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

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Journal of Matthew Stirling
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June 30, 1926 : Albatross Camp (Base Camp) ; Mamberamo River


June 30th

This morning was the usual morning of quiet. Dick is making rapid progress on his miniature aeroplane and Anji is all interest. Early this afternoon Capt. Posthumous returned with Tomalinda from Head camp. He made the trip up in 14 days and the return trip in 3 1/2 days. He reported many Papuans and many mosquitoes all along the Rouffar. They lost one of the canoes at Head camp when the river rose 4 meters in the night. They collected some specimens of iron pyrites near River B, thinking possibly it might be gold. The natives were rather difficult to approach as they came up with threatening attitude but a few demonstrations of the accuracy and power of the rifles put them in a more friendly mood. Posthumous was burned as brown as a berry from exposure to the sun on the river. {p. 140}




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