198 iNiEuuir.L. 



all the iiiatcrial across the river, but as we had with us only seven carriers. 

 a temporary camp was established on the opposite bank and the two 

 American soldiers, who were still in a weak condition, were left in charge. 



At noon, the reniainin<i- members of the i»arty, all heavily loaded, 

 proceeded down the east bank of the xVlag. Many difficulties were 

 encountered diii'lnu' tiie afternoon. In a nundx'r of jilaces where bluffs 

 arose abrnptl\ fi-oni the strcani and which on the up trip we had been 

 able to avoid by foi'ding the river, we were now obliged to climb, fording 

 l)eing entirely out of the (piestion. 'i'hesc fre(|uent detours entailed 

 extensive trail cutting which, with a -"io-pound pack, soon became a 

 dccidrdlv ])ainful operation, esi)ecially as in order to find a feasible route 

 we hail frecpiently to clindi the steep banks or to follow the nearly as 

 stee}) ravines to a height of two or three hundred feet or more. Camp 

 was made just after dark at the foot of a IjIuIV on tlie edge of the river. 

 A daybreak on Decendjer 2 we i)roc(>eded down the stream to a point 

 opposite the entrance of the Egbert Kiver, where Camp Number Ten 

 was established. 



All the carriers were immediately sent up the river to bring down 

 moi'e supplies, a scout, who succeeded in crossing the Alag with some 

 diHicultv, went into Sul)aan for additional ones, and one man was 

 sent to the Binabay Eiver for food. Fortunately for us the weather 

 still continued clear and the Alag fell rapidly. On December 3 the 

 carriers were again (lis])atched up the Alag to bring down the remaining 

 e(piipment, returning to cam]) late in the afternoon, the two soldiers 

 accompanying them and at the same time the bearers from Subaan 

 arrived, reporting that they had eiuountered serious ditficidties in cross- 

 ing the Alag on the trip back to the coast, l)ut that they had finally 

 reached their destination and started back with sup])lies. On their return, 

 finding that the river was high and that it was impossible to cross, they 

 remained on the norih liank of the stream for thi'ee days waiting for 

 the waters to subside, and then returned to Subaan. As the carriers 

 came in lat(! in the afternoon it was impossil)le for us to move camp 

 across the river on that day. A heavy rain came on in the night which 

 caused us considerable anxiety for the reason that if it continued for 

 any length of time, we should be unable to cross the river on the I'ollow- 

 ]U\x dav and would be obliged to follow the sti-eam down to tide-water 

 along the sunth hank. 



The rain continued t hi-oiighoiit the night and at dayhi'eak we found 

 that the watei' had risen about si.x inclies, so that the stream was still 

 fordable, although with gi'cat dilTiculty and considerable danger. Heavily 

 loaded carriers with the a.ssistance of one or two men without loads could 

 nsuallv kee]> their footing, but some of them wei'c carried dow nst I'eain 

 1)V the curreid. wetting some of our iM|uipmcnt. The Americans in the 

 party who attem|tted t(t cross without loads, depending entirely on heavy 



