File:Taming New Guinea; (1922) (14579121987).jpg

Identifier: tamingnewguinea00monc (find matches)
Title: Taming New Guinea;
Year: 1922 (1920s)
Authors: Monckton, C. A. W. (Charles Arthur Whitmore), 1872-1936
Subjects: Papuans Papua New Guinea
Publisher: New York : Dodd, Mead and Co.
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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hauling a dead weight of five tonsup a rapid. After one hours experience of this ark, we draggedit ashore, plaited vines all round it to keep it together, caulked itwith strips of blanket, and made a rope cradle all round to haulon. Then we went on again. The carriers, I was now using, were men recruited fromMekeo ; their time had expired, and they were keenly anxious toreturn to their homes. It was only by a vigorous use of cleaningrod that we could induce them to work, and we had to keepthem under perpetual guard, lest they should desert ; also theycould not swim, so that when we came to a deep crossing we hadto haul them through on a rope, and, in addition, forcibly tie themto the rope, as the procedure was not one they relished. Mile bymile we fought our way up that awful river ; the constabulary and1 stripped naked, hauling, sweating, swimming, and swearing,until at last we came to a whirlpool under a rapid. The policewere swimming alongside the punt, the carriers hauling on the
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THE l.AI.OKI IAI.I S RESIDENT MAGISTRATE 157 rope, I was steering the ark by a rough paddle, when suddenly aswirl of the current carried her into the whirlpool. I yelled at thecarriers to slack the rope, but they lost their heads and pulledharder : punt, stores and I, accordingly disappeared into the swirl,and then those mutton-headed carriers let go the rope altogether.I am a bad swimmer at the best, and was about done in the swirl:the police were doing their best to stem the current and get tome. At last Keke managed to crawl out on a bank and, runningalong, dived from a rock, caught me round the waist as he sweptpast, and carried me to a sharp-edged rock, upon which he torehis feet badly in climbing out. I lay on a rock, and coughed upabout half the Brown River. Rifles, stores, clothes, all weregone; mother-naked stood the constabulary and I, with theexception of one flannel police shirt which had washed ashore,and which I promptly annexed. Nothing now remained for usbut to return

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