254 PYGMIES AND PAPUANS 



five or six months very little progress would be possible 

 even with an unlimited supply of the best coolies. 



So there was nothing for it but for Uv. Kloss and 

 the Dayaks to go back in the Zwaan, which sailed for 

 Amboina on the following day, taking also Marshall, 

 as many sick and useless coolies and soldiers as could 

 be crammed on board, and an urgent request to the 

 authorities to remove us as soon as might be. The 

 Dayak episode was altogether an unfortunate one ; 

 had the men reached us six months earlier, we should 

 have made a very good use of them, few though they 

 were ; but coming as they did when we were on the 

 point of leaving the country they merely illustrated 

 the uselessness of attempting to conduct an expedition 

 from the other side of the world. 



During the next three weeks we waited for the 

 ship with what patience we could. By that time we 

 were all somewhat stale and disinclined for any exer- 

 tion, and those days of waiting at Wakatimi seemed 

 interminably long. The only pleasant moments were 

 when on fine evenings we could sit outside and watch 

 the sun go down behind the palm trees across the 

 river and hope each time that that would be the last. 

 There were times when for two or three days a strong 

 wind blew and we could hear the surf thundering on 

 the beach, and we knew that even if the ship came it 

 could not approach the shore. Then there were false 

 alarms of whistles having been heard, or of boats seen 

 coming up the river, but our suspense at last came to 

 an end on April 5th, when a steam-launch towing a 

 string of empty boats came puffing up to the camp. 



