NARRATIVE OF THE CRUISE. 
687 
investigations of the Dutch commission on board the ship “ Etna,” better known than 
those of most savages. 1 
Directly the ship was anchored, the boats were hoisted out and preparations made to 
survey the bay and explore the country, but although the natives allowed the officers sent 
to obtain astronomical observations to land on a small uninhabited island, they used threaten- 
ing gestures towards the other boats, pointing their arrows against the breasts of the natural- 
ists and officers ; consequently the exploring and surveying parties returned for orders. 
This unwillingness on the part of the natives to allow the parties to land and explore 
the country rendered it necessary either to pay respect to their wishes, or to proceed in 
the investigations at the risk of an embroilment with them. Much as it was wished to 
explore a part of the world so little known as is the district of New Guinea around 
Humboldt Bay, it was considered unjustifiable to use force for the purpose, or even to 
land any explorers where a momentary impulse on the part of a savage might possibly 
lead to the sacrifice of many lives. Conciliation was thus the only resource left, and the 
boats were kept on board whilst endeavours were made to make friends with the people 
in the canoes surrounding the ship. All the efforts, however, failed to induce even one 
of the men to come on board, and the conclusion was reluctantly come to that it would 
require some days’ intercourse with them before they could be taught that the object of 
the Expedition in visiting their settlement was a friendly one. There was no doubt that 
by sacrificing a week or ten days in conciliation almost anything might have been done 
with these people, but devoting so much time to this purpose was out of the question, so 
it was resolved to leave Humboldt Bay and proceed to the Admiralty Islands, where it 
was hoped that the intercourse with the natives might be more fortunate. 
Before hoisting in the floats the pinnace proceeded towards one of the villages with 
Captain Thomson, Professor Thomson, Mr. Murray, and Mr. Wild, in order to allow 
Mr. Wild to make a sketch of the village (see fig. 233). As the pinnace approached the 
platform on which the houses were built, four or five natives presented themselves with 
bows and arrows in hand. One of them drew his bow and pointed his arrow towards the 
pinnace, but offered both immediately for “ sigor.” When the bow of the pinnace was 
placed alongside the scaffolding on which the pile-dwellings stand one of the bluejackets 
got on to it. This was, however, strongly objected to by the natives, who motioned 
him back to the boat. After a short time one of the natives was induced to take 
Mr. Murray on shore in his canoe, and Professor Thomson and Captain Thomson 
followed shortly after in a second canoe. The rock at the point where the party landed 
was a limestone weathered at the surface into sharp, jagged points, round which the 
roots of the trees were twined in a most extraordinary manner. Two birds ( Tricho - 
1 Nieu Guinea Ethnogr. en Natuururkundig onderzoocht in 1858 dooreen Nederl. Ind. Commissie, Bijdragen tot clr 
Taal Land en Volkenkunde van Nederlandisch Indie, Deel v., Amsterdam, 1862. For Von Rosenberg’s account of the 
visit, see Nat. Tydsch. voor. Nederl. Indie, Deel xxiv. p. 333 et seq., Batavia, 1862. 
(narr. chall. exp. — vol. i. — 1885.) 
87 
