CHAPTER VII 



Exploration of the Kapare River — Ohota — Native Geography — River 

 Obstructions — Hornbills and Tree Ducks — Gifts of Stones — Im- 

 portance of Steam Launch — Ctdtivation of Tobacco — Sago Swamps 

 — Manufacture of Sago — Cooking of Sago — The Dutch Use of 

 Convict Labour. 



Towards the end of January Capt. Rawling, who had 

 gone up the Mimika River with the first party to Parimau, 

 made an excursion to the N.W. of that place, and at 

 a distance of about four miles he came to a river, which 

 we afterwards learnt to know as the Kapare, of much 

 greater volume than the Mimika, and therefore likely to 

 spring from mountains much higher than those that gave 

 rise to the Mimika. Had we known at the time that 

 our real objective, the highest mountains of the range, 

 lay far to the N.E., we should have neglected the Kapare 

 River, and by so doing we should have spared ourselves 

 many weeks of labour ; but at the same time we should 

 have missed seeing a wide area of unknown country, 

 and we might possibly have failed to make the discovery 

 of the pygmy tribe, who inhabit the hilly country between 

 the Kapare and the upper waters of the Mimika River. 



It appeared that the Kapare might offer a better 

 route to the higher mountains than the Mimika, so it 

 was decided that we should explore its lower waters 

 and see whether it was possible to reach it from our base- 

 camp. Accordingly on February 14th Lieut. Cramer, 



