NATIVES AS CARRIERS 163 



was useless as a means of approach to the Snow Mountains 

 and we had to turn our attention to the country to the 

 N.E. of the Mimika. Moreover, it was impossible to keep 

 the camp there supplied with provisions, as we were at 

 that time entirely dependent for transport on the good- 

 will of the Papuans. 



Generally speaking we always remained on excellent 

 terms with the natives and very rarely had any trouble 

 with them. Except that we bought from them the 

 " atap " for our houses, we got little or no help from the 

 people of Wakatimi, but the people of Parimau assisted 

 us in a number of ways. At first, as I have shewn, we 

 had considerable difficulty in persuading them to work 

 for us as carriers ; but when they found that they really 

 did receive the payment they were promised, they were 

 willing and sometimes even anxious to carry loads for us, 

 though we often had to wait a few days until it suited 

 their convenience to start. It was a pity that they were 

 never willing to travel further than about three days' 

 march from their village, but as there were long periods 

 when we were entirely dependent on them for land trans- 

 port, we counted ourselves lucky in their agreeing to work 

 at all. 



Chiefly owing to the help of the natives we were able 

 to make and keep supplied for several months another 

 camp on the Wataikwa River, three days' march north- 

 east from Parimau. When they went out there first, 

 they were accustomed to receive their pay, cloth and 

 beads or a small knife at the end of the journey ; but 

 later, when wages rose, as they inevitably did with every 

 successive journey, it seemed to be absurd to waste 



