Friday
October 8th
1926

Our oatmeal is “abess” [sic, = habis (Malay, “finished”)] so we had rice and milk with one ripe banana and coffee without sugar. Our six day supply of food is exhausted but we can get plenty of pig and potatoes, bananas and sugar cane. We also have a small reserve of rice left which we are saving. Had french fried potatoes last nite and they sure were good. Our pork is keeping well for it was real chilly last nite. We smoked it a little yesterday and that helped to preserve it. Trading opened early as usual. They always flock around Matt as soon as he has finished breakfast and sometimes before. They have their ideas all ahead on how they will trade and Matt lets them get the impression they are giving him the worst of it[.]{F4.15} As saro was the cry in the lake plain, so is woo the national cry here. They start by demanding woo for everything. Shot some movies of the women making net bags. They got the head man and his wives with the children to go into the fields above and Dick got some good shots above of village and mountain background, also climbing up trail with children on shoulder. Couldn’t get them to understand about the garden work scene, but will try later. Newcomers are constantly coming with new material and our collection is increasing rapidly. Getting good stuff also. When Dick folded the legs of his tripod the chief nearly had a hemorage [sic] as the legs got shorter and disappeared into the ground. It was unexpected and he jumped up and shouted excitedly to the women to watch for themselves. We assured him, however, everything was all right and demonstrated its working which got a rise out of all of them. The expression on their faces was a site [sic] to see. Our pork is improving with age and for lunch we feasted on fried sweets, pork tenderloin and tea. If we had salt and butter and sugar there would be nothing missing. Our effort to get the movie scene in the potatoe [sic] garden resulted in large quantities of Abegs [sic] being brought in at noon which we purchased eagerly of course for potatoes are our main supply of food. Not having had that luxury for 6 months we are pleased with that diet. The men folks sat around this morning and showed their women folks their wealth. Dick saw the head man’s collection of cowries as he was proudly displaying it to one of his wives. He had dipped them in blood to color them yellow conterfiting [sic] money. The yellow ones are evidently the prize of the cowrie money. He put them away quickly however, when he saw Dick watching them. I went into the women’s house with him this morning when I gave him an empty Prince Albert tin. It is somewhat smaller that the men’s house and except for a rack on one side on which firewood is kept, is bare. A few bags and personal belongings {F4.16} hung from the rafters. It was very dark inside for there are no windows. The one window is near the entrance and only lights the narrow passageway to the room. It is used evidently to see who is approaching the clearing or to shoot from in case of attack. Shirts and the small boys of the Head Man continue to make themselves useful bringing water, wood and now and then presents of sugar cane and potatoes for which they will accept nothing. The youngsters are very proud of their brite red arm bracelets which Matt has given them. Shirts is very proud of his bandaged finger which Dick dressed after he had fallen and cut himself while guarding the soldier who went hinting [sic]. He was carrying his saber at the time. They are very quiet and touch nothing of ours without first asking permission. Their greeting to one another is novel. They smile a real friendly smile and with the 3rd finger of the rite hand make a snapping noise 2 or 3 times as they lock fingers and then pull them away saying wow wow. They laugh heartily when we greet the newcomers in this manner also. The women are in the fields all day. The children (small) in their big net bags over their back and seem quite comfortable. We secured more bananas today. One of the younger bucks traded his penis case this morning and appeared with an extra large one which would do a giant credit so we took a still of it for our own personal use to show how modest they are. We have learned from several that the route they take back to Ex. P. C. is down the conyon [sic] to the Rouffaer and then along the river so we will probably try it. It should be shorter and possibly better. It rained and clouded up after one today so we could take no movies. The natives sat around in our shelters tho, and Dick and I entertained them with various tricks. He demonstrated the [.]22[’]s shooting ability to them by shooting three times at a tin can on the fence. The first demonstration of it succeeded in scaring most of them in the house. 4 or 5 however remained and tapped their penis cases vigorously when they arrived at the can and saw the three holes {F4.17} thru the tins. They couldn’t understand how six holes were in the tin when he only shot 3 times. The bullets also went clear thru the fince [sic] post. They did not want any more and indicated he should put it away which was done. A kindly middle aged pygmy who was exceedingly pleasant visited with me most of the afternoon. He admired my pipe, knife, matches, shoes [–] in fact everything I had and kept shaking his head and tapping his penis case with wonder. I made an exception in his case and let him look into the Klambo and he saw the soap, towels, blankets and my coat. He sat gazing[,] admiring everything all afternoon. He had an empty match box so I put a few matches in it and he immediately dug into the bag around his mech [sic, = neck] and gave me his small charm bag in which he carried, as do many others, a cacoon. It was exceedingly small and well colored and woven. The best part of it was the fact it was clean and new. I was much pleased with the gift and gave him some more matches. He is a fond friend now and follows me about. Some particular pygmy attaches himself to a certain member of the party and makes him his particular friend[,] bringing gifts now and then for which they will accept nothing. All of us have one now. Dick gave them all a thrill and we thought we were in a W.U. office again when he brought out his camera trypod [sic] and after pulling the sections into their proper length proceeded to run them into the ground, his leg or a tree. I got a picture I hope of the expressions on their faces. Most of the older men stayed in the house during the afternoon, probably sleeping for they must have been awake most of the night. Dick also performed some slight [sic] of hand tricks with my knife and I showed them the match trick. The women folks returned from the fields at 4 and there was much talking on their part. Most of the visitors left so I presumed they put up a strong protest against having so many mouths to feed again and told some to go. Their tongues sounded effectively and if my guess is right their barrage {F4.18} of talk succeeded in getting many of them to depart. The children secured the firewood this afternoon using a stone ax to cut it in two. The women then broke it over their heads and cracked the smaller pieces with their teeth for the border. As the customary building of the fireless cooker proceeded the children played around with the dogs and pigs. The youngest is a fine actor and tried her hardest to assist the mother. If the light had been good we sure would have had some knock out pictures for with the building of the fire and the kids and pigs in the background it would have been a “wow”. Tonite was the first time our hosts were alone and they acted natural. The dinner of potatoes and greens were [sic] shared with us and we tasted their food. The potatoes tonite were not baked in the wood ashes, but were put on [the] top layer of the fireless cooker and green fern leaves and hot rocks placed on top. Hot rocks and greens were underneath. They were the same as potatoes boiled in water and we ate them with relish. The greens however, were not as good as we prepare them so we tasted of them and turned the rest over to our convicts. The evening meal finished on both sides, the men and wives and children came up and sat around and smoked with us. He likes his pipe and talked with us. Of course, the most of it was over our heads but we learned that if we would stay he would see we got firewood and many potatoes. As Matt later remarked[,] the family scene was similar to that after dinner on any American farm. The women and children laughed and joked with the soldiers and convicts while we talked with the men. It was an interesting picture as it grew dark, and then it started to rain so they retired to their houses and I went with the chief into the men’s house. He and the others got a good laugh out of it. The men’s house is a little larger than the other but the distinction is not as great as in the Lake Plain for the women also visit in it which they are not {F4.19} allowed to do below in the Rouffaer. It is entirely bare and has a big earthen fireplace in the center. They sleep on matts [sic] on the floor around the fire and use the window to get the large dogs thru. They started the fire going and in a few minutes the small room[,] 8 by 10[,] or less was filled with smoke. It was hard to breathe. The wife also came in and joined the family circle around the fire while the children told me the names of rain, floor, window, etc. They are smart likeable youngsters. I left when the smoke got unbearable. They don[’]t seem to mind it a bit. The walls and ceiling are greasy from many nites and days of that procedure. Before the rain 2 of the youngsters played before the house in regular kid fashion and chased each other around. They saw we were enjoying it so they acted. The larger one treated the smaller one rather rough but he didn’t seem to mind. Their idea of sport is to kick the hot ashes of the fire with a swift backward stroke at each other. This became too tame so when the younger one was getting the worst of it he reached down and picked up a handful of dirt ashes and meal debris and threw it in the other[’]s face. That brought on a sort of wrestling match in which they got headlocks on one another and finally ended in the smallest being thrown on his back. Holding him squirming on the ground with one foot[,] the older boy covered him with ashes and dirt and then placed several large rocks on him to complete the burial. The little chap took it in good nature but when he had extricated himself, chased the other up the mountain side with a huge piece of cord wood emitting a savage yell of “Yi Hoo, Yi Hoo” which brot a machine gun barriage [sic] of words from the mother to the husband who ended further hostilities by calling them both into the house and to their rough board floor beds/ [sic] Dick developed some tests of the films he has shot and they are fine. Just before he started developing operations the bali-bali [sic] bed of his gave way and he and {F4.20} films and containers sank into a crash to the ground tearing some of Matt[’]s section with it. The damage was soon repaired however. It was fortunate it broke before he had opened his chemicals and started the actual developing operations. I forgot to mention that while the boys were splitting up the wood for the evening[’]s fire[,] Sawmony found a large wood worm. When he spied it his eyes beamed with delight as a child in the states would at the sight of an all day sucker. He placed it tenderly in the ashes and roasted it, slightly. Then[,] rubbing his stomach in anticipation of eating this delicacy[,] he lifted it up and was about to devour it whole when his mother reminded him that the baby should have a taste also. He broke off a section and the child in the bog [sic] which can just toddle around opened his mouth and swallowed his portion. The boy ate the remainder with seemingly great relish.