Thursday
October 14
1926

We are all due back in E.C. today but it is a good day[’]s trip from here and half of our luggage is a day behind us. Everybody is short {F4.33} of food. We decided the best thing to do was to leave Leroux and the Papuans go on in with as much of the collection as they could carry and we would wait here until the others came thru today. Leroux turned over to us all of the little supply of food he had for he expects to be in E.C. tonite. We are to send the others when they arrive on [sic] and they will go as far as possible today and make E.C. tomorrow. Leroux will send back some carriers and food for us if a transport is in E.C. and if not will send back our carriers with food as soon as they arrive. Igoone has promised to send back Papuans as soon as he and Leroux arrive, but we can’t be too certain of that as we have learned by experience. The two Dyaks were the first to arrive. They came four hours or so after Leroux had departed. We loaded them with the collection and left the load they had carried here with us. They too had little rice, enough for one day. They should be able to make E.C. by tonite. One by one the rest of the carriers arrived. The next to the last brought word that the soldier was ill and had to travel slowly. He was not so far behind[,] the convict stated. He had the fever. We were about to send someone to him when he arrived anda [sic] look at his face plainly indicated to us he was not well. Matt decided that he remain with us and Dick and Oompah return with the carriers[,] so they left at one o’clock. We have food for the 3 of us by going easy until they can return which should be in 2 days at the latest. It consists of a piece of pork, some oatmeal and a can of peas. We have coffee and tea and a little milk. So we sit here and wait. We were able to get all of the collection off with the exception of one large bundle of bows. All of our camera, films, and personal tins, one each, remain here with us. Will take about 9 carriers to get us back, which was the number we started with. They should have known we would need as many to return as we came with even if we had no collection and the collection was one of the main {F4.34} purposes of the trip. It was poor judgment on Lt. Jordans[’] part. We were lucky to get the 6 or 7 Papuans we did. All is quiet in camp except the never ceasing roar of the water as it tumbles over the rocks below us. Matt has taken the [.]22 and gone down the river to see if there are any birds or game but we have seen signs of none in this vicinity. Birds or [sic] Paradise only. Dick and the remaining carriers should be in E.C. some time tomorrow afternoon. It is very cool here and very little sun breaks thru the jungle clad mountain side. Also have much rain here so we will be confined to camp here for 2 days or possibly more. Matt returns and reports no birds but he has sighted several banana trees in the vicinity with 2 bunches of green bananas. We bake two of our green bananas in the fire, Papuan style, and they are really good. Personally I like them. Matt had them as a chief diet on his S.A. trip so can[’]t get enthused over them. We have tea and some of our pork and lunch is satisfactory. It is cloudy and rainy all afternoon and very cool. We have a good fire and a good supply of dry wood so we are not uncomfortable. The soldier is better, having taken pills and cooks our dinner. He shares his rice and pork with us and we have a good meal all around. We have pooled our food. It was real cold during the evening and rained heavily. I ran out of tobacco and the soldier has shared his with me. He has sufficient for us until the carriers can return. We all slept well under our heavy blankets. Nothing eventful happened during the nite, altho the soldier sat up long into the nite.