Evening star., 1926-10-24

soft voice was chanting out the
depths as the lead line whirled
through a sailors fingers and slack
ened chen it found bottom. Seven
fathoms.
Nov the seas grew more boisterous.
The schooner lurched more
swiftly and further. An quatah
tree, the leadsman sang out just
as cliff like giant lifted it's head
over the stern. trembled, and fell
with a thunderous crash while the
swift ship shot ahead under the i'm
pact. We were on the bar. | jumped
below and started the motor. It's
beat and the throb of the screw were
comforting.
Take in mainsail." My boys jump
cd for halliards and sheet and the
sail came Tapping in. the heavy boom
was crutched. and we raced on into
still shallower water. Two fathoms
were all we had under us now. and
that would give way to one and a
half. one and a quarter. maybe, be
fore we won through.
'Ra o. Give a hand with the Wheel
called from the weather shrouds
and free. one-eyed old villain took
his place near the struggling mate
What a scene of desoate. churning.
mad waters that bar afforded Astern
ahead, to port, and to starboard. ser.
ried row on row of giant conlbers
shot up. wavered. and toppled to
creamy ruin. their resonances Blend
ing in soul-shaking monody. an end
less. awe-inspirine diapason.
Driven mercilessly out against this
stark fury came the driftage of the
Gamu. trees and lesser debris borne
by. the muddy waters from the high
hinterlands. Cross currents and
counter currents wrestled in the brief
troughs. tossing the spume into
Jagged wavelets which rose and fell
suddenly with odd little slapping
sounds.
Through 1t all. in that half light
of rainy gloomy dawn. the Sir
Arthur wallowed and twisted. dove.
lunged and slithered There were
breathless moments when she hung
poised on the very crest of sea
ere. II breaking, we were launched
so swiftly shoreward and downwa rd
that our hearts seemed to miss a
heat
Then. while the next sea gathered
its strength. l would look for an
| instant at it's crest. look level-eyed at
it from my perch 80 feet above the
deck and wonder how In tho world
my fragile craft could live through
the fury of the poised monster astern.
How those men at the wheel toiled.
Muscles standing out like whipcords
sweat beading their faces. Wagi and
Rao fought the bucking rudder, the
stern was presented fairly To each
sea. and the schooner drove on and
on to where the smooth river ribbon
afforded safe anchorage and respite
from the toll of the long night
When. refreshed by sleep and hot
food. we once more got under way,
headed the ship up the Gamu River.
a broad. hurrying stream that pene-
trates for 900 miles into as savage an
area az exists in New Guinea Ten
| wears ago five white explorers were
| set upon. killed, and eaten by Gamu
| tribe that lived at the rivers mouth.
The reprisalS of the government
were bloody and through enough to
become a subject of legend among the
| rivers tribes. Various factors. isola-
tion for one, have prevented further
contact Of any sort between these peo-
pies and the whites. Thus, where
other tribes have also suffered similar
reprisals. yet have become friendly
with their conquerors through sub
sequent trade relations. the Gamu
warrior cherishes for the invader an
invidious complex of emotions. in
which respect is scarcely outweighed