When leaving "Egum" you have to go through a barrier reef. The openings are very narrow, therefore it behoves you to be well on the alert. Also in this district it always appears to be blowing half a gale. It is absolutely necessary for one man to stand in the bows and give warning to the helmsman of any reefs or shoals. You can always recognise them by the discoloured water. We often had to sail a distance of five miles with but a couple of feet of water under our keel and on the constant look out for "gibbers" or rocks. It is said "Without danger or chance of mishap, travel is never worth a rap."
Nevertheless we should have been quite satisfied to dispense with coral reefs and sunken rocks. It will be years before these parts of New Guinea are surveyed. With one or two narrow escapes we managed to keep clear of the hidden dangers and at about four o'clock in the afternoon were in sight of the Trobriands. Knowing that our cutter "A——s" was sure to have called at Lagrandiere, one of the islands of the group, we determined to visit it, hoping by good luck either to meet her there or learn her whereabouts.
The evening was a beautiful one. A steady breeze was blowing from the south-east and a few miles to the north-east lay the island to which we bound. The lurid sun was just about to set, and the sea was calm save a gentle ripple. All nature smiled, as if conscious of her beauty. It was the most enchanting hour of day—Sunset—whose delights are made more precious by their brevity. Alas, the varied colours are soon blotted out and transmuted into a sombre black, but as we gazed on that scene of sea and sky, the sin and sorrow of the world seemed to fade from our memory.
Half-an-hour later we dropped anchor within 20 yards of the shore, and to our delight found the cutter "A——s" already there, completely surrounded by canoes full of wild and dusky savages. To tell the truth, they were more glad to see us than we to see them, as there being but two of them, and their boat a small one, it was as much as they could manage to keep the savages in check. They had been obliged to draw their revolvers and for some time had been in considerable danger of their lives. We anchored close alongside of them, when there was much rejoicing and shaking of hands.
We now mustered altogether five white men and four blacks, so that we could have offered a strong resistance. As our boat was the larger of the two, our friends came on board of her, where we all dined together.
What a pleasure it is to meet friends unexpectedly, especially in a lonely spot unfrequented by white men and surrounded by hordes of shrieking demons, armed with clubs and spears, who might at any time use them. Dozens of magnificent canoes, with from 20 to 30 warriors in each, encircled us, and beyond, a perfect "flotilla" of them. All their occupants stood up, craning their necks forward, striving to get a glimpse of the mysterious white men.
What was there to prevent them from killing us and capturing our vessels? It certainly was not the fear of our fire-arms, for the natives of this district are perfectly ignorant of the destructive powers of a rifle or a revolver. It was their gross superstition. They believe the white man to be a species of "Devil," and possessed of supernatural powers. How fortunate is such a belief for us; were it otherwise, if they only knew we were ordinary mortals like themselves, it would be necessary to educate their respect for us by a course of instruction in musketry.
We had a right merry evening. Our skipper played on the violin, toasts were given and taken, and our several experiences recounted since last we had met, seven weeks since. Although nature has not gifted me with a fine voice, I treated the company to a song, my friend accompanying me on the violin. The hours flew by until one of our number fell fast asleep, tired out with the evening's dissipation. We put him to bed on the hatches, with a sail and some rugs for a covering, and soon after turned in ourselves, to woo, with more deliberation, the goddess of slumber.
In the morning, we informed our two friends of our intention of proceeding to New Britain, and that we hoped to meet them again in about a month. They wished us bon voyage and a safe return. They then left us in order to visit several islands for the purpose of trading for Bêche-de-mer. We remained at Lagrandiere until the following day, as we wished to buy a quantity of yams, and, if possible, trade with the natives. The native town lay about two miles distant from us. It was the largest town I had ever seen; it must have contained from 300 to 400 houses, and allowing an average of six persons to each house, would have a population of 2,000. At sunrise, dozens of large canoes, in full sail and crowded with natives, arrived upon the scene. Their canoes here are magnificent, all the seams caulked, beautifully carved, and all the sails apparently new; in fact, the canoes themselves appeared quite new. They were infinitely superior and better finished than any I had yet seen. Our little craft was so completely surrounded by them that it was impossible to drop a potato overboard without the risk of its falling into one of them. What a chatter they kept up! Imagine several hundred native throats shouting at the same time. Several of them had harsh, discordant voices, and they were the ones who talked the loudest and longest. If anything out of the common attracted their attention they would one and all send up a piercing shriek, which, unless you were accustomed to their peculiar ways, would terrify you.
We allowed a few to come on board, but the difficulty was to prevent all of them doing so. I had to keep constantly rushing to the sides of the vessel with a naked sword, slashing at them in order to keep them in their canoes. Once let a number obtain a foothold on board, and you put yourself in their power. At any moment they may obtain possession of the vessel, and then good-bye to dear life. So long as savages believe that you have power over them, you have nothing to fear. Immediately you allow them to consider you in danger or anxious, look out for squalls. Take a man who enters a den of wild beasts, what is it that prevents him being torn to pieces? Is it that he is stronger than those wild beasts? Nothing of the kind. If only those beasts had the knowledge of their power, they would not think twice before springing upon and devouring him. The true reason is that the man shows no fear. From his manner and his behaviour, these wild animals infer that he is not afraid of them, and consequently believe that he possesses some hidden power greater than theirs.