“Aug. 3rd.—Very busy making sago boxes.
“Aug. 4th.—They killed another man at Madui the night I was there—they are killing a lot of men, women, and children.”
The incident here outlined by my son may well bear a little further amplification. Trade and provisions had all but failed us, and I could not possibly go back myself to our base at Ekeikei without serious loss of time. It would have been out of the question, too, to take back the whole party. There were sufficient indications of the unrest among the natives at the time, and consequently it was nothing but the direst necessity that induced me to accept Harry’s offer to go down himself with a few carriers to bring up what we required. I had great confidence in the lad’s common sense, he knew the language, and he seemed to have the knack of dealing with the natives. After serious consideration of the risk, therefore, I agreed to let him go. At first it was not easy to get our carriers to undertake the journey, so evil was the reputation of the village of Madui through which the party must pass, but after persuasion we got the consent of a sufficient number, and not without serious misgivings, which I was careful to conceal, did I watch the little party set out. The matter, however, was urgent. Starvation, rebellion, and desertion of my followers threatened us had we been left absolutely destitute. On the way down Harry and his party got through Madui safely. They reached Ekeikei, procured what they wanted from our stores, and began the toilsome ascent once more. At Madui trouble awaited them. There had been a native fracas, a man had just been murdered, and the blood-lust was strong in the people, who, on Harry’s arrival, demanded that he should give up one of his boys to be killed and eaten. My son, though well armed, had the wisdom not to make any parade of force, and resorted to persuasion. After much argument, he persuaded the Madui people to forego their demand, but it is not surprising that during the night, in the course of which another murder was committed, he kept the strictest watch, allowing himself not a wink of sleep. One can well believe he found the vigil “long.” In the morning they got clear away with their loads, and the same evening I was, needless to say, relieved and delighted to welcome them back to my camp on the Kebea. No youth of my son’s age has ever, I am sure, undertaken so hazardous a journey among the New Guinea cannibals.
“Preparations to leave the Kebea for Foula.
“Aug. 8th.—Left the Kebea at 9 A.M. Left eight loads behind me. Reached Coo-lu-coo-lu at 11 A.M. We ascended a hill 4000 feet high, then descended 2000 feet, very steep, then up again to Coo-lu-coo-lu. Many of the inhabitants are absent making sago.
“Aug. 11th.—Kept two days for our relays. Only by studying the daily routine of this journal can any one realise the difficulty of getting about in New Guinea.
“Reached Babooni after three hours’ walk, and then descended 1000 feet to the river Aculama.
“Aug. 12th.—We arrived at Amana at 10 A.M. There is a tree-house here, 40 feet above the ground—used as a look-out station. A small village, and the people bad. About two months ago the chief murdered a man and a boy close to our yesterday’s camp. We heard of five other recent murders. There is a lunatic here, the first and only lunatic we saw in New Guinea. We sent an armed native to call Foula to our aid for carrying.”
Notes on Amana and the Tree-House
Amana was a most peculiar village, and like Yo-ya-ka was built on an extremely narrow ridge, so narrow indeed that we could not pitch our fly-tent there, but slept in a house the front part of which overhung a precipice. The house commanded a most lovely view far away into the valley, the slopes of which were covered with dense wood. We could see the river flashing at intervals through the greenery; it must at least have been 1500 feet below us, but the roar of the torrent came up to us with great distinctness. As we approached Amana our carriers suddenly put down all their loads and would not enter. On being asked why, they said that some time before the chief of Amana had killed one of their people.