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podes of the quiet; unimpulsive; unanimated Malay These Ke men came up singing and shouting; dipping their paddles deep in the water and throwing up clouds of spray; as they approached nearer they stood up in their canoes and increased their noise and gesticulations; and on coming alongside; without asking leave; and without a moment's hesitation; the greater part of them scrambled up on our deck just as if they were come to take possession of a captured vessel。 Then commenced a scene of indescribable confusion。 These forty black; naked; mop…headed savages seemed intoxicated with joy and excitement。 Not one of them could remain still for a moment。 Every individual of our crew was in turn surrounded and examined; asked for tobacco or arrack; grinned at and deserted for another。 All talked at once; and our captain was regularly mobbed by the chief men; who wanted to be employed to tow us in; and who begged vociferously to be paid in advance。 A few presents of tobacco made their eyes glisten; they would express their satisfaction by grins and shouts; by rolling on deck; or by a headlong leap overboard。 Schoolboys on an unexpected holiday; Irishmen at a fair; or mid…shipmen on shore; would give but a faint idea of the exuberant animal enjoyment of these people。
Under similar circumstances Malays could not behave as these Papuans did。 If they came on board a vessel (after asking permission); not a word would be at first spoken; except a few compliments; and only after some time; and very cautiously; world any approach be made to business。 One would speak at a time; with a low voice and great deliberation; and the mode of making a bargain would be by quietly refusing all your offers; or even going away without saying another word about the matter; unless advanced your price to what they were willing to accept。 Our crew; many of whom had not made the voyage before; seemed quite scandalized at such unprecedented bad manners; and only very gradually made any approach to fraternization with the black fellows。 They reminded me of a party of demure and well…behaved children suddenly broken in upon by a lot of wild romping; riotous boys; whose conduct seems most extraordinary and very naughty。 These moral features are more striking and more conclusive of absolute diversity than oven the physical contrast presented by the two races; though that is sufficiently remarkable。 The sooty blackness of the skin; the mop…like head of frizzly hair; and; most important of all; the marked form of countenance of quite a different type from that of the Malay; are what we cannot believe to result from mere climatal or other modifying influences on one and the same race。 The Malay face is of the Mongolian type; broad and somewhat flat。 The brows are depressed; the mouth wide; but not projecting; and the nose small and well formed but for the great dilatation of the nostrils。 The face is smooth; and rarely develops the trace of a beard; the hair black; coarse; and perfectly straight。 The Papuan; on the other hand; has a face which we may say is compressed and projecting。 The brows are protuberant and overhanging; the mouth large and prominent; while the nose is very large; the apex elongated downwards; the ridge thick; and the nostrils large。 It is an obtrusive and remarkable feature in the countenance; the very reverse of what obtains in the Malay face。 The twisted beard and frizzly hair complete this remarkable contrast。 Hero then I had reached a new world; inhabited by a strange people。 Between the Malayan tribes; among whom I had for some years been living; and the Papuan races; whose country I had now entered; we may fairly say that there is as much difference; both moral and physical; as between the red Indians of South America and the negroes of Guinea on the opposite side of the Atlantic。
Jan。 1st; 1857。…This has been a day of thorough enjoyment。 I have wandered in the forests of an island rarely seen by Europeans。 Before daybreak we left our anchorage; and in an hour reached the village of Har; where we were to stay three or four days。 The range of hills here receded so as to form a small bay; and they were broken up into peaks and hummocks with intervening flats and hollows。 A broad beach of the whitest sand lined the inner part of the bay; backed by a mass of cocoa…nut palms; among which the huts were concealed; and surmounted by a dense and varied growth of timber。 Canoes and boats of various sizes were drawn up on the beach and one or two idlers; with a few children and a dog; gazed at our prau as we came to an anchor。
When we went on shore the first thing that attracted us was a large and well…constructed shed; under which a long boat was being built; while others in various stages of completion were placed at intervals along the beach。 Our captain; who wanted two of moderate size for the trade among the islands at Aru; immediately began bargaining for them; and in a short tine had arranged the nuns number of brass guns; gongs; sarongs; handkerchiefs; axes; white plates; tobacco; and arrack; which he was to give for a hair which could be got ready in four days。 We then went to the village; which consisted only of three or four huts; situated immediately above the beach on an irregular rocky piece of ground overshadowed with cocoa…nuts; palms; bananas; and other fruit trees。 The houses were very rude; black; and half rotten; raised a few feet on posts with low sides of bamboo or planks; and high thatched roofs。 They had small doors and no windows; an opening under the projecting gables letting the smoke out and a little light in。 The floors were of strips of bamboo; thin; slippery; and elastic; and so weak that my feet were in danger of plunging through at every step。 Native boxes of pandanus…leaves and slabs of palm pith; very neatly constructed; mats of the same; jars and cooking pots of native pottery; and a few European plates and basins; were the whole furniture; and the interior was throughout dark and smoke…blackened; and dismal in the extreme。
Accompanied by Ali and Baderoon; I now attempted to make some explorations; and we were followed by a train of boys eager to see what we were going to do。 The most trodden path from the beach led us into a shady hollow; where the trees were of immense height and the undergrowth scanty。 From the summits of these trees came at intervals a deep booming sound; which at first puzzled us; but which we soon found to proceed from some large pigeons。 My boys shot at them; and after one or two misses; brought one down。 It was a magnificent bird twenty inches long; of a bluish white colour; with the back wings and tail intense metallic green; with golden; blue; and violet reflexions; the feet coral red; and the eyes golden yellow。 It is a rare species; which I have named Carpophaga concinna; and is found only in a few small islands; where; however; it abounds。 It is the same species which in the island of Banda is called the nutmeg…pigeon; from its habit of devouring the fruits; the seed or nutmeg being thrown up entire and uninjured。 Though these pigeons have a narrow beak; yet their jaws and throat are so extensible that they can swallow fruits of very large size。 I had before shot a species much