238 COLLECTOR'S RAMBLES 



a large leaf for a plate, on which was mashed pumpkin 

 and yam. They were having a very jolly time ; but 

 the moment they saw us, they scrambled to their feet, 

 with piercing yells; jumped the fence, back of the 

 houses; and waded the river, in a perfect stampede. 

 We called to them that we were friends; but that 

 only seemed to frighten them the more, so we laid 

 our things down, and had a hearty laugh at their 

 expense. At last a brown head peeped out from 

 behind a tree, and the owner asked us what we 

 wanted, and why we did not tell them we were com- 

 ing. They finally all came back, but some were 

 covered with mud and others badly scratched in their 

 scramble over the fence. 



The Papuan is a curious mixture of mirth and 

 seriousness. When he is jolly, his laugh rings out 

 joyous and hearty ; but when there is anything weigh- 

 ing on his mind, he is sober and seldom speaks. 



The people hold meetings in the woods, where they 

 discuss various things of importance ; and we some- 

 times came across a group of them seated on the 

 ground, with the chief in the centre, holding what 

 appeared to be a political meeting. These meetings 

 were generally held some distance from the villages, in 

 small clearings in the woods, where the trees had been 

 cut down for that purpose. The women took part as 

 well as the men, and seemed to have just as much to 

 say as to what was to be done. The chief heard all the 



