Saturday
May 22,
1926

{FRAGMENT 1: End of May 22, 1926 through June 29, 1926}

{F1.1} them the once over. Now they are building a huge bench along the same lines and idea. The Dyaks are quick to observe any good point and soon have it down pat. One of them is in love with the bit and brace and borrows it on every occasion. The others come to the workshop for one thing and another. They like to use modern tools. Dr. Van Leeuwen is all puffed up and struting [sic] around like the leader already, despite the fact that the reply from the Indian committee has not been received. It would be funny if they turned it down like Leroux thinks they might. That wouldn’t be so good though for it wouldn’t help us get into the interior of New Guinea and they will work and co-operate with him. With us it will be no help from the army[;] the little that is given will be because we will have to be after it all the time. Jodans [sic, = Jordans], Hoffman, and Korteman seem to be the only white men in this army outfit. Even the sergeants and the corporals are more courteous than the Captain. Two or [sic, = of] our boys layed [sic] down on the job this morning and were gone all morning long to get a handful of wood. Dick caught them loafing out in the woods. So this afternoon I had them bring up all of the heavy food stuff we had down in the warehouse and after that turned them over to Jordans and had him put them to work on helping unloading [sic] the ship. Our other boy and the one we have nicknamed Moon both are [sic, = are both] good workers. Will probably have to ditch the other two, for they are lazy and no good at all. The oil arrived on this second load of stuff and we have all of our material now on hand. Van Leeuwen has sixty thousand American papers to wrap up his specimens from the jungles. He puts paper around the leaves of the plants[,] puts them in a tin and then pours alcohol – good stuff too – all over them. There are many people in America who would think less of science if they knew about that. In America that would be sacreligious [sic] to wast[e] good alcohol in that manner. I have forgotten how many gallons of alcohol he has with him but it is a large amount. {F1.2}