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H. Wilfrid Walker - Wanderings Among South Sea Savages
had fled and would not return until we had left their country.
There is little doubt that this part of the country is most unhealthy. Many of our police and carriers were
two days later down with fever, and a few weeks later I had a bad attack of fever, with which I was laid
up in Samarai for some time, and which I feel sure I got into my system in this swamp. The mosquitoes
were certainly very plentiful and vicious.
We spent the following day here, duck-shooting on the lake, and I did a little natural-history collecting in
the adjacent forest. We had intended to try and induce two of the Agai Ambu to accompany us back to
Cape Nelson, but most unfortunately they understood that we were going to take them forcibly away.
They became alarmed and all disappeared, and we were not able to get into communication with them
again.
When Sir Francis Winter visited them about a month later they were evidently quite friendly again, but
on the second day of his visit his native followers demanded a pig of the Agai Ambu in his, Sir Francis's,
name. At this they became alarmed and retreated to the further village, and he was unable to see any
more of them. Since then I believe nothing more has been seen of these flat-footed people.
We returned to our old camping ground in the Baruga village on the banks of the Barigi River, and the
friendly Baruga people brought us a big supply of pigs, sago and other native food. The next day we
continued our journey to the coast, and camped at the mouth of the Barigi River. We had intended
making an expedition into the Hydrographer range of mountains, which we could see from here, and
which were unexplored, but Monckton and Acland were far from well, and most of our carriers and
police were down with fever, and so, greatly to my disappointment, this had to be abandoned. We
resumed our homeward journey in the whaleboat early the following morning. We started with a fair
breeze, but this changed after a time to a head wind, against which it was quite impossible to make any
headway, so we landed at a place where there was a small inlet leading into a lagoon. We stayed here till
six p.m., when the wind dropped sufficiently to enable us to start off again, and, passing the mouth of the
Musa River, we landed about one a.m. in Porlock Bay, where we camped for the night.
We spent the following day shooting, which entailed a lot of wading amongst the shallow streams,
lagoons and small lakes. I had a bit of a fright here, as I suddenly stepped into some quicksands and felt
myself sinking fast, but, thanks to Arigita and the branch of a tree, I was able to pull myself out after a
great deal of trouble and anxiety, though if I had not had Arigita with me I should most certainly have
gone under. We got a splendid bag between us of various birds, chiefly duck and pigeon. One of the
police shot a large cassowary, and also a large wild pig and a wallaby, so there was plenty of food for all.
We sailed again that night at eleven p.m., and got six of the Okeina canoes to tow us along. This they did
not seem to relish, and before they got into line there was a great deal of angry talking and shouting, and
Monckton had to call them to order by firing a rifle in the air. It was amusing to see the way the long line
of canoes pulled us round and round in the form of the letter "S," and they would often bump against
each other, and plenty of angry words were exchanged. It was an amusing FINALE to the expedition.
They left us for their homes when we got near the Okeina country. We landed in the early morning on
the beach, where we had breakfast, and then rowed on, followed by the Kaili-kaili and Arifamu canoes,
and eventually landed again at the station at Tufi, Cape Nelson, about two p.m.
In conclusion I should mention that Mr. Oelrechs, Monckton's assistant, had heard rumours that we had
all been massacred, and he told me that he had been seriously thinking of gathering together a large army
of friendly natives to go down and avenge us, though I think he would have found it no easy matter, but,
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