II 
EQUATORIAL VEGETATION 
259 
often formed entirely of bamboo. The harder and thicker 
sorts, split and formed with tapering ends, make a very 
strong and elastic bow, while a narrow strip of the outer skin 
of the same is used for the string, and the slender reed-like 
kinds make excellent arrows. One of the few agricultural 
tools used by the Papuans — a spud or hoe for planting or 
weeding — is made of a stout bamboo cut somewhat like the 
spear. 
For various domestic purposes the uses of bamboo are 
endless. Ladders are rapidly made from two bamboo poles 
of the required length, by cutting small notches just above 
each ring, forming holes to receive the rungs or steps formed 
of a slenderer bamboo. For climbing lofty trees to get bees- 
wax, a temporary ladder reaching to any height is ingeniously 
formed of bamboo. One of the hardest and thickest sorts is 
chosen, and from this a number of pegs about a foot long are 
made. These are sharpened at one end and then driven into 
the tree in a vertical line about three feet apart. A tall and 
slender bamboo is then placed upright on the ground and 
securely tied with rattan or other cords to the heads of these 
pegs, which thus with the tree itself form a ladder. A man 
mounts these steps and builds up the ladder as he goes, 
driving in fresh pegs and splicing on fresh bamboos till he 
reaches the lower branches of the tree, which is sometimes 
eighty or a hundred feet from the ground. As the weight of 
the climber is thrown on several of the pegs which are bound 
together and supported by the upright bamboo, this ladder is 
much safer than it looks at first sight, and it is made with 
wonderful rapidity. When a path goes up a steep hill over 
smooth ground, bamboo steps are often laid down to prevent 
slipping while carrying heavy loads. These are made with 
uniform lengths of stout bamboo in which opposite notches 
are cut at each end just within a joint. These notches allow 
strong bamboo pegs to be driven through into the ground, 
thus keeping the steps securely in place. The masts and 
yards of native vessels are almost always formed of bamboo, 
as it combines lightness, strength, and elasticity in an 
unequalled degree. Two or three large bamboos also form 
the best outriggers to canoes on account of their great buoy- 
ancy. They also serve to form rafts; and in the city of 
