Buddies or foes?
It was several days before they finally made it to shore. While it was a relief to finally be able to dry off, they were still lost and had no idea what lay ahead. A group of Papuans chopping wood was the first sign of civilization they'd seen in a while after a long day of hiking. Captain Eaton and his men were likely overjoyed to finally come face to face with another human being, but they had to tread carefully (there was a world war going on, after all). They needed to know first if they were allies or foes. It turned out that the Papuans were cooperative and nice people.