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

S80 THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [chap.from becoming matted and tangled. The majority have shortwoolly liair, which does not seem capable of an equally luxuriantdevelopment. A growth of hair somewhat similar to this, andalmost as abundant, is found among the half-breeds between theIndian and Negro in South America. Can this be an indicationthat the Papuans are a mixed race ?For the fii'st three days after our arrival I was fully occupiedfrom morning to night building a house, with the assistance ofa dozen Papuans and my own men. It was immense trouble toget our labourers to work, as scarcely one of them could speaka word of Malay ; and it was only by the most energetic gesticulations,and going through a regular pantomime of what waswanted, that we could get them to do anything. If we madethem understand that a few more poles were I'equired, whichtwo could have easily cut, six or eight would insist upon goingtogether, although we needed their assistance in other things.One morning ten of them came to work, bringing only onechopper among them, although they knew I had none readyfor use. I chose a place about two hundred yards from thebeach, on an elevated ground, by the side of the chief path fromthe village of Dorey to the pi'Ovision-grounds and the forest.Within twenty yards was a little stream, which furnished uswith excellent water and a nice place to bathe. There was onlylow underwood to clear away, while some tine forest ti^ees stoodat a short distance, and we cut down the wood for about twentyyards round to give us light and air. The liouse, about twentyfeet by fifteen, was built entirely of wood, with a bamboo floor,a single door of thatch, and a large window, looking over thesea, at which I fixed my table, and close beside it my bed,within a little jjartition. I bought a number of very large palmleafmats of the natives, which made excellent walls ; while themats I had brought myself were used on the roof, and werecovered over with attaps as soon as we could get them made.Outside, and rather behind, was a little hut, used for cooking,and a bench, roofed over, where my men could sit to skin birdsand animals. When all was finished, I had my goods and storesbrought up, arranged them conveniently inside, and then paidmy Papuans with knives and choppers, and sent them away.The next day our schooner left for the more eastern islands, andI found myself fairly established as the only European inhabitantof the vast island of New Guinea.As we had some doubt about the natives, we slept at firstwith loaded guns beside us and a watch set ; but after a fewdays, finding the peojDle friendly, and feeling sure that theywould not venture to attack five well-armed men, we took nofurther precautions. We had still a day or two's work in finishingup the house, stopping leaks, putting up our hanging shelvesfor drying sj)ecimens inside and out, and making the jDath downto the water, and a clear dry space in front of the house.On the 17th, the steamer not having arrived, the coal-ship