GOOD-BYE TO DINAWA 
we could not find out anything, and as the woman 
was some distance off, and it was not convenient to 
go that day, we gave them a headache compound and 
sent them off with it. Later in the afternoon the 
boys returned and told us that Ow-bow’s mother was 
dead, but the tidings were not so alarming as at first 
appeared ; for they added that “her head was dead but 
her stomach was alive,” from which I understood that 
she was unconscious. The neighbouring Roman Cath- 
olic missionary, on hearing this, said that he would 
go over the following day. These cases were not new 
to him; in fact, he told us that fainting was quite 
common. Obviously, the dead head and the live 
stomach was a simple instance of swooning. 
During this time we had permitted our man 
Gaberio—whom I have already mentioned as being 
with us at the St. Joseph River—to go off on his 
own account collecting butterflies and birds. Gaberio 
was a Papuan whom [ had engaged at Port Moresby. 
He was very intelligent, capable, and quick, and to 
his other qualities he added a knowledge of pigeon 
English. I mention him chiefly because the fact of 
his absence brought home to us with considerable 
force the value of that extraordinary system of inter- 
communication prevailing among the Papuans, which 
may well be called the wireless telegraphy of the 
wilds. For some time Gaberio was, as one might 
expect in such a region, entirely beyond our ken, 
and although we knew he could take care of him- 
self very well, as the days went on, and our departure 
was approaching, we felt that we should like to have 
tidings of him. 
147 
