i8o PYGMIES AND PAPUANS 



For three more days we stayed on that sandbank, 

 while the rain poured down and the river swept past us 

 on both sides, unable either to proceed or to retreat. I 

 made two attempts to cross the river, but found it im- 

 possible to struggle across the flood. In the meantime 

 the natives, who were well able to swim naked across 

 the first channel, threatened all the time to return to 

 Parimau. A few of them did leave me, but the rest 

 by constant cajoling and by liberal gifts of rice, for 

 which they had acquired a great liking, I persuaded 

 to stay with me until after four daj^s we were able to 

 get away. 



From the Tuaba to the Kamura river, a distance of 

 about four miles, a track had been cut by Marshall and 

 the Gurkhas. It was a curious piece of country, almost 

 level and covered with not very dense jungle, but remark- 

 able for the number of streams flowing through it. 

 Between the two rivers we crossed eighteen streams of 

 various sizes ; some were rivulets, and others swift and 

 strong so that one was glad of a supporting Papuan 

 on either hand. The Kamura river is of less size than 

 the Tuaba, but it is still a large river and subject to 

 heavy and sudden floods. It flows in a bed of sand 

 and shingle two or three hundred yards from bank to 

 bank, though, except at times of flood, it only occupies 

 a narrow channel. Mostly it runs swiftly over the 

 stones, but here and there are long stretches of still 

 water like the pool of a salmon river; unluckily there 

 are no big fish in it, or New Guinea would be a pleasanter 

 place than it is. 



It was an agreeable change to come out on to the 



