They Had All Received A
Month's Wages In Advance; And Though The Amount Was Not Large, It
Was Necessary To Make Them Pay It Back, Or I Should Get Ago Men
At A11.
I therefore sent the village constable after two, and
kept them in custody a day, when they returned about three-
fourths of what they owed me.
The sick man also paid, and the
steersman found a substitute who was willing to take his debt,
and receive only the balance of his wages.
About this time we had a striking proof of the dangers of New
Guinea trading. Six men arrived at the village in a small boat
almost starved, having escaped out of two praus, the remainder of
whose crews (fourteen in number) had been murdered by the natives
of New Guinea. The praus had left this village a few months
before, and among the murdered men were the Rajah's son, and the
relation or slaves of many of the inhabitants. The cry of
lamentation that arose when the news arrived was most
distressing. A score of women, who had lost husbands, brothers,
sons, or more distant relatives, set up at once the most dismal
shrieks and groans and wailings, which continued at intervals
till late at night; and as the chief houses in the village were
crowded together round that which I occupied, our situation was
anything but agreeable.
It seems that the village where the attack took place (nearly
opposite the small island of Lakahia) is known to be dangerous,
and the vessels had only gone there a few days before to buy some
tripang. The crew were living on shore, the praus being in a
small river close by, and they were attacked and murdered in the
day-time while bargaining with the Papuans. The six men who
survived were on board the praus, and escaped by at once setting
into the small boat and rowing out to sea.
This south-west part of New Guinea, known to the native traders
as "Papua Kowiyee" and "Papua Onen," is inhabited by the most
treacherous and bloodthirsty tribes. It is in these districts
that the commanders and portions of the crews of many of the
early discovery ships were murdered, and scarcely a year now
passes but some lives are lost. The Goram and Ceram traders are
themselves generally inoffensive; they are well acquainted with
the character of these natives, and are not likely to provoke an
attack by any insults or open attempt at robbery or imposition.
They are accustomed to visit the same places every year, and the
natives can have no fear of them, as may be alleged in excuse for
their attacks on Europeans. In other extensive districts
inhabited by the same Papuan races, such as Mysol, Salwatty,
Waigiou, and some parts of the adjacent coast, the people have
taken the first step in civilization, owing probably to the
settlement of traders of mixed breed among them, and for many
years no such attacks have taken place. On the south-west coast,
and in the large island of Jobie, however, the natives are in a
very barbarous condition, and tale every opportunity of robbery
and murder, - a habit which is confirmed by the impunity they
experience, owing to the vast extent of wild mountain and forest
country forbidding all pursuit or attempt at punishment. In the
very same village, four years before, more than fifty Goram men
were murdered; and as these savages obtain an immense booty in
the praus and all their appurtenances, it is to be feared that
such attacks will continue to be made at intervals as long as
traders visit the same spots and attempt no retaliation.
Punishment could only be inflicted on these people by very
arbitrary measures, such as by obtaining possession of some of
the chiefs by stratagem, and rendering them responsible for the
capture of the murderers at the peril of their own heads. But
anything of this kind would be done contrary to the system
adopted by the Dutch Government in its dealings with natives.
GORAM TO WAHAI IN CERAM.
When my boat was at length launched and loaded, I got my men
together, and actually set sail the next day (May 27th), much to
the astonishment of the Goram people, to whom such punctuality
was a novelty. I had a crew of three men and a boy, besides my
two Amboyna lads; which was sufficient for sailing, though rather
too few if obliged to row much. The next day was very wet, with
squalls, calms, and contrary winds, and with some difficulty we
reached Kilwaru, the metropolis of the Bugis traders in the far
East. As I wanted to make some purchases, I stayed here two days,
and sent two of my boxes of specimens by a Macassar prau to be
forwarded to Ternate, thus relieving myself of a considerable
incumbrance. I bought knives, basins, and handkerchiefs for
barter, which with the choppers, cloth, and beads I had brought
with me, made a pretty good assortment. I also bought two tower
muskets to satisfy my crew, who insisted on the necessity of
being armed against attacks of pirates; and with spices and a few
articles of food for the voyage nearly my last doit was expended.
The little island of Kilwaru is a mere sandbank, just large
enough to contain a small village, and situated between the
islands of Ceram-laut, and Kissa - straits about a third of a mile
wide separating it from each of them. It is surrounded by coral
reefs, and offers good anchorage in both monsoons. Though not
more than fifty yards across, and not elevated more than three or
four feet above the highest tides, it has wells of excellent
drinking water - a singular phenomenon, which would seem to imply
deep-seated subterranean channels connecting it with other
islands. These advantages, with its situation in the centre of
the Papuan trading district, lead to its being so much frequented
by the Bugis traders.
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