r wives. Husband and wife meeting after a
separation is strange. Some who returned with us had been away for a
fortnight; their wives looked pleased when they saw them, so did the
husbands; not a word was spoken, only a look; clubs and spears were put
down, and the husbands went to where other men were sitting, the wives to
light fires and cook food; when cooked, the wife took it to the husband,
who ate a little, gave away some, and then went and sat by his wife. I
have noticed that the wives are particularly happy when preparing this
return food. Oriope's wife, who accompanied us, is ill with a cold; I
wished her to take a dose of chlorodyne, but she cried and hesitated
much; the old man then took the cup and told her to look; he drank some
of it, said it was not bad, and then pressed her to drink it off, which
she did.

25_th_.--We left this morning at eight, and arrived at Orofedabe, in the
Favele district, at one p.m. The walking was good and steady, the first
few miles along the valley beneath a mountain in the Sogeri district,
which we called Mount Nisbet, and the range near to Eikiri. We crossed
the Laroki several times, and sat near its head; then ascended an easy
ridge of the Owen Stanley Range. We travelled for about two hours along
this ridge, then descended, crossing two streams, which we suppose to be
the head streams of the Kemp Welch, flowing into Hood Bay. There are six
small villages on ridges close by, high mountains all round, and not far
off the mountain on which the wild animal lives. They tried to persuade
us that this was Meroka, and there was no use our going further; but we
could not believe it, and I brought my compass out, and pointed to them
where Eikiri, Sogeri, Kupele, and Hapele were, and told them where I
expected to find Meroka, which cannot be very far off. When they saw I
knew something of our position, they said we could not get to Meroka,
because of rocks and wild beasts. At the village we slept the last two
nights they did all they could to detain us, because of the salt and
beads. They were assisted by Oriope, who was anxious that all should go
to his cousin and friends, with whom we were staying. In a conversation
they had under the house, shortly after we arrived, I could hear
sufficient to enable me to understand they would keep us there, and not
let other villages get salt and beads. I got thoroughly vexed with the
old man, and told him he could return home, and th