We were very much amused to find the presence of “Cat’s-Cradle”; we had thought to amuse the little ones by teaching them this game, but we found that they were already more than our masters therein; for they no sooner saw what we were after than they let us know that they were well acquainted with it, and whereas we had just the old stereotyped process to give them, they showed us thirty different ways. They did not, however, play in pairs as we do, the players taking the string from each other’s hands in turn, but each child sits by himself or herself and works out the pattern. It is really amusing to see how they effect the different changes and the regular routine of forms by the movement of the fingers alone, without the aid of another pair of hands.
The dogs at Epa and Port Moresby were highly favoured animals. Not only had they the run of the house, but each house had an entrance sacred to the dog. To this access was given by special dog-ladders 9 inches wide, with the rungs quite a foot apart, up and down which the animals ran like monkeys.
CHAPTER XVII
A NOTE ON BRITISH TRADE PROSPECTS IN NEW GUINEA
Sandalwood—The Sea-Slug—Copra and Cocoa-Nut—Coffee—Cocoa—Chillies—Rubber—Stock-Raising—Gold—Tobacco—Imports—German Enterprise—Our Lost Coaling Station.
CHAPTER XVII
A NOTE ON BRITISH TRADE PROSPECTS IN
NEW GUINEA
The intelligent observer of New Guinea cannot fail to recognise that the country presents a vast unopened field for the development of British trade. Many sources of wealth are as yet absolutely untouched, but experiments that have recently been made in coffee, tobacco, cocoa, and rubber, yield the richest promise. The geographical configuration of the coast will greatly aid the enterprising trader, for many centres of industry can easily be approached by water at such inlets as Hall Sound, and the cost of transport from the interior would consequently be a mere bagatelle.
One of the chief industries is sandalwood cutting. The sandalwood is found in arid, elevated regions, and the particular spots where the trees grow in any quantity are known to the trade as patches. These patches, however, do not signify that the trees grow closely together. One tree might be found here and another might not occur for a hundred yards or so; but still there is an area of sandalwood growth sufficiently definite to justify the title “patch.” For any one who understands the intricacies of the situation, and the proper method of going to work, there is something to be made; but at present the development of the trade is beset with difficulties which can only be surmounted by one who is thoroughly familiar with the country and the conditions.
A rich source of income, still only little worked, is the trade in béche-de-mer, the sea-slug, which is an indispensable article of seasoning in every Chinese kitchen. This commands £70 a ton in the China market, and the variety known as the “black fish” fetches as much as £100 a ton. It is used for thickening gravies and soups. These molluscs are about 9 inches long and 3 inches thick, and are to be found adhering to the corals. The Papuans dive for them, and when they have secured them they are split open, dried in the sun, and packed in boxes. This trade could be made very profitable to any capable operator who cared to embark a moderate capital in its development. Divers can be had for a little tobacco or a few shells, a knife or an axe, but the chief expense is the preparation and preservation for the market. As a matter of fact, an enterprising Brisbane firm has lately introduced the tinning system for this mollusc, but the China market is supplied with the dried commodity untinned.