138 A NATURALIST IN CANNIBAL LAND 



had been indicated to me I left my boat in charge of a 

 trader and hired from the natives two very large canoes, 

 with which I made some progress up the river until 

 I got to a camp of sandalwood getters. The chief of 

 this camp had drays and horses, which he employed 

 in getting his timber to the coast, and I was able to 

 make arrangements with him to carry my stuff inland 

 for me a full day's journey. At the end of this stage 

 I encountered the usual trouble in regard to carriers. 

 The men of the district near the coast would not go 

 inland for fear of the tribes there. Previous experi- 

 ence had taught me how to overcome these difficulties. 

 I left my boys in camp and then went forward 

 alone and got a number of the people from higher up 

 to come down and carry my gear for me. It took 

 three days to get to the first of the mountain villages, 

 and on this occasion I had a train of seventy carriers. 

 It occupied all my time to keep them in meat, shooting 

 wallaby and pigeons for their consumption. Occa- 

 sionally I got a cassowary, but these birds are now 

 becoming rare in New Guinea. What struck me as 

 strange was that the carriers whom I had brought 

 down from the mountains seemed quite lost on the 

 flat country of the coast and did not know their 

 bearings. 



When I had got to the first of the mountain villages, 

 at a height of some 2000 feet, I was obliged again to 

 go ahead and recruit carriers for the next stage. 

 Frankly I cannot now understand either the general 



