Saturday
August 7
1926

Water continues to rise and if it keeps on we will have to build up higher. Stayed in bed most of the day reading for there was nothing else to do. Dick however waded, swam, in addition to paddling the small canoe on a hunting expedition. He said that the water was deeper back in the jungle than it was in camp in many places being over the hips. He was rewarded with one small pigeon. Doc and I read and read and enjoyed the reading. Just before noon we heard a loud commotion and looking out of our river view apartments we saw the Dyaks in two canoes paddling for all they were worth across the river. They had spotted a cassowary in the middle of the stream and went out to get him. We [sic, = He] was being carried down stream by the swift current and was swimming desperately to get to the other side. The high water had evidently fooled him on where the edge of the bank was as it has most of us by this time and he found himself in the deep river. The Dyaks sure did paddle and were {F3.20} on the spot. It was an effort to get him aboard but this was finally accomplished[,] not until several of them had been badly kicked. They brought him back a prisoner. Tomalinda was severely bruised in the capture for they can kick. They built him a house and he now reposes inside of it looking rather meek and crestfallen. The Dyaks intend to take him back to Borneo with them. I forgot to mention yesterday that Posthumus and Leroux and Van Leeuwen took the motor boat and made a short excursion up our unknown river. They evidently had a long conference over something or other of importance for they did not ask Doc to go along with them. The Dyaks are busy working on another prow keheel [sic, = perahu (or prau) kecil (Malay, “small boat”)]. It is being ornamented both front and rear. The other one is being put to good use every day and we ferry back and forth in it from house to house as it were. It is hard to handle out in the swift stream, however, and one does not want to go too far down stream for it would be a hard task to come back. Posthumus has taken pity on us and has donated four cans of salmon and 1 Dulcina four cans of sardines [sic] to help our fare. Leroux also gave us three tins of hash which also helps. Posthumus has not said a word about our food tins except that he could not bring them this trip and they would be on the next. We are getting along all right though and it would take more than a little food to discourage us at this stage of the game. If it came to the worst we could live off the country. I had asked Posthumus the other day if he had any milk in the magazine we could obtain until our tins did finally arrive and he said they had none. Today Dick got five cans of sweetened milk from the sergeant in charge of the magazine. The funny part of it was he asked this same sergeant about the milk in front of me and said he said he had none. Nice people. Of course it rained.