Transcriber’s Note:
The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.
TWO NEW GUINEA DANDIES.
They are natives of Dinawa. Notice their tight-laced waists and the nose ornaments (chimani) of polished shell.
TWO YEARS AMONG NEW GUINEA CANNIBALS
A Naturalist’s Sojourn among the Aborigines of Unexplored New Guinea
PREFACE
This record of two years’ scientific work in the onlycountry of the globe that has still escaped explorationpurposely avoids the dry detail of a Natural HistoryReport, such as might properly be submitted to a learnedsociety, and is intended rather to set forth to thegeneral reader the vicissitudes of the traveller’s dailylife in unknown New Guinea, or Papua as I prefer tocall it. Every hour brought a new interest, and itwas with the intention of trying to communicatesome impression of that wonderful land in which wesojourned, that the present account has been undertaken.If the result is disappointing to the reader,the fault must lie with the writer and not with Papua.
During my brief residences in the known parts ofNew Guinea, I received much kind assistance andfurtherance in my marches into the wilds fromofficials, missionaries, and settlers, and I would hereespecially acknowledge my indebtedness to hisExcellency the Lieutenant-Governor, Mr. G. RuthvenLe Hunte, Mr. A. Musgrave, C.B., Captain Barton,the Hon. D. Ballantine, Mr. Robert Hislop, andMr. James Wood; His Grace Archbishop Navarre,Coadjutor Bishop de Boismenu, both of the Sacred8Heart Mission; Dr. Laws and the Rev. H. Daunceyof the London Missionary Society.
The Dutch officials to whom I am under deepobligations are Mr. Kroesen, the Resident of Merauke,Mr. M. C. Schadee, the Controller, and also thecaptain of the gunboat Neas.
For permission to reprint the section on theLakatois and several other passages I am