Evening star., 1926-11-28
Travellers in New Guinea Trapped by Savages and Meet With

try puri.puri (magic) on you, I break
his bloody head"
Dengo was a native Of Mambare. in
the mountains hundreds Of miles
away, and he had no respect for the
black arts Of this sorcerer of a coast
village.
J Yet when the time came for him to
make good, Mira-Oa used the one thing
calculated to make my policeman-or-
derly show the white feather-a snake.
For in the Mambare district fiourishes
| that strange cult, the Baigona, with
it's overload a huge snake which Is
believed to dwell on the top of a noun
tain, and whose slightest wish Is to
be obeyed under penalty Of death.
A native Of Mambare gives every
snake the right of way and turns his
eyes In the other direction, lest by
chance he seem to be curious as to the
destination or movements Of his mas.
ter.
Old Mira-Oa seemed to be resigned
to his fate. so far as outward appear
ance went. But his eyes gave him
away. When he looked at us there
| was a venom and hate in them that
was unmistakable.
Humiliated before those he donai.
mated through the fear he was able
load and shown no special favors. he
was cut to the quick and he brooded
over the manner Of his revenge.
We thought he had decided he was
/. licked, and Humphries was about
ready to relieve him Of his load, lee
ture him on the folly and uselessness
of pitting his will against that of the
white man and send him back to his
home. Then something happened that
reveale dthe deepcunnin 6 Of the sor.
cerer.
Old Mira-Oa came stalking by where
we were changing our sweat-sodden
garments for pajamas in the evening,
then came forward and offered to
spread the clothes out to dry.
1t was astonishing, almost unbeliev.
able. but we tossed them to him and
he laid them out on top of the sloping
roof Of the fly. Then he departed
without saying a word.
The next morning, when our order
lies brought the garments to us, each
OF us three white men made a discov.
cry. The big khaki handkerchiefs we
wore about our necks and used to
mop the sweat from our faces were
gone. During the night some one had
taken them.
We did not at that time associate
Mira-Oa with the theft, nor did we
dream that the offer to hang up our
clothing and the stealing of the hand.
kerchiefs was an essential part Of his
plan to gSin his revenge.
Neither did we have the faintest sus.
piCion that the old sorcerer intended
that vengeance should take the shape
OF the most horrible death his wicked
old brain could conceive. That he
90 In q,
that loyalty and devotion overcame SUI
perstitton and tradition in the brain
OF a black man who five years before
had been as wild and untamed a can
nibal as ever stalked another
We had camped in the village OF
Oriro Petana. AS soon as he had
dumped his load. Mira Ca hurried to
the far end of the village and entered
hut which stood by itself, surround.
ed by tiny fence. 1t is thus that the
home OF the village sorcerer may be
picked out.
We saw him go. and Humphries
chuckled and made some remark about
the old man hunting for sympathy.
Then We forgot Mira-Oa in the many
camp duties.
IN some Of the villages the govern.
HhVHI pICh0 Oul oiie vi lie leducTS
and makes him village constable.
He is given uniform. big brass
badge which he hangs about his neck.
and pair Of handouts.
AT Oriro Petana the constable wds
q rather portly old chap called Kali.
Just outside our fly we heard him
grutfly taking q small boy to task. and
Humphries went out.
Kali was holding in his hands three
coconuts with the ends Topped off, and
was trying to find out from the young.
ster who had sent them TO us. For
some reason village constable al.
ways takes to himself the task of sup.
plying white men with coconuts so
that they may refresh themselves
with the milk.