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TAYLOR PATROL
^NEARING MT. HAGE1T.
IK WILDS or KEW OUIKXUL
- The Taylor expedition, when last . .
. heard'Of hy wireless communica- i
? ; tlon¿ was north of Mt. Hagen, in the
-.wilds of Kew Guinea, and was
: gradually working back to that
centre, said Mr. H. C. Adair, a
:. ground engineer employed by Man-
dated Airlines X.t¿, who passed
through Cairns on Saturday by the
Cannanla en route to southern
' cities, where he will spend a boll; ,
day. . . " , ; .
The party, said Mr Adair, had been
:n contact with Madang , by. radio,' but f :
Pilot T. O'Dea, of Guinea Airways, had
failed to'lócate them when'ïe.made., a -
spécial flight to the área.' He was to.
make a 'second flight and: was'! more ,
hopeful:of the result. ' , i . : ", .
IK THE MOUNTAINS. ,.
. For . weeks Meer. Taylor's patrolkas' ':
been, at--a height "between 7000 and
;i0,000 feet in-thé. Mt; Hagen (13,1S0 ,
ft.), district. The country so far ¿ex-'
piored consists of a spacious plateau
covered with Alpine grasses and;
sparse, timber growth.. Thc native
population is very numerous, and com-
prises, particularly in the main ranges,
a tribe, named Engas,* who . ore. distinct
l'coplè from the "Wabgas midBena
Bciias, who were recently brought into " yj}
touch with civilisation for the first time . \
by exploration parties: Owing to the
desertion of natives j recruited- as in
terpreters, ?thb patrol has: had to rely
on sign language to deal with the new
tribes. They were - described as very
intelligent and friendly; their amiable
attitude1 possibly .being due ; to the.
large size of the patrol,- which included »
200 carriers and three white men.' The
natives were so completely untouched
by. civilisation that they did not know'
the value or-use of.money or steel im-
plements, such as 'tomahawks,', knives,
etc., and were somewhat startlëd by:
the report of firearms, and betrayed ,
no interest in' gifts. Tho patrol found
very few pigs in the villages, the only
article of diet that appeared abundant .,
being sweet potatoes, whilst the homely
dogs were uRed as . a . variety. The
Mghpst yilláge so far located "was one
m a valley at 9000 feet. .
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