95 and 96: 95 streams from the Astrolabe Range
Page 97 and 98: 97 places precipitous rocks. The fa
Page 99 and 100: 99 true it was the Great Spirit or
Page 101 and 102: 101 grass bound tight at one end, a
Page 103 and 104: 103 afraid, expecting a raid, and a
Page 105 and 106: 105 "I am going to Motumotu, and no
Page 107 and 108: 107 the sea was too high, breaking
Page 109 and 110: 109 different. To get into Motumotu
Page 111 and 112: 111 I landed with them, and went up
Page 113 and 114: 113 In the afternoon we held servic
Page 115 and 116: 115 CHAPTER V. THE KALO MASSACRE. T
Page 117 and 118: 117 and, after the first moments of
Page 119 and 120:
119 at once offered me as much land
Page 121 and 122:
121 fighting all round, avenging Oa
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123 not stay if they were to be con
Page 125 and 126:
125 and praying that He would care
Page 127 and 128:
127 at from aft, fell overboard, an
Page 129 and 130:
129 CHAPTER V. EAST CAPE IN 1878 AN
Page 131 and 132:
131 at East Cape on a Sunday. Morni
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Adventures in New Guinea James Chalmers

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