Page:Picturesque New Guinea.djvu/401

 and thought myself very lucky in getting off with a whole skin. The story of the attack afterwards made is fully written in my journal, and all I will here say of the matter is, that finding it impossible to communicate with them I steamed up the river, the natives following along the banks. On nearing the bend we saw a village which the natives made for. Seeing them hostile, I blew the steam whistle, which they did not appear to mind. They now mustered eighty to one hundred fighting men (there were only forty-six when I interviewed them on shore), and seeing them make preparations to fire I called the man in from leading, and sent the Malay off the bridge, taking the wheel myself. In less time than it takes to relate we were saluted with a perfect shower of arrows, some striking and some going over the vessel; luckily none of us being hit. I reluctantly gave the order to fire, and they were dispersed after some shots. The same afternoon we grounded on the first hard bottom we had met with in the river, and being only about four miles miles from the village, were placed in a very dangerous position. Finding the water leaving us rapidly, with a view to meet any emergency, after landing the coal, &c., to lighten the vessel, I had a clearing made, and built the framework of a house, intending to make a permanent dépôt there in case of the water not rising, or in the event of anything happening to the "Bonito." The clearing was made, and the house ready for roofing when, on August 8th, the water rose, and the "Bonito" was afloat again. Taking in the stores again as quickly as possible, we proceeded up the river. We named this reach "Douglas Bend," after the Hon. John Douglas, C.M.G. The bed of the river is here composed of hard large shingle, and the current is so rapid that it is impossible to stem it with a boat. Just above where we stranded we found a passage with only eight feet of water on it during the freshets. Proceeding onwards, the river began to get much shallower, in places giving barely water enough for the "Bonito" to steam over, and a hard shingle bottom formed the bed of the river, with no anchorage for the rest of our voyage. The red cliffs became more numerous, and increased in height as we got further up. At 5 p.m. on August 9th, we came to a dead stop, the river dividing, and neither channel containing enough water for us. Here we remained fourteen days before the water rose and enabled us to proceed further up. During this time we explored and collected round this neighbourhood, and made an attempt to cut our way into the interior, but did not succeed in getting more than ten miles. While here, also, our three Sumantese, Korossa, Gesau, and Atau, deserted us. As it has been stated that we were massacred in our sleep, and no watch was kept (although on whose authority I do not know), I may say that the Doctor and one Malay were on watch, and awake too when the wily Papuans left. We had