The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online

286 THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [chap.of work were, however, very different from mine, and I hadimmense difficulty wdth them ; seldom more than two or threecoming together, and a hundred excuses being given for workingonly half a day when they did come. Yet they were constantlybegging advances of money, saying they had nothing to eat.When I gave it them they were sure to stay away the next day,and when I refused any further advances some of them declinedworking any more. As the boat apjDroached completion mydifficulties with the men increased. The uncle of one hadcommenced a war, or sort of faction fight, and wanted hisassistance ; another's wife was ill, and would not let him come ;a third had fever and ague, and pains in his head and back ;and a fourth had an inexorable creditor who would not let himgo out of his sight. They had all received a month's wages inadvance ; and though the amount was not large, it was necessaryto make them pay it back, or I should get no men at all. Itherefore sent the village constable after two, and kept them incustody a day, when they returned about three-fourths of whatthey owed me. The sick man also paid, and the steersmanfound a substitute who was willing to take liis debt, and receiveonly the balance of his wages.About this time we had a striking proof of the dangers ofNew Guinea trading. Six men arrived at the village in a smallboat almost starved, having escaped one of two praus, the remainderof whose crews (fourteen in number) had been murderedby the natives of Xew Guinea. The praus had left this villagea few months before, and among the murdered men were theRajah's son, and the relations or slaves of many of the inhabitants.The cry of lamentation that arose when the news arrivedwas most distressing. A score of women, who had lost liusbands,brothers, sons, or more distant relatives, set up at once the mostdismal shrieks, and groans, and wailings, which continued atintervals till late at night ; and as the chief houses in the villagewere crowded together round that which I occupied, our situationwas anything but agreeable.It seems that the village where the attack took place (nearlyopposite tlie small island of Lakahia) is known to be dangerous,and the vessels had only gone there a few days before to buysome tripang. The crew were living on shore, the praus beingin a small river close by, and they were attacked and murderedin the day-time while bargaining with the Papuans. The sixmen who survived were on board the praus, and escaped by atonce getting into the small boat and rowing out to sea.This south-west part of Xew Guinea, known to the nativetraders as " Papua Kowiyee and " Papua Onen," ' is inhabitedby the most treacherous and bloodthirsty tribes. It is in thesedistricts that the commanders and portions of the crews of manyof the early discovery ships were murdered, and scarcely a yearnow passes but some lives are lost. The Goram and Ceramtraders are themselves generally inoffensive ; they are well ac-