194 PYGMIES AND PAPUANS 



serious form and most of the fatal cases took place 

 among them. It was a curious circumstance that at 

 Parimau, which was in most respects by far the healthier 

 place, many more cases of beri-beri occurred than at 

 Wakatimi, where it is doubtful if any cases originated. 



Still more remarkable was the case of the camp on 

 the Wataikwa River, which ought to have been the 

 healthiest place we occupied anywhere in the country. 

 For several months a guard of two Javanese and two 

 Gurkhas was kept there to look after the store of food, 

 and though they were very frequently changed and 

 replaced by others, several of the Javanese developed 

 beri-beri and two of them died. The Gurkhas, perhaps 

 because they led more active lives than the Javanese, 

 remained free of the disease until one of them, Havildar 

 Mahesur, a most useful man, had the misfortune to 

 damage one of his eyes ; it was necessary for him to 

 remain in the darkness of his tent for some days and 

 within a fortnight he developed all the signs of beri-beri 

 so that he had to be sent away from the country. 



A welcome interruption in those dreary months was 

 caused by the arrival at Parimau on August 26 of canoes 

 bringing Mr. C. H. B. Grant, who had come out from 

 England as naturalist to the expedition in the place of 

 W. Stalker. He brought with him two Dayak collectors * 

 and a quantity of various and excellent stores, and a 

 large mail, the first we had received since the end of May. 

 Shortridge had arrived in the country by the same ship 



* The services of these two men were secured to the expedition 

 through the generositj^ of Mr. H. C. Robinson, Director of the Museums 

 of the Federated Malay States 



