XX NEW GUINEA AND ITS INHABITANTS 445 



he learns to regard their little delinquencies as he would 

 those of children ; while their kindliness of disposition and 

 natural good qualities begin to be recognized. Thus many 

 writers make highly favourable statements respecting the 

 Papuan character and disposition ; while those whose 

 communications with them have been of a hostile nature 

 are so impressed with their savage cunning and ferocity, 

 and the wild-beast-like nature of their attacks, that they 

 will not recognize in them any feelings in common with 

 more civilized races. 



Many of the early voyagers record nothing but hostility 

 or treacherous murders on the part of the Papuans. 

 Their visits were, however, chiefly on the north-west and 

 south-west coasts, which the Malays have long been accus- 

 tomed to visit not only for commerce but to capture 

 slaves. This having become a regular trade, some of the 

 more warlike coast tribes, especially those of Onin in 

 McCluer's inlet, have been accustomed to attack the 

 villages of other tribes, and to capture their inhabitants, 

 in order to sell the women and children to the Malays. 

 It is not therefore surprising, that unknown armed visitors 

 to these coasts should be treated as enemies to be resisted 

 and if possible exterminated. Even Europeans have 

 sometimes increased this feeling of enmity through ig- 

 norance of native habits and customs. Cocoa-nut trees 

 have been cut down to obtain the fruit, apparently under 

 the impression that they grew wild and were so abundant 

 as to be of little value ; whereas every tree is considered 

 as private property, as they supply an important article of 

 food, and are even more valued than the choicest fruit- 

 trees among ourselves. Thus Schouten, in 1616, sent a 

 boat well-armed to bring cocoa-nuts from a grove of trees 

 near the shore, but the natives attacked the Europeans, 

 wounded sixteen of them, and forced them to retire. 

 Commodore Roggewen, in 1722, cut down cocoa-nut trees 

 on the island of Moa on the north coast, which of course 

 brought on an attack. At other times houses have been 

 entered in the absence of their owners, a great offence in 

 the eyes of all savage people and at once stamping the 

 intruder as an enemy. 



