Evening star., 1926-12-12
Searchers for Savage Leader Saved From Trap by

about me saw an ever-converEinG
circle closing down upon us. their
cruel faces alight with thoughts Of
the feast to come.
Then the shrlll blast Of q whistle
cut the air-once, twice. three times
and / knew that from far In the rear
Humphries and more police were
rushing to our aid.
l realized that they could not arrive
in time. WHY we had not already
heen tramplad under foot puzzled me.
This inching along toward us was not
at all in keeping with bush wsrfars
as l had understood II, where all IL
staked upon quick and powerful
rush. Why? Why? Why7
I IKE a fash the answer to that
- question and the solution Of the
problem upon which three lives were
staked flashed into my mind
! dropped the revolver and swept
the broad .brimmed hat from my head.
seized my shirt ny the neckband and
pulled 1t over my head. Then !
stepped toward the savages. Was l
right. or was l to pay for my fool
hardness with my life?
For the length of time II takes a
clock to tick half a. dozen times we
stood there facing each other, those
naked saTages and I.
Then they stirred uneasily, there
was a wavering in their midst, q few
sharply exhaled breaths, q long
drawn-out "you-e-e-e' from one Of
them. and they were in wild flight.
running down the trail for their very
lives. charging through the under
brush. tripping over roots and stones
and vines. shrieking wildly and fight
ing each other TO get away from
there!
I had guessed right. They never
had seen a white man before, and,
stripped to the waist, with the sun
beams flashing upon my skin. had
struck terror into the very marrow Of
their beings!
shall not tell Of how finally we
found our way to Popole, rested there
a couple of days, then made our way
down the missionary.made road to the
coast. 1t was a hard bit of travel.
but devoid of anything that would
interest the casual reader.
When we were saying good-hy,
Kaiva. village constable of Maipa, said
something to the effect that back in
the mountains where lies Kapatea a
man may be dead. according to a ma
tive, but be very much alive from the
white mans viewpoint.
II wonder" said Humphries. 'tf
he meant that Yapitze still lives"
Months later the postman brought
me a letter from Downing. II in
closed two clippings from Australian
papers.
The first clipping told Of a patrol
sent into the Pspuan Mountains TO
visit some of the tribes in the territory
to which we had penetrated.
A v1,.lgt Avak
on. "the patrol found strong opposi-
tion and was driven back by the saw
ages under the leadership of a mys-
teriOus individual. Yapitze, who was
once reported dead"
'Yapitze." / said excitedly to my
self. Gould 1t be that we were hoaxed
after all. and that Yapitze is still
alive
seized the second clipping.
There Is a peculiar custom among
some of the mountain tribes of Papua,
according to a recent discovery" Il
said. when a savage slays another
whose strength and prowess he en-
vies. he. may take the name OF his
victim, and. according to the belief
of the natives, with the name he oh
tains all the dead mans qualities
which he admires."
Comprehension burst upon me. va
pitze. the diminutive of body but
mighty of brain, had ambushed and
slain Muria. the chief he envied, and
discarded his Owns name for that of
the murdered man. SO far an he and
his fellows were concerned, Yapitze
was dead, but Muria lived.
In our ignorance we had hoaxed
ourselves. The man we wanted had
been with us for days, leading us in
our search for himself
(CoDyrirht 192s)