Two Years Among the Savages of New Guinea Part 11

The south-east "trades" were still blowing, and seeing no chance of their abatement, we regretfully left the sh.o.r.es of Ralume Bay.

In St. George's Channel we met with constant baffling winds, which greatly r.e.t.a.r.ded our progress. On some days we made no more than a mile, the strong currents causing us to make considerable leeway.

We sailed close in to the sh.o.r.es of New Britain and back again to New Ireland, and so it continued day after day. We thought we should never lose sight of the Duke of York Islands, and had half a mind to run back to Ralume. The days were scorchingly hot, the decks not fit to stand upon. We were obliged every few minutes to throw buckets of water on them to enable us to move about, and to prevent the seams from opening.

It was anything but a pleasure having to steer for four hours beneath such a sun. Down below in the little cabin it was just as bad, more stifling, if possible. How we longed for night to cool our fevered brows!

Not far from here, on the north-east coast of New Ireland, poor Charlie Hunstein met his fate. I met him on several occasions. Not long since, in 1889, he, with some others, journeyed from Finsch-hafen to New Ireland on a botanical expedition. He arrived there safely, but in a day or two a terrible earthquake took place, swallowing up the unfortunate Hunstein and his followers. What a terrible destiny, to perish in such a catastrophe without the chance of a struggle for life!

I saw the captain of one of the German New Guinea Company's steamers.

He told me he was in the habit of steaming past the spot on his way from Finsch-hafen to the Bismarck Archipelago. Just after the disaster he was taking the accustomed route when, to his astonishment, the usual landmarks were nowhere to be seen. He therefore worked out his position, and discovered that there must have been some fearful agency at work to alter the configuration of the land in such a manner. The whole geography of the neighbourhood had been completely transformed. A vast expanse of land had been converted into water.

The suddenness with which such calamities occur is astonis.h.i.+ng.

To-day everything wears its wonted appearance, but who knows what to-morrow may bring forth? what changes may take place in Nature?

To-day a man is in robust health, proud of his strength. To-morrow all this has vanished, and the living man has become an inanimate ma.s.s.

Our progress continued slow, until at last we sighted Cape St. George, the southern extremity of New Ireland. The locality has an historic interest.

Ten years ago, in the latter part of the year 1880, the ill-fated expedition organised by the notorious Marquis de Ray landed in the vicinity. The Marquis de Ray was a French n.o.bleman living in Paris. He formed a gigantic scheme for colonizing New Ireland, intending, as he stated, to create there a New France. He caused grand plans to be executed, showing the different lots or farms for sale--smiling farms, with paddocks of gra.s.s, ready for occupation, and whole families of French farmers and peasantry sold up what property they possessed, and cheerfully paid their money deposits in Paris, thinking they were going to a land full of promise, where they would settle on their newly-acquired lands with their families and grow prosperous. Poor deluded creatures! Little did they dream of the fate in store for them.

Little did they know the state of the country to which they were bound, and that they were hurrying from the frying-pan into the fire. It is astounding with what ease people are gulled by the plausible representations of an adventurous schemer.

Two large vessels, the S.S. _India_, and S.S. _Genie_, were fitted out for the expedition, each of them carrying about 300 emigrants. What a country to attempt to colonize! The Marquis had evidently picked out the most inhospitable place on the map. A wild, mountainous country, a deadly climate, and populated by dense numbers of ferocious and bloodthirsty savages! Not a white man on the island. And it was to make their living in such a land that these people had broken up their homes, converted all their possessions into money in order to buy farms there, and farming implements, such as ploughs, harrows, etc., with which to cultivate them. What did the Marquis care if they were all ruined, so long as he had the amount of their deposits safely in his pockets?

After many privations on the voyage, owing to the scarcity of provisions, they were landed in New Ireland in August. Great was their astonishment on beholding the country of their adoption, and great was their indignation against the cunning Marquis de Ray, who had so cruelly deceived them.

Many sickened and died, others were starved.

They implored to be taken away from the polluted spot, and to be landed in Australia. Some were removed to an island called Liki-Liki, where many of them died, and upon their fate becoming known, the remainder, broken in health and dest.i.tute of money, were landed at Noumea, New Caledonia.

There the storekeepers and traders generously supplied them with food, but found it impossible to get them employment. A steamer was sent by the Government to bring them on to Sydney, where they were placed in the immigration depot until such time as they found employment.

The unhappy immigrants could not speak a word of English, but after a time they were drafted off up country, where they were employed as farm labourers.

What had become of the miscreant who had caused all this ruin and misery?

He was in France, living on the proceeds of his ill-gotten gains. Upon the true state of affairs leaking out, the Marquis de Ray was arrested, tried before the Tribunal in Paris, and sentenced to several years'

imprisonment. Well for him that he escaped being hanged. This should be a warning to would-be emigrants to learn some particulars of the country in which they intend to settle, before embarking on the voyage.

Let us hope that we shall never again have to record so ill-starred an expedition as the one launched by the French marquis.

Once clear of St. George's Channel, we seemed to lose the strong currents, and consequently made better way.

Returning was a very different matter from coming from New Guinea. We had now been four days at sea, and during the whole of that time had been beating about in the channel. We had still a long distance to travel, and from all appearances it would be several days before we reached our destination. It was of no use crying out against our luck.

Head winds were the order of the day, so we consoled ourselves with the thought that the same winds had been favourable to us not long before.

We amused ourselves by conversing with our two native companions and perfecting ourselves in their language.

In the evening, after supper, the dwarf graciously entertained us, telling us all about his people and their ways, and singing New Guinea carols.

He had a pleasant voice and kept good time.

Many of his songs were improvised on the spot, and he often introduced our names into them.

It is marvellous the power with which the natives of New Guinea compose verses.

He had a curious custom.

Having filled his bau-bau (pipe) with tobacco, and lighted it ready for use, he invariably made an incantation, something after the style of grace before meat. This was his way of offering thanks either to us or the "G.o.ds," for the plentiful supply of tobacco.

We were six days out of sight of land, and when in mid-ocean, I turned to the dwarf and asked him in which direction lay his home, the island of "Egum." Without hesitation he correctly pointed out the quarter, although, at the time, our vessel was several points out of her direct course. The b.u.mp of locality is highly developed in them.

As with certain animals, this instinct with natives is very strong. We had been absent from "Egum" three weeks, so our little friend was getting a bit home-sick and anxious to rejoin his family.

One day we were travelling at a speed of five knots an hour, when, following in our wake, we descried a huge shark. He followed us for some time in a most determined manner, hoping no doubt to receive some of the contents of our cooking pot. We did not disturb him at once, as we were interested in watching his two little satellites. He was accompanied by two inseparable companions, known as "pilot fish." They were less than a foot long, and beautifully marked by tiny, light-coloured spots. They swam just over him, always keeping in the one position. They were evidently his firm friends. I had often heard of these strange little fishes, but this was the first time I had seen them in attendance upon his "sharks.h.i.+p."

As I gazed, I could not help wondering what office they performed, and for what reason the shark had chosen them for his companions.

What bond could there exist between two such totally distinct species of fish? the one strong, powerful and noted for its voracity, the other for its diminutiveness, beauty of form and weakness? Maybe, the pilot fish in some mysterious way gives warning of danger to the shark. I know not. It must be of some service to him, otherwise he would not fraternize with the little creature.

In the river Nile, where crocodiles abound, it is said a tiny bird[3]

takes up its abode in the mouth of the crocodile, and acts as his friend. At any rate the crocodile recognizes the friends.h.i.+p by never attempting to molest its winged companion.

[3] "Trochilus." For fuller account, see Herodotus, Vol. I., Bk.

2, Chapter 68.

Truly the works of Nature are wonderful and full of mystery!

Although we respected the pilot fish and had no feelings of hatred against them, the shark was sentenced to death. One of us got a Winchester rifle, and at the first shot riddled the head of the monster, his two little comrades escaping unhurt. The shark, without a struggle, soon turned belly upwards, and before we could reach him, sank beneath the waves. What became of his little friends it is impossible to say, for we saw them no more.

I wonder if they lamented the death of their late lord, or whether they sought comfort in the reflection that for every dead shark there were hundreds of living ones.

The day being very hot, I was in the act of lowering a couple of buckets over the side to get a supply of salt water to cool the decks with, when somehow or other the rope attached to them slipped out of my hand, and down went the buckets to the bottom of the ocean. This was most annoying, as we were now reduced to one bucket.

Sailing in mid-ocean, and having no coast to steer by, we "took the sun" at noon each day, in order to determine our position and keep our course or alter it accordingly.

By our calculations we should soon sight North Island, as we had now been five days out at sea.

We had no chronometer on board, so we could not be certain of our exact position.

On the evening of the eighth day out from Ralume, New Britain, we found ourselves ten miles to leeward of North Island. We rectified our course and, travelling night and day, beat our way between a perfect nest of islands, at times heaving to in order to trade with the natives who came alongside in their canoes.

Without meeting with any misadventure, we reached the anchorage at "Egum," on Wednesday evening, having been ten weary days on the voyage.

Long before we had arrived at the anchorage, the rocks near the beach were covered with the naked forms of our friends. Our cutter had already been recognized, and its name was being shouted from one native to the other.

To their delight we had returned in safety from our perilous voyage, for did we not carry two distinguished members of their race on board, namely "Tokaiakus" and "Sindiwaia"?

There was much shaking of hands, and they appeared anxious to hear of the lands we had visited and the sights that we had seen.