Sunday
October 17
1926

We were tired out from our trip and used this Sunday as a day of real rest. Matt measured the newcomers and found the small woman the smallest he has yet measured. Shw [sic, = She] was 132 while the other was 138. She is more than 25 years of age and is not dwarfed but fully developed. The men folks were not of the Pygmy type but were rather tall as is the case in other villages, when the men are small[,] the women are large and vice-versa. The newcomers hung around the camp all day and were much interested in everything. They looked at our beds, blankets, tins, typewriter, camers [sic] and got a kick out of everything as all newcomers do when they get their first view of white men and their belongings. Dick and I shot some pictures of them looking at Liberty, Life and Aero Digest. The women folks[,] strange to say[,] were more intensely interested in cooking utensils pictured in the advertising pages. A coffee percolator held them spell bound for many minutes. The men on the other hand noticed pictures of men in the tooth powder adds and the pictures of tall buildings and automobiles. Dick also had a picture taken using his klim. The men tapped their penis cases vigorously all day long as they saw the new things which we had brought to their gaze from civilization. The typewriter and cameras interested them more than anything else. I believe the red prince albert tins are almost as good as cowries for they offer anything they have on them in exchange for one. The women folks have a method of expressing surprise. They use their left hand and wave it back and forth {F4.39} over one breast as one would stum [sic] a violin. As I sit and write now[,] three of them are watching me and the click click of their tapping on their penis cases almost drowns out the noise of the corona. They shake their heads back and forth and look at one another in amazement as they tap. Dick opens a film blick and the click click starts again. They watch everything. Nothing escapes their notice. My Dunhill is examined with great care by all hands and everyone wants it. They will trade anything they have but it is the only pipe I have so they have as much chance of getting it as they have of turning white. They are interesting people. The women, there are five of them all with children. Even the smallest one has two children. Matt is busy dividing the collection for another transport is due soon and it is will [sic] to get all of the heavy stuff down. It is a splendid collection all around and numbers more than that obtained all the time they were in Tombay. Matt works hard and gets it almost all divided and Leroux selects his part. The collection is then packed in tins and is ready for the returning transport just as it commences to rain. Only a few of the smaller lighter articles are not divided but he can do that tomorrow. The pigs cause a great deal of trouble for they find something edible in the bags. It may be the result of their putting their pig entrails and other portions of pork in them that makes the bags attractive to the pigs so we have a soldier on guard to route them when they get too close. It takes persistent efforts for the pigs are not easily scared and it generally takes a well directed kick or a well thrown stick to get them very far away. But they are back again just as quick, and the whole thing has to be gone through again. The soldier is alert though and the pigs are defeated and the collection saved. The rain is not of long duration and it illustrates forcefully that our canvass [sic] above our heads leaks and it is fixed. The beds got a little wet and we rearranged it so that it would be dry during the night. Van Leeuwen and Leroux are to leave tomorrow {F4.40} for a trip to a high mountain top to join Saleh who is now out of food. A transport of six carriers was dispatched early today and we loaned our two convicts to help out in the matter. We can get along with Oompah alone. In fact he works better without any assistance and they need the carriers for bringing foor [sic] to the mountain top. The issue of food to all hands for five days exhausted the visible supply in the magazine so we are waiting [for] the next transport with eagerness. It should be here tomorrow or the next day. We hadn’t done any reading for some time so we scraped the candle together and succeeded in getting some light for an hour or two to read by. Life and the Saturday Evening Post furnished the reading matter which was enjoyed. Dick developed a large bunch of pictures last night and was busy developing additional packs tonight. He has a good dark room established down by the small river adjacent to camp and has good clean running water. Some of the pictures were not so good while others were. The Graflex has gone on the fritz for some reason or other. Evidently warped by the dampness. Igoone came over with a large sack of potatoes which he donated free to all hands. His hospatility [sic] is different than that exhibited by the Old Fellow at Aeimba. We gave him a few beads and he was tickled but said the potatoes were for nothing so we told him the beads were a present from us. I have promised him another Prince Albert tin, and he is greatly pleased. Oompah was kept busy washing most of the day.