214 SAFARI 



day out he developed an infected hand. As a restilt 

 our single lady passenger had to work throughout 

 the voyage in a two-by-four galley preparing meals 

 for us both. Frankly, that was one job I couldn't 

 have begun to have done. 



In all we cruised over six hundred miles clear up to 

 the southernmost of the Solomons, Owa-raha Island. 

 Osa helped me with the photographic work when she 

 had finished with her pots and pans. We both slept 

 on the teak deck. Our camp equipment was so 

 limited that while ashore we bunked in native huts. 

 Had it not been for Osa's courageous example I am 

 not siire I could have stood the dirty grass houses and 

 odoriferous natives. 



"I've smelt worse right in civilization," she laugh- 

 ingly told me. 



Her biggest thrill seemed to come when we crossed 

 afoot the Island of Malaita. In a way the trip was a 

 sort of stunt. No white people had ever been across 

 before. Also it promised to give us priceless views 

 for the film we were slowly building. We should 

 never have been able to go except that a government 

 exploring party was making the trip and the leader 

 was kind enough to invite us along. 



I remember he called me aside and inquired anx- 

 iously: "Are you sure your wife can stand it?" 



•'Pretty sure," said L smiling to myself. 



"How do you know?" 



