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■ FROM HONG-KONG TO YOKOHAMA. 
to the platform, the village seemed deserted by its inhabitants, with the exception of two men, 
who by frantic gesticulations, and by aiming their arrows at us, expressed their objection to 
any further approach. Apparently impressed by our peaceable demeanour, their fear and rage, 
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however, soon subsided so far that they were induced to lend their own services, and the use 
of their canoe, for the purpose of bringing the exploring party on shore at a spot to the left 
of the village, where the water was very shallow. Having shot a few birds, and collected 
some plants, all returned safely on board the pinnace. The two men were much gratified 
by the few presents which they received, and it seemed probable that with time and patience 
we might have come to a better understanding with the natives of Humboldt Bay. Their 
attitude was more probably the result of fear and terror inspired by the arrival of so large 
a ship than of any mere savage hostility. But having only just commenced a long cruise, we 
had not sufficient time at our disposal for overcoming the difficulties in our way, and the 
project of devoting a few days to the survey and exploration of Humboldt Bay had to be 
given up. It looked like an ignominious retreat before a handful of men whom we choose to 
call savages, but whose home we had no right to intrude upon except with their consent. 
The exploration of Papua, too, was not the object of our mission, and we were, moreover, 
determined that, for as much as lay in our power, the records of the “ Challenger ” 
Expedition should not be disgraced by the slaughter of men who, considering the immense 
superiority of our weapons, were virtually defenceless. To fire—without absolute necessity— 
upon a naked savage, armed with bow and arrows, savours much more of cowardice than 
courage. 
Meantime, although none of the natives could be induced to come on board, a brisk 
trade had sprung up between the ship and the swarm of canoes surrounding it. To see 
them depriving themselves of their weapons and ornaments, the result of much toil and 
inventive skill, and handing them over to us in return for a few inches of rusty hoop iron, 
was a singular sight, and could not fail to impress us with the immense value which this 
metal must have in the eyes of a man hitherto compelled to spend month after month in 
chipping out his canoe from the trunk of a tree with a stone hatchet or the sharp edge of a 
shell. If asked to decide upon the relative values of a lump of gold, a diamond, and a rusty 
nail, he would, without hesitation, give the preference to the latter, as being of infinitely 
greater use to him. Seeing that iron was the great object of their desire, I conjectured 
that the word “ segah,” the exact meaning of which we could not ascertain, might be the 
name given by them to this useful substance. It might easily have been shown that the 
great difference between the “Challenger” and the frail canoe alongside—between the 
advanced civilisation represented by the one, and the primitive civilisation typified by the 
other—rested chiefly upon the fact that the race of men on board the big ship had been 
for ages in possession of iron, while those of the canoe had hitherto remained ignorant of 
the existence of this king of all metals, or at least destitute of means and opportunities of 
procuring it. 
Laden with the “spoil of the Egyptians,” whose store of bows and arrows, three-pronged 
