INLAND NEW GUINEA 113 



penetrate thus into disturbed and possibly hostile 

 country without any escort. Perhaps, in theory, it 

 was. All that I can say is that I encountered no very 

 serious difficulties or dangers, and the success of the 

 plan made all the difference between giving up a 

 costly enterprise without result or carrying it through 

 to a happy end. 



This process of going forward after carriers had to 

 be repeated again and again. At each stage I found 

 that the people who were situated on the coast side 

 did not dare to march forward inland, and it was 

 necessary for me to leave my main camp, to strike 

 inland by myself and send back for the outfit and for 

 the native boys who were my collectors. 



Eventually after some six weeks' hard and venturous 

 work I got as far as Okuma, which is about sixty miles 

 inland and is about 2000 feet high. The foot-hill 

 country around was very rough. It seemed to be 

 built on the " switchback " principle. One fold of 

 hills was followed by another. You climbed with 

 great difficulty a hill 1000 feet high only to have to 

 descend again into a valley and face another struggling 

 ascent. Days of laborious marching meant very 

 little net gain, either in altitude or in distance from 

 the coast. 



At Okuma I thought that I was blocked for good, 

 as the natives refused absolutely to help me further. 

 Finally, after much persuasion, I induced the chief 

 of the village to come on with me to a place called 



