Friday
September 3
1926

There was the usual delay getting started for the loads in the prows were too heavy and it was ten thirty before we could get it all straightened out. We brought everything in camp that we had but had to leave a box of flares behind[,] the sergeant promising on a stack of bibles it would come up on the next transport. Dick and I each had a canoe to ourselves for our tins and we had a little overflow in a third prow. We are carrying the trade goods (four boxes)[,] one box of cowrie shells in addition to the food Doc should have brought with him but couldn’t because it wasn’t here to bring. It is the first time on the expedition that we have been so honored to have a prow all to ourselves. Leroux[,] who has a large quantity of tins with him[,] has seven more in this transport. Poor Doc has no food at all except rice and deng deng and carried the trade goods in his prow. The water is extremely low but the Dyaks insist that the canoes are too heavily loaded and it will take five days to make the trip. They are dissatisfied, Anji especially and are not out to break any records altho with this low water it could be made easily in four days. The weather is extremely hot and it is the warmest day we have noticed since coming to New Guinea for the sun beats down on one unmercifully in the prows. We are happy, however, for we are on our way to the interior and a little thing like a burning tropical sun does not melt our spirits. It was three in the afternoon when we went by the first camp we used when we went up the transport previously to meet and work with Papuans. The river was high then and considering we left three and a half hours later today we are making good time. At five we made a bivauc on the edge of a sandbar. It was the best place and turned out to be a good camp. A Papuans [sic] village was below us but as we came by we saw no signs of people. There were very few mosquitoes on this bar but if the water drops during the night it will be hard to get the canoes out of here. It rained {F3.67} heavy during the evening but we were dry. We have learned from hard esperience [sic] to see to it that the canvas over our Klambus is fastened down good and if there are holes to cover them with palm leaves.