i6o PYGMIES AND PAPUANS 



birds of Paradise, whose long-drawn whistle can never 

 be mistaken or forgotten. 



In our second attempt we profited by some of the 

 mistakes made on the former, but even so the irregularity 

 of the ground and the complexity of the watercourses 

 nearly succeeded in baffling us. " Rawling and I left 

 "camp early with two Gurkhas. A mile and a half up 

 " the left bank of the river we struck off N.E. from the 

 " path we followed the other da3\ Cut a new path 

 " through the jungle for about a mile until we came to a 

 "faint native track, which we followed for another mile 

 " or so, chiefly along fallen tree trunks overhung by a 

 " network of rattan and other creepers, a fearful struggle 

 " to get through. Then for a mile or more up the bed 

 " of a stony stream encumbered with the same obstruc- 

 " tions, dead trees and rattans, until we came to a deep 

 "gorge with a torrent about three hundred feet below 

 "us and on the opposite side the steep slope of another 

 "great spur of the mountain, on which the clearing 

 "presumably lay. We shthered and scrambled down to 

 " the river, which was full of water and only just fordable. 

 " Then up the other slope, not knowing at all accurately 

 " the direction of the clearing. Very steep and the jungle 

 "very dense with rattan and tree-ferns, so the leading 

 " Gurkha was kept busily occupied in cutting with his 

 " kiikri and progress was slow. 



" About one o'clock, when we had been going for 

 " nearly six hours, the clouds came down and it began to 

 *' rain and we were ready to turn back. Luckily the 

 " Gurkhas were convinced that the clearing was not far 

 ** ahead and when we found a pig-trap, a noose of rattan 



