"By Aeroplane to Pygmyland" Accounts of the 1926 Smithsonian-Dutch Expedition to New Guinea

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Journal of Stanley Hedberg
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August 10, 1926 : Rouffaer River ; Motor Camp


Tuesday
August 10
1926

Despite the fact that most of the packing and getting ready for {F3.23} the trip was done yesterday a good deal had to be accomplished today so everybody was up early. The mud had dried somewhat but it was still soft and wet underfoot. The canoes were loaded. There were six of them. Van Leeuwen had the largest and it was the heaviest of load, being almost top heavy I thought. Leroux had one, Doc with two or three tins and the rest trade goods had another and Posthumus was in another. Two more were loaded with food for there is practically no food at Head Camp. Five soldiers were scattered about in response to the aid requested by Jordans after the shooting. Just before the start they had to unload Van Leeuwen’s canoe because it was too much and top heavy. The only prow in camp was brought into service and half of it was unloaded into that. Van Leeuwen who looked rather embarrassed while this was going on tried to blame it onto [sic, = on] the Dyaks not knowing how to load their canoes. He hated this large prow he said. It was no good and he had told the Dyaks not to set his things upright but to lay them flat so as to not make it top heavy. He sure must think we are dumb for if a Dyak doesn’t know how best to load his canoe certainly Van Leeuwen doesn’t know anything about it. He had large drums of alcohol and his folding tables, chairs, and what not. If they had loaded it flat they could not have gotten all of the stuff in three canoes. After the seventh canoe was loaded they were off. We stood on shore and waved goodbye to them and sang Hurrah Hurrah Chin Chin[,] the soldiers joining in making it a real song for we don’t know the words. Saleh, Leroux’[s] mantre [sic] and the most valuable man because of his map making on the expedition was left behind. Van Leeuwen’s assistant, however[,] who runs around cahsing [sic] bugs was with him. Saleh will go on the next transport. That is probably one reason they have no complete or authentic maps of this region. Saleh’s work even to the point which has been covered before has shown that the river as mapped on the previous expedition {F3.24} is all wrong. Still, he, the most important man on the expedition from the map making standpoint is left behind. That is just an illustration of their efficiency. When they even fight with one another as they have done on their previous expeditions, army against scientific men, and navy it is no wonder that we have had trouble also for we are outsiders to them. That friction of one wanting to get more glory than the other in addition to their primitive methods of transportation is the principal reason this country has large blank spots on the map reading “totally unknown”. They should be proud of all this but they are too busy trying to keep the other fellow from getting an advantage that they have just what they have in this country – large blank spaces. After they had gone we discovered that Doc had forgotten to take his small Brownie and Leroux who had asked to borrow Dick’s rifle had not taken it either[,] although Dick had it laid out and ready for him. It will be five or six days before the Dyaks return and in that time we should have another transport up from Motor Camp. We have no prow now so it is impossible to go anyplace for the small ones are not capable of two men bringing them back without a lot of effort so consequently we are marooned so to speak. Still we have much to do. I am busy answering mail to go out on the next boat and now that the ground is not so damp underfoot it can be done in the mosquitoe [sic] house by walking carefully on boards. It rained during the evening but not enough to make any difference in the river. Today we saw the first foothills of the Nassau mountains for the first time. They have been hidden by clouds all during our wet spell. It was cloudy most of the day but the sun won out now and then and broke through for a short time at intervals.




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