Evening star., 1923-08-19
ResorceM Official Eude Violent Death in New Guinea Wi

, they lost their heads and pulled hard
er; punt, stores and I accordingly
disappeared into the swirl. and then
those mutton-headed carriers let go
the rope altogether.
~ ~ X
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 to me. At
last Keke managed to crawl out on
the bank and, running along. dived
from rock, caught me round the
waist as he swept past. and carried
me to a sharp-edged rock, upon
which he tore his feet badly in climb
ing out. 1 lay on a rock and coughed
up about half the Brown river. Rifles,
stores, clothes, all were gone. Naked
stood the constabulary and I, with
the exception of one flannel police
shirt which had washed ashore, and
which I promptly annexed Nothing
now remained for us but to return to
our first camp, get fresh stores and
start again
\ melancholy procession returned
to that camp. even my shirt failing to
add dignity to our march. I then
heard that the mule driver. had con-
trived to let his mules stray on the
night of his departure, and was still
engaged in hunting for them. 1 sent
a letter to Capt. Barton. conveying a
blistering curse concerning all punts
and asses who drove mules, and ask
ing him to forward me some fresh
rifles and clothing for the police,
as well as some clothes and boots for
myself. -.
Whilst awaiting their arrival 1 met
with a fresh misfortune, for in NOV
ing about the camp l jumped with
my bare foot upon a rusty nail, fixed
in a piece of board belonging to an
old meat case left by Russell, and ran
it clean through my foot. I feared
tetanus, but hunting in a medicine
chest at the camp. I found sticks of
lunar caustic, and had the wound
cauterized with it. b.
A few days later my rifles and
clothes arrived. also the missing
mules, and again we took that awful
punt up the riyer, this time success
fully. though the amount of labor we
expended upon 1t would have trans
ported the stores three times over.
The day after we left the river to
strike over the mountains Lario, a
Malay. who had been in charge Of a
log fort for Russell higher up, came
in with a large number of time-ex-
pired and more or less worm -out car
riers. Howls of dismay went up from
these unfortunate natives when they
learned that they were to turn round
and go back with me. Much moral
suasion had to be used by the police
before they would volunteer" Some
did succeed in sneaking away and
making a bolt for the coast, but our
watch was SO strict that few of the
volunteers escaped. Lario was a
splendid chap, loyal. brave and full
of resource, and I was more than
pleased when he, though time expired,
consented to turn around and ac-
company me as second in command
I went carefully through all the
carriers with Lario, in order to cast
out-for return to the coastal those
who were unfit for service. Very,
very sorry / felt for the poor wreches
(though l did not dare show IT'D as
man by man they were examined.
some happy ones being cast for re-
turn, to the open envy Of their COM
panions. They were all mission boys
from the Mexico district, fat country
men, non-swimming, and singularly