head to serve as a support and means of balance, the conqueror is
towed back to the ship astride his victim by means of a rope hauled
by his companions in their boats.

After many adventures and much luck in the way of getting pearls,
our food and water supply began to give out. This induced Captain
Jensen to make for the New Guinea main in order to replenish his
stores. We soon reached a likely spot on the coast, and obtained
all that we wanted from the natives by means of barter.

We gave them tomahawks, knives, hoop-iron, beads, turtles, and
bright-coloured cloth. Indeed, so friendly did our intercourse
become that parties of our divers often went ashore and joined the
Papuans in their sports and games. On one of these occasions I
came across a curious animal that bore a striking resemblance to a
kangaroo, and yet was not more than two feet high. It could climb
trees like an opossum and was of the marsupial family. The
pigeons, too, which were very plentiful in these parts, were as
large as a big fowl. The headman, or chief, took quite an interest
in me, and never seemed tired of conversing with me, and pointing
out the beauties of the country. He even showed me a certain
boundary which he advised us not to pass, as the natives beyond
were not under his control. One day, however, a party of our
Malays, accompanied by myself, imprudently ventured into the
forbidden country, and soon came to a native village, at which we
halted. The people here were suspicious of us from the first, and
when one of my men indiscreetly offended a native, half the village
rose against us, and we had to beat a retreat. We were making the
best of our way to the coast again, when the friendly chief came
and met us. He interceded with the indignant tribesmen on our