CHAPTER XVI 



Communication with Amhoina and Meraitkc — Sail in the " Valk " 

 to the Utakwa River — Removal of the Dutch Expedition — View of 

 Mount Carstensz — Dugongs — Crowded Ship — Dayaks and Live 

 Stock — Sea-Snakes — Excitable Convicts — The Island River — Its 

 Great Size — Another Dutch Expedition — Their Achievements — 

 Houses in the Trees — Large Village — Barn-like Houses — Naked 

 People — Shooting Lime — Their Skill in Paddling — Through the 

 Marianne Straits — An Extract from Carstensz — Merauke — Trade 

 in Copra — Botanic Station — The Mission — The Ke Island Boat- 

 builders — The Natives of Merauke described — Arrival of our Third 

 Batch of Coolies — The Feast of St. Nicholas — Return to Mimika. 



It has been mentioned in the preceding chapters that 

 after the expedition landed in New Guinea, a more or 

 less regular communication was kept up between the 

 Mimika and Amboina. The South-west coast of New //^ 

 Guinea as far East as the Utanata River is in the 

 administrative district of Amboina, and beyond that, as 

 far as the boundary of British New Guinea, the country 

 is nominally under the control of the station of Merauke. 

 Thus the Mimika is actually within the Merauke district, 

 but it was for many reasons found more convenient for 

 the Government to communicate with the expedition 

 directly from Amboina rather than by way of Merauke ; 

 accordingly the soldiers forming our escort were attached 

 as an outpost to the garrison of Amboina and communi- 

 cations were estabhshed with that place. 



For several months a steamer came from Amboina 



P 



