Missions -- New Guinea; New Guinea -- Description and travel
3_rd_.--We left Makipili this morning at eight o'clock, and came along
leisurely, arriving at Chokinumu at half-past ten. The chief and his
wife who accompanied us pressed us to stay a night in their village, and,
seeing it would displease them if we went on, we consented. We had a
thorough downpour of rain in the afternoon, after a very hot sun, the
thunder rolling all round us. The chief Lohiamalaka and his wife are
exceedingly kind and attentive; they have kept close by us since we left
here on Monday. I am sorry for the Makipili people; they are so afraid
of Sogeri, that they have left their houses, and are living in the bush
and under the shelter of rocks. Sogeri, Makipili says, will listen to no
conditions of peace. Several overtures have been made, but all are
useless. We were told at several places that if we ventured to Makipili
we should never return; but we have been there, were treated kindly, and
pressed to return.
4_th_.--Using our blankets yesterday as a flag for our tent, they got so
wet that it required a day to dry them, so we decided to remain here and
visit the Laroki Falls. Ten days ago, we found from the natives that
they were near here. The native name is _Round_. We found the falls in
a deep gorge formed by the west end of Astrolabe and east end of Vetura
Range. On each side of the gorge the mountains run sharp down, in many
places precipitous rocks. The falls are E. from Port Moresby, E.S.E.
from Moumili, and S.E. from Vetura proper. They are grand, and well
worth seeing. I wish we had seen them from below. For a long distance
up there are small falls and rapids. The water comes surging on, and
then takes a fearful leap of many hundred feet on to a ledge, and from
there to the boiling cauldron below. The noise is deafening. Where we
stood, nearly level with the water, it was 1340 feet above sea-level, and
I do not think that from there to the cauldron could be less than 900
feet. I think it may be possible to get to them from the north side by
Mangara, and then we can rightly tell the height of the falls.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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