Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake Volume I Part 21

This afternoon, while off the eastern end of the bay called by Bougainville the Cul de sac de l'Orangerie, the Bramble was signalled to lead in towards the land off which we anch.o.r.ed at 9 P.M. in 30 fathoms.

From our anchorage we next morning saw on Dufaure Island, from which we were distant about three miles, a village in a grove of coconut trees behind a sandy beach, and the natives came off in considerable numbers bringing large quant.i.ties of coconuts and breadfruit;* they did not appear however to have any yams. Two or three small pigs, of the same description as that hitherto seen (Sus papuensis) were procured.

(*Footnote. This was of smaller size than it attains in the South Sea Islands; we cooked it in various ways but failed to make it palatable.)

OBTAIN TWO OPOSSUMS.

And we obtained two fine live opossums, of a rare and singular kind (Cuscus maculatus) for an axe apiece. They appeared to be quiet gentle animals, until much irritated, when they bite hard. We fed them at first on ripe coconuts, of which they were very fond; but latterly they became accustomed to pea-soup. They spent most of the day in sleep in a corner of the hen-coop where they were kept, each on its haunches with the tail coiled up in front, the body arched, and the head covered by the fore paws and doubled down between the thighs; at night, however, they were more active and restless, their large reddish-yellow eyes being then obscured by the dilated pupil, which during the day appears as a narrow vertical line. One was frequently taken on deck towards evening and allowed to climb about the rigging, moving very slowly, and endeavouring to get up as high as possible.

The natives resemble those seen at Brumer islands (from which we were distant about thirty-six miles) so closely that I saw no points regarding them deserving of separate notice, and their language is the same, judging from a small vocabulary of about seventy words. The only manufactured article new to us was a small wooden pillow* about a foot long and six inches high, with a slight concavity above to receive the neck of the person using it. Both women and children came off with the men to traffic with us and look at the s.h.i.+p, but none could be tempted to come on board, although they paddled up alongside without the slightest hesitation. We were frequently solicited to accompany them on sh.o.r.e, but no one was allowed to leave the s.h.i.+p.

(*Footnote. Wooden pillows are also in use in some of the islands of Polynesia and in New Caledonia.)

CUL DE SAC DE L'ORANGERIE.

The northern sh.o.r.es of the Cul de Sac are low and wooded, forming an extensive tract of level land stretching backwards towards the mountains, with a large opening at its eastern end, which is probably the mouth of a great river. The Bramble was sent to examine this bay, but the shoalness of the water, and the unfavourable nature of the weather prevented the completion of this work. During her absence a large canoe was seen in the bay, differing from all those hitherto observed in having a triangular or lateen sail set with the apex downwards, thus resembling those in use on the north coast of New Guinea, among some of the Malay Islands, and those of the Viti Archipelago.

The weather, since leaving Brumer Islands, has usually been gloomy, with frequent rain, occasionally very heavy, and a close muggy feeling in the atmosphere as if one were living in a vapour bath; the temperature on board s.h.i.+p ranged between 72 and 83 degrees. During our five days' stay off Dufaure Island we were daily employed in catching rainwater for s.h.i.+p's use, being on reduced allowance of that necessary article. The wind throughout has been steady at South-East, occasionally varying a point or two towards east.

APPEARANCE OF THE COAST.

September 18th.

For the last three days the coast has appeared as a strip of low land, backed by mountain ranges of moderate elevation.* We observed several openings, apparently creeks or mouths of rivers, and saw much smoke and some canoes, but our distance from the sh.o.r.e was too great to allow of communication. In the evening we stood off to seaward, and during the night, while trying to avoid it, probably pa.s.sed over the a.s.signed position of a reef laid down on one of the charts as having been seen in 1804, but without being able to confirm or disprove its existence.**

(*Footnote. From the haze involving distant objects--less frequent (as we afterwards had reason to believe) during the westerly monsoon--the much higher Owen Stanley Range was not then visible; it had also, probably from the same cause, quite escaped the notice of D'Urville who pa.s.sed this portion of the coast at the distance of about eight or nine miles.)

(**Footnote. Although this reef does not exist in the position a.s.signed to it, I may state that its presence upon the charts rests upon the authority of Coutance; Freycinet, rejecting Coutance's longitude of Cape Deliverance and adopting that of D'Entrecasteaux, has laid down the reef in question as bearing West-South-West from Point Hood, at a distance of twelve leagues. Another but smaller reef is stated on the same authority to exist five leagues South-East 1/4 East from Cape Rodney.)

Pa.s.sAGE ALONG THE COAST.

September 19th.

Pa.s.sed Mount Astrolabe, a series of long flat-topped ridges parallel with the coast, but were unable clearly to identify the Cape Pa.s.sy of D'Urville where his running survey terminated, and where the Astrolabe and Zelee bore away to the westward for Torres Strait.

September 20th.

During the forenoon the Bramble was observed to windward, and in the afternoon she was sent insh.o.r.e to look for anchorage. Following her we stood in towards a remarkable headland (365 feet high) which afterwards received the name of Redscar Head, from the reddish colour of its cliffs.

At the distance of six and a half miles from the sh.o.r.e we struck soundings in twenty-seven fathoms, and soon afterwards crossed a narrow ridge of coral, with only five fathoms over it; after this the bottom consisted of tenacious mud, and we carried in from twenty-two to eighteen fathoms, in the last of which we anch.o.r.ed two miles and two-thirds off the point.

BRAMBLE FIRES ON THE NATIVES.

When Lieutenant Yule came on board we heard that since we left the Bramble near Dufaure Island to do the insh.o.r.e work, he had on one occasion an affray with the natives in the neighbourhood of the Toulon Islands. When the Bramble was nearly becalmed close insh.o.r.e, several canoes with about thirty people, including several women and children, came off to barter. A small pig* was handed into the chains, but, owing to an unavoidable occurrence, no return was made for it, upon which the owner s.n.a.t.c.hed the cap from off the head of a marine attending at the gangway. The canoe which had brought the pig then shoved off, and, on being directed by gestures to return the cap, one man stood up and poised his spear, and the others got their arms ready. Several musket shots were fired into the canoe from a distance of six or seven yards, but, regarding the effect, conflicting statements have been made. No resistance was attempted, as, after the first shot, some of the natives jumped into the water and all made off in confusion, which was further increased when a round shot was fired in the direction of a distant canoe coming out from the sh.o.r.e.

(*Footnote. As has often happened the bone of contention did not rest with the belligerents, for the pig was eventually handed over to me and prepared as a specimen, now in the British Museum, the only Sus papuensis in England at the present time.)

PARIWARA ISLANDS.

September 21st.

Took a pa.s.sage in a boat sent with Lieutenant Simpson to get a round of angles on one of three neighbouring islands (afterwards called Pariwara, the native name) situated two miles and a half North-West from Redscar Point, with which they appear formerly to have been continuous, and, like it, are remarkable for their red and white cliffs. The largest, that on which we landed, is only three-fourths of a mile in length. In shape it is somewhat triangular: one side is formed by a rounded ridge, the highest point of which is 234 feet in height, with irregular cliffs along the sea margin; the opposite angle is occupied by a rounded hill projecting as a headland with rocky cliffs; and these two opposite portions are connected by low land forming a sandy beach on two of the sides. The island is covered with long coa.r.s.e gra.s.s growing in tufts; there are also some panda.n.u.s trees of two kinds (P. spiralis and P.

pedunculata) and some low brush of stunted bushy trees, their tops matted together, and indicating by the direction in which their branches are bent that the prevailing wind is from the south-east.

Strictly speaking, there is no soil upon the island: what may, however, be considered as such consists of the disintegrated calcareous rock, on the low part mixed up with sand. This rock, acted upon by the weather, has a tendency to fall down in large ma.s.ses, leaving cliffs, steep and rugged in some places and smooth in others; in colour it varies from white to red, and is usually of a light pink. Behind one of the beaches, a few feet distant from high-water mark, I observed a bank twelve feet high of slightly agglutinated coral sand in parallel beds, mixed up with large depositions of weather-worn sh.e.l.ls: Tridacna, Hippopus, Strombus, etc., all of species now living on the reef. At one end this deposit appears to have been tilted up, forming a slight ridge stretching across the low part of the island. The sh.o.r.es in some places are fringed with coral conglomerate composed of sh.e.l.ls and sand, fragments of coral, and rolled pieces of rock from above. The reef surrounding the islands does not dry at low water, and in crossing it in the boat very little live coral was observed, except on the outer margin, outside of which the bottom is a tenacious mud, effervescing on the application of hydrochloric acid.

I collected a few plants, among which are a yellow-flowered Cleome, a purple Pongamia, Convolvulus multivalvis, Evolvulus villosus, Guettarda speciosa, etc. The only birds seen were a white-headed eagle and an osprey, neither of which were molested although the latter frequently came within shot, and followed me as if from motives of curiosity. Almost the only insects seen were small gra.s.shoppers, rising in numbers at every step, and green ants which have nests in the bushes, and appear identical with those of the Louisiade and Australia.

No fresh water was found here. Some recent traces of natives were met with--including two fireplaces where turtle and fish had been cooked on a framework of sticks over a fire--precisely similar to one of large size, formerly seen on the Duchateau Islands. I saw many places where turtle eggs had been dug out of the sand behind the beach, where besides were numerous burrows of a maritime crab (Ocypode cursor) which also appeared to feed upon the eggs--judging from the quant.i.ty of empty sh.e.l.ls about the holes of those creatures.

Of the two remaining islands of the group, one, less than a quarter of a mile long, is covered with trees, probably a Bombax or Erythrina--at this time dest.i.tute of leaves--on the other is a high bare rock with three other small detached, needle-shaped ones lying off it. The observations with the theodolite having been completed we obtained some soundings and returned to the s.h.i.+p.

The view we had today from the Pariwara Islands was not so interesting as I had expected. The sh.o.r.es of the bay stretching to the northward of Redscar Head for many miles are low and covered with tall trees behind a strip of sandy beach. At the back of the point in the corner of the bay, we saw an opening two hundred yards wide, with tall mangroves on the northern bank, apparently one of the mouths of a river traversing the great extent of low wooded country behind. A very large fire two or three miles behind the beach, sending up great volumes of smoke, might have been intended for a signal, but neither canoes nor natives were seen during our absence from the s.h.i.+p.

NATIVES COME OFF.

September 24th.

A canoe with twelve young men and lads came off from the sh.o.r.e, and approached within two hundred yards of the s.h.i.+p, but although tempted by the exhibition of a large piece of red cloth, they would come no closer.

Their visit was apparently prompted by mere curiosity as they had nothing to barter with. These natives closely resembled the other Papuans seen to the eastward, but were smaller in stature, and wore the hair frizzled up into a mop projecting backwards, nor had I before seen in one canoe so many handsome faces. As a breech-cloth they wore a narrow strip of white cloth pa.s.sing between the legs and secured to a string round the waist, but this was too narrow to serve as a fig-leaf. Among their ornaments we saw necklaces of small white cowries, and round flat pieces of sh.e.l.l two inches in diameter worn on the breast, also black, tightly fitting, woven armlets, in which they had stuck bunches of apparently the same purple odoriferous amaranth seen elsewhere, while other tufts of this plant were attached to the ankles and elbows.

CANOE DESCRIBED.

The canoe was nearly of the same description as those commonly seen at the Brumer and Dufaure Islands, but the outrigger float was rather shorter, having only five poles to support it instead of seven or eight, and the bow and stern, especially the former, much sharper and more raking. On the side opposite to the outrigger there was a small slightly projecting stage of two planks only. The paddles were six and a half feet in length, much clumsier than those seen in other parts of New Guinea, and without the carving on the handle, the blade also differed slightly in shape, being more elliptical. After paddling insh.o.r.e a short distance they made sail and landed near the point. The sail resembled the common one of the Louisiade, being long, narrow, square at the ends, and stretched between two yards or masts, and in setting was merely stuck upon end and supported by guys fore and aft.

During our stay at this anchorage we had fine weather, with light variable winds of short duration, generally from the westward, but sometimes from the northward, and the thermometer ranged between 77 and 84 degrees.

September 25th.

Weighed in the afternoon with a very light air from South-West, and stood to the North-West, but by sunset, when we anch.o.r.ed in 27 fathoms mud, we had made only about eight miles. The weather was very sultry all day with the thermometer from 82 to 84 degrees in the shade. In the evening we got a land breeze from about east, which lasted most of the night.

MORE NATIVES VISIT US.

September 26th.

Soon after daylight we were visited by a party of natives who came from an opening in the low land at the north-east corner of the bay--apparently the mouth of a large river. They were in three canoes carrying respectively, seven, four, and three people, and paddled up alongside without hesitation, appearing anxious to be admitted on board, holding on by the chains and peeping into the ports in a most inquisitive manner. With the exception of two or three coconuts nothing was brought to barter with, but they readily parted with bows and arrows, of which they had a very large supply. These bows appear to be made of the hard heavy wood of the coconut-tree, pointed at each end, and varying in length from five to six feet, with a greatest width of an inch and a quarter and thickness of five-eighths. The string is a strip of rattan three-eighths of an inch wide. The arrows are precisely similar to those used by the Torres Strait Islanders, consisting of a head of coconut wood, nine to eighteen inches in length, s.h.i.+pped into a light reed 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 feet in length, and secured by a neat cane plaiting. They are variously barbed on the edges in one or more series, or furnished with constrictions at short intervals which would cause a piece readily to break off in a wound and remain there. Some were headed with a piece of bamboo shaped like a gouge or scoop, and several other varieties were observed. This is the first occasion of our meeting with these weapons, which appear almost completely to have superseded the spear of which only a few small ones were seen in the canoes. In exchange for their bows and arrows the natives attached most value to articles of clothing of every description. Gla.s.s bottles were also eagerly sought after--but iron was not prized--indeed its use appeared to be unknown, nor had they any name for it.

BAMBOO KNIFE.

While leaning out of one of the wardroom ports, and getting words from a very intelligent native whose attention I secured by giving him various little presents from time to time, I had occasion to point to a bamboo scoop* lying in the canoe in order to get its name. The man, to my surprise, immediately bit off a narrow strip from one side, as if to sharpen the edge, and taking up a piece of stick, showed me that this scoop was used as a knife. Not to be outdone I took one of our common knives and cut away vigorously at a piece of wood to show the superiority of our knives over his one; he appeared suddenly to become terrified, talked vehemently to the others, drew their attention to me, and repeated my motions of cutting the wood, after which his canoe pushed off from the s.h.i.+p's side. My friend refused to accept of the knife--as I afterwards found the natives had also done to other people when iron implements were offered them--nor would he pay any further attention to my attempts to effect a reconciliation.

(*Footnote. Resembling that figured in Jukes' Voyage of the Fly volume 1 page 277, but smaller.)

NATIVE HAIR-DRESSING.

The greatest peculiarity among these people is their mode of dressing the hair; it is usually shaved off the temples and occasionally a little way up the forehead, then combed out at length, and tied midway with a string, leaving one part straight, and the remainder frizzled out into a mop projecting horizontally backwards. Some also had a long pigtail hanging down behind, in one case decorated with a bunch of dogs' teeth at the end. Across the forehead they wore fillets of small sh.e.l.ls strung together over a broad white band of some leafy substance. The septum of the nose was perforated, and some wore a long straight nose-stick of bone with black bands. All our visitors had their teeth darkened with the practice of betel chewing--we saw them use the leaf of the betel pepper, the green areca nut, and lime, the last carried in a small calabash with a spatula.

LEAVE NEW GUINEA.