42 PYGMIES AND PAPUANS 



launch went very slowly when it had two or three 

 heavily laden boats to tow against the strong current 

 of the river, so the business of landing the expedition 

 was a very slow one, and as there was at first but very 

 little space for pitching tents on the camping ground 

 some of us remained for a few days on board. During 

 those days that were spent on the ship outside the 

 Mimika we had opportunities in the early morning 

 of getting a general idea of the broad features of the 

 country. 



At the top of the white sandy beach was in most 

 places a narrow belt of Casitarina trees, which are 

 accustomed to grow on sandy or stony soil. They 

 resemble pines and their pale stems have a fresh green 

 foliage, which is a pleasing contrast to the dense 

 monotonous green of the majority of the trees in the 

 country. Behind the Casuarina belt dense jungle, for 

 the first few miles consisting entirely of Mangroves and 

 beyond that of various trees, extends with hardly any 

 rise of altitude to the foot of the mountains thirty 

 miles away. This last observation was one of supreme 

 importance and it affected the whole prospect and 

 conduct of the expedition. Those of us who had been 

 to New Guinea before had been accustomed to seeing 

 a steep shore rising very quickly to the hills. This 

 is the usual formation along practically the whole of 

 the North coast of the island, also along a considerable 

 extent of the South-east coast and again on the West 

 coast in the neighbourhood of MacClucr Gulf. It 

 was known of course that the South coast on both 

 sides of the mouth of the Fly River and about Prince 



