New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-04-03


proach the liInits assigned TO me-
went out, but, dreading an ambuscade. took
my revolver. i was not little astoniSncu W sec
Alba Boto girl asking ty signs a wne,a and
fear nothing She looked cautiously al arouuu,
and then. running mp to me, dragged me oy one
hand into the house. evidently dreadng 10 De 90,
served Such her emotion that she conid
barely speak and /, while endeayoring TO reassure
her, wondered what it could mean.
Alba Is the daughter OF Urea. an lnhaoltant Oh
Boto; she is pretty girl, of sixteen or seventeen
wears old. On several occasions at Bloto she nau
sho n herself very we'll disposed TOW ard the. ana
had given her handsOmer presents than tne otneis
and perhaps. " hen shaking hands with them all
had pressed her hand with rather more warmth.
Perhaps also. when had met hrr n the P isn,a
my hand to her. My eyes. too. had told her Una,
hers were the most beautiful eyes in Bioto ald
that her form more perfect than that OF any OF
her copparions On the last occasion OF my leav-
ing Naabui, just as ! WAS starting from bl9to IN
my canoe. not having seen her when el noaiheu, 4
asked where she was, and " rs told she was apstnt.
| had not bestowed another Thought on her', We
were already two miles from the village. when near
ing voices behind u.s. turned round ana saw sono
people in o canoe coming down the river ana max
ing signs to me to stop. when they came up un,
derstood that Urea had been unwilling that 1
should quit Bioto without his wishing me good
by and he had Therefore come to salute me before
1 reached the Nicura River. With Urea was MS
daughter Alba. What could be the motive OF her
present Visitf
When the poor girl was able to speak, she told me
the men OF Rapa and of another village hsd deter
mined 10 kill me. that they were coming uhaln.u
To bring me Insects and other things. 80 rs not 10
excite my suspicious bat II allowed them 10 APP
proach me- they would attack me from behind ana
seize me. She added. mnst tell no one that sh9
had come to me. for If she were TO he dlscoNcrcd
they would Kill her. ,
told her not TO fear on my account. and showed
her the mines which could explode from NV
house also showed my revolver. guns. am noinp
shel.s-in fact. the whole OF my arsenal lni' APP
pearcd to rca>sIrc her somewhat. althouRh she
could not help betraying her dread ol tie weapons
IA 1 IL III
people VINO are plotting against my HE. ana shr
fears that in defending myself may harm some oil
those dear to her
| wanted 10 give her small gold cham which
wear round my neck. but sli" refused IT, say lh- IL
70 seq me. / was in 'hort able {" do 'hinl to
show nv gratitude toward h.r. rcYoud swing BEL
a fcrVcni kiss on which she He'd.
Poor AHA! shall ever see Jou again
Soon aitcrward he was rescued from his prcdira-
inent By the aTr sal Of ,tle missionary steamer
which conveyed him to Somerset When the time
came for him 10 depart the quarrclS and dangers of
his eight months residence on the island were for
gotten. and the lcavc-tIkine appears to have h''n
of a most affecting character He encountered at
Yule Island an English exploring expedition under
Mr. W. Maclcay and Captain Onslow. Il. y, IN the
ship Chcvcrt and he hy no means pleased to
see them. 81 should have hkc'i Mr.. Macl"ay. he
SAYS to show a little severity toward the natives
IN order to make them Aciicvc the fables have told
them about the coming OF the great ship; but II Is
Mr. Macleay's interest not to second me. AMI there
fore he treats them with great kindness. This
dopInatic definition Of Mr.. Nacleay's reason for
treating the natives with kindness confirms the
suspicion aroused Ivy various passage IN the book,
that Sig d'Albcrtis, though hold explorer ami
successful collector. may not have been the most
amiablc of companions. lie makes light OF tho re-
suits of the Chcvcrt expeditions he rdicnics the
statement of the Rev Mr.. Macfarlanc AMI his assoc
ciates who declared that on an excursion To the
Baxter River they saw gigantic birds measuring
twenty-five feet between the tips OF the wings and
recognized also the footprints at the buffalo ana
perhaps the rhinocer0s; and he pronourccs the
narrative of Captain Lawson of journey across
New Guinea mere tissue OF fables. vi Mr. n. H.
Wallace the best known of his predecessors III this
field of research, he says little nothing bnt Mr.
Wallace route was quite different from that OF tie
Italian.
The next excursion of Sig. d'Alberts need not
drtain us. 1t was n voyage M the Fly River IN
COMPANY with the Rev. Mr.. Macfarlane and Mr..
Chester police MAGISTRATE at Somerset IN the mis-
slonary steamer EllangOwan. Tho party did not
succeed IN going very far, and met with no serious
adventures. Immediately their return. Sig.
d'Albertis proceeded to organize on expedition OF
his own to ascend the same rivcr lie obtained n
Wales, and taking white engineer, lad from
Sydney as assistant collector. two West Indian
negroes thrco Polyncsians Chinese cook, and
Sandwich Islander, lie sailed from Somerset in
May, 1S7s1and in the course of forty days reached
pcnt which, il his map Is correct, must be over
400 miles by the windings OF the stream from tho
einbouchure near Torres Strait. Another voyage
was made the same course. in the same vessel.
the following year, but owing to low water in the
river our traveller did not succeed IN going quite so
far as tie first time. These two cruises in the
launch Neya cover by far the most exciting and
dangerous OF the adventures related in the two
porty volumes before us. Besides the hostility OF
the savases, who seem to have been hcrccr aud
Drawer than those Of the coast Sig dAbcrls had to
contend against disaflertlon, mutiny, and deser-
ton among his own men. The narrative Is little
else than record of quarrelling and fighting; and
it ends with disagrecable scene before Mr..
Chester the police magistrate, Sig. dAlbertis and
some of his crew accusing one another Of vaIions
crimes from petty larceny 10 murder. Two of the
men were sent to :al. and our author was honor
ably discharged; but he vents his Indignation
upon his former companion, Mr.. Chester, in few
acrimonious passages which do not improve his
book.
To the unscentifc reader. perhaps the chief inter
est attaching the story OF the exploration OF the
Fly River lies the force with which 1t brings home
to us certain questions concerning the prcrogatiycs
OF science In his earlier chapters, Sig. dAlbcrtis
gave us occasion to pause occasionally ana reflect
upon the propriety Of some Of his proceedings. He
lands on an island with large party, and informs
the inhabitants in answer to their gentle remon-
stranccs that he shall build house wherever it
suits him. and stay there as long as he plcascs and
that they must decide between accepting the in
truders with good WILL or putting up with them
against their will. lie forces his way into the
natives houses, in spite of their refusal to admit
him. He causes terrible CONSERVATION among