Missions -- New Guinea; New Guinea -- Description and travel
I find the people have the same sign of friendship as in the east end of
New Guinea--nose and stomach pointed to. They speak of a land, Daui,
with which they are friendly, a very long way off. Daunai, of Orangerie
Bay, is called Daui in some places. To their tree houses they have
ladders with long vines on each side to assist ascent. Our delay here
will help us to know the people. I have just been showing them the
likenesses of two young friends, and the excitement has been great, men,
women, and children crowding round, thumb in mouth, scratching and
shaking heads, and leaping and screaming, coming again and again to have
a look.
22_nd_.--A number of strangers slept, or rather made a noise all night in
houses close by, and amongst them a spiritist, whose hideous singing and
chanting of revelations was enough to drive one frantic. We tried to
quiet him, but it was of no use--silenced he would not be. A man sitting
by us when having morning tea asked for some of the salt we were using.
We told him it was not salt, but sugar. He insisted it was salt, and we
gave him some on his taro. He began eating, and the look of disgust on
his face was worth seeing; he rose up, went out, spat out what he had in
his mouth, and threw the remainder away.
23_rd_.--Cannot get the natives to move; they say they are tired, and
will have to rest until to-morrow morning, and they are also afraid of
their enemies. The excitement is great, but what it all means is
difficult for us to say. Noon: all have cleared out with spears, clubs,
and shields, two men having been killed in a village near, and they have
gone to get hold of the murderers if they can. Dressed in their feathers
and fighting gear, with faces streaked, they do certainly look ugly.
After being some time gone, they returned, saying the enemy, who were
from Eikiri, had gone off to the back mountains.
28_th_.--Left this morning, and had to carry our things, no natives
accompanying us. When about four miles on, we met natives who willingly
took our bags and accompanied us to Uakinumu. The travelling was not so
bad--a good deal of descending and ascending. Oriope, the old chief, was
delighted to see us. His wives and children have gone with great burdens
of betel-nuts and taro to trade at the seaside. The old fellow goes with
us. We are now 1530 feet above sea-level, east-by-south from last
camp--Mount Owen Stanley due north. Oriope is Mr. Lawes's great friend.
He used to live in Munikahila, but trouble through marrying a wife has
sent him in here. He seems greatly attached to Ruatoka. He is a
terrible talker, long-winded and deafening.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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