lakang-tuna." I now
found that the village we were going to was miles away; that we should
have to go out to sea, and round a rocky point. A squall seemed coming
on, and as I have a horror of small boats at sea, and from all I could
learn Watelai village was not a place to stop at (no birds of Paradise
being found there), I determined to return and go to a village I had
heard of up a tributary of the Watelai river, and situated nearly in the
centre of the mainland of Aru. The people there were said to be good,
and to be accustomed to hunting and bird-catching, being too far inland
to get any part of their food from the sea. While I was deciding this
point the squall burst upon us, and soon raised a rolling sea in the
shallow water, which upset an oil bottle and a lamp, broke some of my
crockery, and threw us all into confusion. Rowing hard we managed to get
back into the main river by dusk, and looked out for a place to cook
our suppers. It happened to be high water, and a very high tide, so that
every piece of sand or beach was covered, and it was with the greatest
difficulty, and after much groping in the dark, that we discovered a
little sloping piece of rock about two feet square on which to make a
fire and cook some rice. The next day we continued our way back, and
on the following day entered a stream on the south side of the Watelai
river, and ascending to where navigation ceased found the little village
of Wanumbai, consisting of two large houses surrounded by plantations,
amid the virgin forests of Aru.

As I liked the look of the place, and was desirous of staying some time,
I sent my pilot to try and make a bargain for house accommodation. The
owner and chief man of the place made many excuses. First, he was afraid
I would not like his house, and then was doubtful whether his son,
who was away, would like his admitting me. I had a long talk with him
myself, and tried to explain what I was doing, and how many things I
would buy of them, and showed him my stock of heads, and knives, and
cloth, and tobacco, all of which I would spend with his family and
friends if he would give me house-room. He seemed a little staggered at
this, and said he, would talk to his wife, and in the meantime I went
for a little walk to see the neighbourhood. When I came back, I again
sent my pilot, saying that I would go away if he would not dive me part
of his house. In about half an hour he returned with a demand for about
half the