though beautiful spot on the north-east coast of British
New Guinea. Whilst here I had made good collections of birds and
butterflies, and had made expeditions into the surrounding and little
known country, including the mountains at the back, where no white
man had yet been. And now (September 17th, 1902) we were off on a
government exploring and punitive expedition into the unknown wilds
of this fascinating and interesting country.

We three sat on the stern of the large whale boat, while the twenty
police and our four boys took turns at the oars. They were fine
fellows these Papuan police, and their uniforms suited them well,
consisting as they did of a deep blue serge vest, edged with red
braid, and a "sulu" or kilt of the same material, which with their
bare legs made a sensible costume for the work they had to perform
in this rough country. As they pulled cheerfully at their oars they
seemed in splendid spirits, for they felt almost sure that they were
in for some fighting, and this they dearly love.

Our boys, however, did not look quite so happy, especially my boy
Arigita, who was a son of old Giwi, chief of the Kaili-kailis. He--old
Giwi--had gone on the previous day with three or four large canoes
laden with rice and manned by men of the Kaili-kaili and Arifamu
tribes, and we intended taking more canoes and men from the Okeina
tribe _en route._

Our expedition was partly a punitive one, as a tribe named Dobodura
had been continually raiding and slaughtering the Notu tribe on the
coast, with no other apparent reason than the filling of their own
cooking pots.

Although the Notus lived on the coast, little was known of them,
though they professed friendship to the government. The Doboduras,
on the other hand, were a strong fighting tribe a short way off in
the unknown interior, no white men having hitherto penetrated into
their country: hence they knew nothing about the white man except by
dim report.

After we had settled our account with them we intended going in search
of a curious swamp-dwelling tribe, whose feet were reported to be
webbed, like those of a duck, and many were the weird and fantastic
rumours that reached our ears concerning them.

The sea soon got very "choppy," and up went our sail, and we flew along
pretty fast. We had left behind us Mount Victory (a volcano which
is always sending forth volumes of dense smoke) some time before,
and some time afterward we were joined by a fleet of f