Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
their demands, being accustomed to sell their trifles to whalers and China ships, whose
crews will purchase anything at ten times its value. My only purchases were a float belong-
ing to a turtle-spear, carved to resemble a bird, and a very well made palm-leaf box, for
which articles I gave a copper ring and a yard of calico. The canoes were very narrow and
furnished with an outrigger, and in some of them there was only one man, who seemed to
think nothing of coming out alone eight or ten miles from shore. The people were Papuans,
much resembling the natives of Aru.
When we had got out of the Straits, and were fairly in the great Pacific Ocean, we had a
steady wind for the first time since leaving Ternate, but unfortunately it was dead ahead, and
we had to beat against it, tacking on and off the coast of New Guinea. I looked with intense
interest on those rugged mountains, retreating ridge behind ridge into the interior, where the
foot of civilized man had never trod. There was the country of the cassowary and the tree-
kangaroo, and those dark forests produced the most extraordinary and the most beautiful of
the feathered inhabitants of the earth—the varied species of Birds of Paradise. A few days
more and I hoped to be in pursuit of these, and of the scarcely less beautiful insects which
accompany them. We had still, however, for several days only calms and light head-winds,
and it was not till the 10th of April that a fine westerly breeze set in, followed by a squally
night, which kept us off the entrance of Dorey harbour. The next morning we entered, and
came to anchor off the small island of Mansinam, on which dwelt two German missionaries,
Messrs. Otto and Geisler. The former immediately came on board to give us welcome, and
invited us to go on shore and breakfast with him. We were then introduced to his compan-
ion—who was suffering dreadfully from an abscess on the heel, which had confined him to
the house for six months—and to his wife, a young German woman, who had been out only
three months. Unfortunately she could speak no Malay or English, and had to guess at our
compliments on her excellent breakfast by the justice we did to it.
These missionaries were working men, and had been sent out, as being more useful
among savages than persons of a higher class. They had been here about two years, and Mr.
Otto had already learnt to speak the Papuan language with fluency, and had begun translat-
ing some portions of the Bible. The language, however, is so poor that a considerable num-
ber of Malay words have to be used; and it is very questionable whether it is possible to
convey any idea of such a topic, to a people in so low a state of civilization. The only nom-
inal converts yet made are a few of the women; and some few of the children attend school,
and are being taught to read, but they make little progress. There is one feature of this mis-
sion which I believe will materially interfere with its moral effect. The missionaries are al-
lowed to trade to eke out the very small salaries granted them from Europe, and of course
