214 PYGMIES AND PAPUANS 



decided to withdraw the expedition, and to concentrate 

 all the exploring energies on the Island River, which 

 seemed to offer a better prospect of accompHshing that 

 purpose. 



When all these people had been taken on board the 

 Valk, the decks of the little ship were crowded to over- 

 flowing with gear and men and wild animals. They had 

 brought some young wild pigs, a number of crowned and 

 other kinds of pigeons, and several young cassowaries. 

 Mr. Dumas brought on board three eggs, from which 

 were hatched pretty little cassowary chicks during the 

 next few days. We were particularly struck by the 

 appearance of the Dayaks, any one of whom looked more 

 than a match for three of our Malay coolies. Apart from 

 their apparent strength, they differed noticeably from 

 the Malays, who like to spend their days in sleeping 

 between meals, in their unceasing industry; they had 

 brought on board quantities of bamboo, from which 

 they at once started making bird cages, and pieces of 

 hard wood, out of which they carved handles for their 

 knives and other ornamental objects. 



The ship was so heavily laden that it was impossible 

 to take on board all the boats that had been used by 

 the Utakwa expedition, and three or four were towed 

 in a long string astern. Fortunately the sea was ex- 

 ceptionally smooth, but even so one of these, an almost 

 new " long-boat," broke adrift, and we lost a day in 

 searching for it unsuccessfully. 



Whilst we were cruising about looking for the lost 

 boat, one of our passengers, a fever-stricken soldier from 

 the Mimika, caused some excitement by stabbing with 



