62 PYGMIES AND PAPUANS 



dodges was to bring old pieces of " atap " from their 

 own houses to increase the size of the pile, and sometimes 

 a man would steal two or three pieces from the pile 

 of another man who had already been paid, but they 

 were always found out and were not in the least ashamed 

 of themselves. It was important to keep the price 

 low, because we very well knew that when the people 

 had obtained as much cloth and as many beads as they 

 wanted they would never do any more work, and that 

 did occur after a few months. They greatly enjoyed 

 a httle foolery. For instance, when you were paying 

 them in cloth it was much more appreciated if you 

 wound it artistically about the recipient's head than 

 if you merely thrust it into his hands ; and in paying 

 a man in beads it was thought a great joke if you let 

 them slowly trickle into his palm out of your closed 

 fist. His smile would grow with the pile of beads in 

 his hand, and he always hoped to find some more 

 concealed between your fingers. 



In addition to " atap " they also brought other 

 things for trade, sometimes fish from the sea which 

 were generally uneatable, and sometimes delicious prawns 

 six or eight inches long from the river estuary. There 

 was a constant trade in coconuts which grew in some 

 numbers about Wakatimi, and occasionally we bought 

 a bunch of bananas. Living birds of many kinds, 

 cassowaries, pigeons, kingfishers, lories and parrots were 

 often brought for sale, but the poor creatures were 

 generally taken straight from the nest, and the soldiers 

 and coolies who bought them quickly stuffed them 

 to death with rice. Some of the lories throve and 



