Adventures in New Guinea James Chalmers
Adventures in New Guinea James Chalmers
Adventures in New Guinea James Chalmers
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but very near it; they are hairy all over, and some are perfectly black."<br />
The tail, accord<strong>in</strong>g to his description, must be about a fathom long. We<br />
are to see them, and must, he says, secure one or two, dead or alive. Our<br />
spirit is out <strong>in</strong> his prognostications, the wallaby-hunters have not<br />
returned, and we cannot leave to-morrow.<br />
21_st_.--Our spirit friend is quite out as yet, for here we are nurs<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Patience, and try<strong>in</strong>g to make her a dear friend. We are promised a start<br />
to-morrow. In the even<strong>in</strong>g, the hunters came <strong>in</strong> with large supplies of<br />
wallaby. They report <strong>in</strong>numerable horses and foreigners as hav<strong>in</strong>g gone to<br />
Kupele; we suppose it to be Goldie's party. From to-day's shoot<strong>in</strong>g, the<br />
old man got a green parrot, and devoured it raw. Oriope dressed himself<br />
<strong>in</strong> his fight<strong>in</strong>g gear, and went through a few antics; he looked a perfect<br />
fiend. He is very proud of a stone club he possesses with a piece broken<br />
off; he says it was broken <strong>in</strong> fell<strong>in</strong>g a tremendous fellow <strong>in</strong> a<br />
neighbour<strong>in</strong>g village. He killed him. "What, stand before me!"<br />
22_nd_.--I was eat<strong>in</strong>g a banana this morn<strong>in</strong>g, when I was told not to throw<br />
the sk<strong>in</strong> away, but hand it to them, which I did, when it was passed round<br />
and kissed by all with short ejaculations. I asked what it meant, and<br />
was told it was their manner of thank<strong>in</strong>g the spirits for ripe bananas. We<br />
started at eight a.m. with eight carriers and our old friend, and twenty<br />
<strong>in</strong>land natives return<strong>in</strong>g home with wallaby; one poor woman had two large<br />
kits on her back, and an <strong>in</strong>fant <strong>in</strong> another, hang<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> front of her. We<br />
were seven hours on the tramp, along a good path, on which horses could<br />
get along well. The most difficult ascent was shortly after we left<br />
Uak<strong>in</strong>umu; but the path was good. The last hour of travell<strong>in</strong>g was <strong>in</strong> a<br />
thunderstorm, with a regular tropical pour of ra<strong>in</strong>. When we neared the<br />
village Marivaeanumu, the men came rush<strong>in</strong>g out with their spears and<br />
shields, th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g it was an attack<strong>in</strong>g party; but on see<strong>in</strong>g Maka, who was<br />
just beh<strong>in</strong>d the first native, and I follow<strong>in</strong>g up, they shouted out,