Rensselaer Republican, Volume 17, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 December 1884 — A Hunt in New Guinea. [ARTICLE]

A Hunt in New Guinea.

It was given out that a large track of country, about six miles from here, was to be hunted. About 7 o’clock the natives began to move, the men with nets first. These are coarse-me§lie l. strong nets, abont four feet deep, of various lengths. Far away to the leeward of the grass to be burnt tnese nets are stood up with short stakes, each man’s net joined to his neighbor’s. The grass is pulled up in front of the nets to prevent them catching fire. The owners of the nets stand by with spears in silence, and awaiting their prey. It is the fashion for all the yottng man to wear their head-dresses and finery to the hunt. They shave the hair, too, off their templets, every hair from their eyebrows, and any other about their faces. All carry several spears roughly made from hard white wood. The points art},sharpened, and every one has a boar’s tusk or piece of glass bottle to scrape them as often as they require it. Little boys of 3 and 4 years od, with their ornaments on, faces painted, and spears on their shoulders, march along with the crowd. A number of young girls go, too, to carry water for the men. It being a grand hunt, we foreigners joined the company on horseback, Mrs. Lawes being one of the party. The natives always walk in single file, and the hunting procession was a very long one. The meet was at a creek halfway to the Taroge river. This was the rendezvous, where all rested and waited for a strong, steady wind. The nets had gone on and were in position.

The master of ceremonies was a Koitapu chief named Sivari. When I first knew Sivari, some years ago, he was a fine-looking man, agile, and active; now he is a pitiable object—his toes and fingers eaten away by leprosy and his arms and legs in a dreadful state. He can hobble abont on a stick, but he can not walk far. Two of his wives carried him by turn in a netted hammock on their backs, suspended by a band across the forehead. These are some of the honors which fall to the shares Of the wives of New Guinea. The right to carry their husbands to the hunting-field is one of the woman’s rights undisputed here. The old sinner, miserable object though he is, has had six wives, some of them young and good-looking, recently annexed to his narein. Soon the wind began to whistle through the trees, and there was a general stampede. The grass was set lire to in many places and was soon cracking, hissing, and blazing away before the wind. The air was full of sparks, and a dense cloud of smoke rose above. The natives shouted, the pogs yelped, and poor, dazed wallabies rushfed here and there, some escaping spears and dogs, but most of |liem falling. It requires a good deal of practice to spear a wallaby going full speed. Sometimes one would rush past with two or three spears hanging from him and a bevy of dogs -after him. There was a good deal of slaughter and some scores of wallaby carried in. One man was badly gored by a wild boar. It is only very plucky men who will face these. They carry a circle of stout cane, in which is lashed a strong cord, so as to form several large meshes.

This is held so that the pig rushes in and gets muzzled by it; then a man throws himself on the pig and grips him tight until he is dispatched. When they have tusks the hunter often gets very ugly wounds. The man we saw had a nasty hole plowed in his thigh by a short tusk. The pig, however, was overpowered and 'killed. —New Guinea Cor. Sydney Herald.