CHAPTER III 



MY FIRST EXPEDITION TO NEW GUINEA 



THE impression on the traveller of the first sight of 

 the South Sea Islands remains always in the memory. 

 One seems to have strayed into the land of the fairy 

 books. The intensely blue water foaming to a 

 dazzling white against the coral reefs; the sharp 

 outlines of the hills covered with trees of such strange 

 but regular shapes that they seem like temples made 

 by man ; the gay colouring of the natives bronze of 

 skin, their hair often dyed a brilliant red, their 

 dazzling white teeth showing in a perpetual smile 

 all seem to be too pretty to be real. 



We had reached near to the port of Samarai at 

 night-time and had anchored outside the reef until 

 the dawn. Coming on deck in the morning I found 

 that our vessel had been brought inside the reef, and 

 we were surrounded by little islands covered with 

 coco-nut palms and tropical jungle. It was August, 

 and a bright winter day. Everything was glowing 

 with colour and light. The natives surrounded our 

 vessel, chattering eagerly and offering to trade. They 

 had stores of coco-nuts, of dried fish, of beche-de-mer 

 (the sea-slug which makes such excellent soup), of 



42 



