UPS AND DOWNS 
German measles. They were very miserable, poor 
fellows, and lay, some under the house, and some in 
the sun, all showing signs of considerable distress. 
Nursing, according to our ideas, was of course im- 
possible, for you cannot induce a savage to keep 
himself covered up. A curious symptom in one case 
was that the boy’s speech was affected. We did our 
best for them and gave them cooling medicine, and 
fortunately they all recovered. As soon as they were 
convalescent they wanted to go back to their villages, 
and it was very difficult to dissuade them. That would 
of course have been a very disastrous proceeding, as 
they would certainly have returned only to spread the 
infection, which is most easily communicated during 
convalescence. 
Knowing that they had caught the disease on the 
coast, they were, naturally, very reluctant ever to 
undertake any other journeys for me to the sea again, 
and the situation was altogether very trying, for they 
said that the white man brought the sickness. While 
it lasted it was a very hard matter to hold the camp 
together. Finally, however, when they saw that the 
white man was doing everything in his power to help 
them, they were reassured. On their own account 
they tried to treat themselves, by the peculiar native 
method of bleeding, which will be found more par- 
ticularly described in the chapter dealing specially 
with Papuan manners and customs. 
On June 22 we lost Sam for awhile, for we had 
to let him go down to Port Moresby to be treated for 
some trouble in his leg, but he promised to return in 
six weeks. 
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