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[Page 26]
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without seeming to feel the heat at all. Some of the men certainly have long hair which may offer some protection but the women's hair is cropped short. One youngster (a boy) was the proud possessor of a waistcoat which was miles too large & reached nearly to his ankles, another had on a sailor's jumper big enough to cover a brace of twins. Our men though good natured enough are careless & in throwing down a double tin loaf of bread caught a little girl on the side of the head. She cried piteously and the mother, with the one touch of nature that makes the whole world kin, took her up in her arms & pressed the little one to her bared and shining breast. The catamarans consist of a dug-out connected by outriggers to a light log, the whole, in spite of their clumsy appearance, being easily propelled by a single paddle handled with great skill by a native sitting in the bow or stern of the dug-out. The vessels vary in size from the family ship to the single manned canoe. Some of the natives are very adept in diving for coins & will readily strip off their scant clothing and plunge over-board for the coveted "bob". Every catamaran has its bundle of pine sticks which are kept alight continuously and they have a kind of cigarette holder about 2 feet in length. This is composed of bamboo about 2" in diameter pierced at one end to allow of the entry of the cigarette. One native sucks at one end of the "holder" and passes it on to the next who removes the cigarette & placing his mouth at the aperture withdraws the smoke. He then replaces the cigarette & sucks the end of the holder passing it on to the next man & so on.
This afternoon a party of officers went off in a launch to Port Moresby. I was unfortunate enough to be detailed as O.O.D. & had to remain on board. They returned at