New-York tribune., 1906-10-19

son, hsnl' sgo, pp. $50 J. B. Lipplncott Company
,.soefuI pursuit OF moths and butter
-" such like small game has led the
hes ~ the present volume into many distant
su .,s desperate adventures. But nowhere
iA t,s experiences been more interesting
20. % bi,eelf and to the reader. than in the
pO.,orst pOD regions of New Guinea, where he
u" ,wo wears in the collection of iepidoptera
H =, associating with the still cannibalistic
- of that large but little known island
.. chronological and ornithological results Of
- .,nedition were noteworthy. The author
Wv .as,d in securing many interesting speci-
. s NJ the 40 different species of birds
r, Ms 70 inhabit New Guinea and it's islands
"a almost numberless examples of the beau
a., snd rare butterflies and moths which
- +ber. He discovered at least one new
- ord various reptiles. and incidentally added
little 10 scanty chronological knowledge
= .bA country II IS with this phase Of his
,..st,sations that his book principally con-
germs itseH-
=, the course of a lively and entertaining
.,,,nt OF his prolonged and exciting wander
,s The only white companion Of his trip
.ss his sfxteen-year-old son. his main reli-
,ros for assistance in hunting and collecting
hsns uron casual natives. under the direction
s.uroo
,,o1 AS rule, they served him very well,
,,,bourh he was often hard put to it to pro-
.r-a bearers 10 transport his ton more Of
ann eQuipsge. scientific paraphernalia, pro-
,1gons and other impedimenta through the
,r,ainous and wellnigh trackless regions
r,ch he was forced TO traverse The scenery
.s magnificent the climate trying and the
s,,ves DESPITE their cannibalistic tendencies,
4, the main friendly and always interesting.
y. YVES largely indebted for the ability TO
transport his belongings from place to place to
Naval the chief Of Epa. INA gnifcent autocrat,
q man whose extraordinary influence was due
-sfher 10 the powers Of sorcery with which he
rss credited than to his chieftainship. dig
pitv which seems TO carry with 1t but little
,,,,boritr in the island "He overshadowed me
vifb his favor" writes Mr.. Pratt, "and COM
handed his entire village to carry for Park,
the Epan attempt to pronounce my name.
Thus I obtained the force I required to take
ma onward, and went, one might almost say,
on the shoulders of Epa-men. women and
children. The chief himself shouldered a load,
without loss Of dignity, and with great advan-
uge to his royal pocket"
Ny princeIy benefactor was no ordinary man:
Ee stood about six feet high. His FEATURES were
Of Roman type, his bearing active anu aei ms
dark copper colored visage, which gained oy con
-raE NJ q
fem his only ceremonial garment. donned on oc-
casons Of great gravity. Such an occasion vas
dus ceremony he mounted platform erected near
bis house. and assuming the red coat ne ADDRESSED
srphasizing his speech with actions. Naval is a
strfct disciplnarian, and I have seen him admin
sr personal chastisement TO recacitrant villagers
The tribes encountered by the author present
uany varieties Of type. and the language is curl
ously diversified, villages at no great distance
tungues Mr. Pratt's intention Of collecting IN
mitch New Guinea was frustrated by the hostile
attitude Of the Tugeri, fierce tribe of head
hrnters whose decapitating activities per-
tz.d with neatness and dispatch by the aid
das bamboo knife. very remarkable weapon.
consisting simply Of piece Of cane stripped off
the parent STEM leaving a natural edge s keen
Rs he finest tempered steel" Although the
authors opportunities for observing the Tugeri
were necessarily limited, he found them, despite
thar natural ferocity, TO be mot without some
rudimentary notions OF courtesy, and they paid
the Dutch on their arrival similar compliment
70 that paid 10 Captain Cook-that is to say,
they were good enough to offer to provide wives
for the sailors from among their own women"
One OF the most interesting tribes is the people
d Henuabada, an agreeable and rather comely
race whose women are expert potters. They live
in grass matched huts, perched upon stlts from
4rteen TO twenty feet up in the air, many Of
ZEN built over the water and accessible only by
leans Of canoes. The men are expert sailors
nd watermen, and carry the pottery manu-
actured by their womenfok on long and peril
08s trading voyages. For this purpose they lash
q many as six or ten long dug-out canoes side
by side building over all a firm platform, above
which they erect a rnast-carrying strange kite
or heart shaped sail Before putting to sea with
their precious loads of breakables the lakatols'
Is the canoe RATS are called, are tried out In a
regatta which forms the occasion of extraordi-
nary festivities
The dasnsels Of the village deck themselves most
tristically with finely woven garlands that ne IN
e rs% eqs f09 t of rrass they 90 on board
and celebrate the departure of the young oS
dances MAT would put premiere danseuse 70
shane They spin round with such dizzying rapid
used shutter swapping at hundredth OF see
eead the image II the dancers Ha1ert Was tn the
dances they sing the appalling and disc0rdan5 ann
ro.ion cease onIy for the intervals of feastng on
Inc ttst the traders are absent, gloom reigns IN
Esauabsda At nightfall the desolate ~Uisn 1n tbe
Themselves into their houses anu rea npears
4 Is : mos. TInf7atterng reflection that this Gus.
tcr has only arisen since Europeans hi'
70 Pspua.
IS the author went inland among llie W.
deril maintains with their knife-edged ridges
h fo,rd the musical talent of the people 10
'ptroye e., direct ratio TO the altitude. Thelr
roces are nor only clear and melodious. but OF
great carving mower, a quality which is utilized
Il the extraordinary system Of intercomnuhi-
eaton rrevailing among the Papuans, which
nay well be called the wireless telegraphy OF tne
Vads" The natives call to each other from mn
70 hill, their VOICES carrying magnlhcehuy -
Ire pure air for a great distance. ana ViiiAeo
shswers village with perfect ease from r'ose -