392 



MY LIFE 



[Chap. 



lieutenant and two soldiers to accompany Mr. Allen as a protection, and 

 to facilitate his operations in getting men and visiting the interior. 



Notwithstanding these precautions, Mr. Allen met with difficulties in 

 this voyage which we had not encountered before. To understand these, 

 it is necessary to consider that the birds of paradise are an article of 

 commerce, and are the monopoly of the chiefs of the coast villages, who 

 obtain them at a low rate from the mountaineers, and sell them to the 

 Bugis traders. A portion of the skins is also paid every year as tribute 

 to the Sultan of Tidore. The natives are therefore very jealous of a 

 stranger, especially a European, interfering in their trade, and above 

 all of his going into the interior to deal with the mountaineers them- 

 selves. They, of course, think he will raise the prices in the interior, 

 and lessen the demand on the coast, greatly to their disadvantage ; they 

 also think their tribute will be raised if a European takes back a 

 quantity of the rare sorts ; and they have, besides, a vague and very 

 natural dread of some ulterior object in a white man's coming at so 

 much trouble and expense to their country only to get birds of para- 

 dise, of which they know he can buy plenty at Ternate, Macassar, or 

 Singapore. 



It thus happened that when Mr. Allen arrived at Sorong and ex- 

 plained his intentions of going to seek birds of paradise in the interior, 

 innumerable objections were raised. He was told it was three or four 

 days' journey over swamps and mountains ; that the mountaineers were 

 savages and cannibals, who would certainly kill him ; and, lastly, that 

 not a man in the village could be found who dare go with him. After 

 some days spent in these discussions, as he still persisted in making the 

 attempt, and showed them his authority from the Sultan of Tidore to go 

 where he pleased and receive every assistance, they at length provided 

 him with a boat to go the first part of the journey up a river ; at the same 

 time, however, they sent private orders to the interior villages to refuse 

 to sell any provisions, so as to compel him to return. On arriving at the 

 village where they were to leave the river and strike inland, the coast 

 people returned, leaving Mr. Allen to get on as he could. Here he called 

 on the Tidore lieutenant to assist him, and procure men as guides and to 

 carry his baggage to the villages of the mountaineers. This, however, 

 was not so easily done ; a quarrel took place, and the natives, refusing to 

 obey the somewhat harsh orders of the lieutenant, got out their knives 

 and spears to attack him and his soldiers, and Mr. Allen himself was 

 obliged to interfere to protect those who had come to guard him. The 

 respect due to a white man and the timely distribution of a few presents 

 prevailed ; and on showing the knives, hatchets, and beads he was 

 willing to give to those who accompanied him, peace was restored, and 

 the next day, travelling over a frightfully rugged country, they reached 

 the villages of the mountaineers. Here Mr. Allen remained a month, 

 without any interpreter through whom he could understand a word or 

 communicate a want. However, by signs and presents and a pretty 

 liberal barter, he got on very well, some of them accompanying him every 



