and very natural dread of some ulterior object in a
white man’s coming at so much trouble and expense to
their country only to get Birds of Paradise, of which
they know he can buy plenty (of the common yellow
ones which alone they value) at Ternate, Macassar, or
Singapore.
It thus happened that when Mr. Allen arrived at Sorong,
and explained his intention of going to seek Birds of
Paradise in the interior, innumerable objections were
raised. He was told it was three or four days’ journey
over swamps and mountains; that the mountaineers were
savages and cannibals, who would certainly kill him ;
and, lastly, that not a man in the village could be found
who dare go with him. After some days spent in these
discussions, as he still persisted in making the attempt,
and showed them his authority from the Sultan of Tidore
to go where he pleased and receive every assistance, they
at length provided him with a boat to go the first part
of the journey up a river; at the same time, however,
they sent private orders to the interior villages to refuse
to sell any provisions, so as to compel him to return. On
arriving at the village where they were to leave the river
and strike inland, the coast people returned, leaving Mr.
Allen to get on as he could. Here he called on the
Tidore lieutenant to, assist him, and procure men as
guides and to carry his baggage to the villages of the
mountaineers. This, however, was not so easily done. A
quarrel took place, and the natives, refusing to obey the
imperious orders of the lieutenant, got out their knives
and spears to attack him and his soldiers ; and Mr. Allen
himself was obliged to interfere to protect those who had
come to guard him. The respect due to a white man and
the timely distribution of a few presents prevailed; and,
on showing the knives, hatchets, and beads he was willing
to give to those who accompanied him, peace was restored,
and the next day, travelling over a frightfully rugged
country, they reached the villages of the mountaineers.
Here Mr. Allen remained a month without any interpreter
through whom he could understand a word or
communicate a want. However, by signs and presents
and a pretty liberal barter, he got on very well, some
of them accompanying him every day in the forest to
shoot, and receiving a small present when he was successful
In the grand matter of the Paradise Birds, however,
little was done. Only one additional species was found,
the Seleucides alba, of which he had already obtained a
specimen in Salwatty; but he learnt that the other kinds,
of which he showed them drawings, were found two or
three days’ journey farther in the interior. When I sent
my men from Dorey to Amberbaki, they heard exactly the
same story—that the rarer sorts were only found several