72 A NATURALIST IN CANNIBAL LAND 



recites the appropriate spells, and in this wet part 

 of the Territory rain is pretty sure to come before very 

 long. If a plentiful supply of garden produce is re- 

 quired there is probably some one who knows the 

 right article to bury in the garden, etc. A short time 

 ago two police were sent in a canoe along the coast. 

 They came back after some slight delay very indignant 

 with one another. One complained that he had 

 arrested and handcuffed a native and that the other 

 one had promptly released him. It appears that 

 they were delayed at Pongani by rough weather, so 

 the more courageous of the two decided to arrest the 

 local storm-maker, and did so. The other policeman 

 when asked to explain why he had ventured to 

 release a man under arrest explained not that he 

 had grown out of such beliefs but that he only 

 released the storm-maker because he was afraid that 

 if the storm-maker was kept under arrest he would 

 naturally keep the sea rough, and perhaps prevent 

 them from getting back altogether." 



As collecting work at the Trobriands was not 

 proving very profitable I chartered a schooner, the 

 Ellen Gowan, to take me to Woodlark Island with 

 the two Barnards. Woodlark Island was then very 

 little known to the white man and was comparatively 

 isolated. I hoped to get some good specimens there. 

 This was just at the time of the first of the gold 

 discoveries. On our way to Woodlark Island we 

 called in at the Egham Islands. The natives of the 



