MY FIRST EXPEDITION TO NEW GUINEA 55 



New Guinea were when I have approached some 

 inland village with my train of bearers from the coast, 

 and have been refused permission to proceed. Some- 

 times I have had to make this concession to the hill 

 natives: to send back my coast bearers and to go 

 forward alone and get fresh bearers from the country 

 through which I was going to pass. But I have never 

 had to use mortal violence on the natives. I think 

 the only killing I ever had to do was to shoot a 

 venerable pig belonging to a village where the white 

 man was quite unknown. This was as a sign that 

 firearms were powerful, and it had its effect. 



But probably that has been my good fortune rather 

 than my good management. There have been 

 occasions when it seemed for a while that bloodshed 

 was the only way out of a difficulty. And I know 

 that the government officials, who in all cases are 

 very anxious to treat the natives as gently as possible, 

 sometimes find it necessary to use firearms. Only 

 recently, in connection with one of the expeditions 

 which had been sent out to search for Mr. Stanniforth 

 Smith who had gone on an inland exploration trip 

 and had lost his way a tragedy occurred. The 

 officer's own report of the incident was : 



" We saw no natives until we were within three 

 days of the Ilo, when we came across a small party 

 making sago, and with whom we made friends. 

 From their manner of receiving us I feel sure that 

 these people had never seen white men before. From 



