He had heard tales that the Karoon people in the Tamaru Mountains were cannibals but dismissed this notion of their reputation as merely legendary, especially after a member of the tribe told him of a recent episode. It seems that a party of Chinese, trading for Bird of Paradise skins, happened upon the Karoon, who surrounded them and began plucking the arm of an especially fat man while drawing their fingers across their lips and making "smacking sounds." The Chinese fled in horror. Ripley reported that "the natives all thought this was a wonderful joke and have been laughing about it ever since."