10? 
exactly is exempt from consul? r invoices. ''Merchandise consigned 
to the United States Government" is one thing, and we decided - may 
the powers that be sustain us - that tapirs and gibbons and dicky 
birds are "merchandise". 
In the evening we met Dr Picard, the government veterinarian 
who has to give us certificates that our hoofed stock is free 
from rinderpest, contagious pleuropneumonia, surrah and foot-and- 
mouth disease, and that our apes, cats and- dogs are free from 
rabies. 
Mr. Ven den Weerd, the shipping agent, had dinner with us. 
It seems now fairly definite that the Silverash will not go to 
Baltimore for us, and the conversation during dinner was pretty 
acrimonious. Just what Bill thought of the Kerr Company for 
refusing to let us charter the boat and steer it where we please 
was pretty lurid. 
July 17 - 
We had a busy morning, seeing the bank, the Straits 
Steamship Co., and various wholesale merchants who are to supply 
food for our stock on the homeward run. We ordered more than a 
ton of bananas, one hundred dozen eggs, papaya, salt, grass, 
chicken mash, and other things. 
Back in the hotel, we were handed a letter from Carpenter, 
who had taken offense at Bill's unwillingness to assume responsibility 
for Carpenter's gibbons. I was simply foaming I was so indignant 
at anyone's writing to Bill in that tone of voice, and just then 
Helen Coolidge turned up saying sweetly, "See who's here" and it 
was Carpenter. It was really fortunate, because he and Bill 
started kidding each other about the letter, and no ill feelings 
will follow. 
We had a large lunch party - Helen, Carpenter, Mrs. 
Carpenter and her sister, V?n den Weerd, Williams and the two of 
us, and the lunch was reistafel - a darn good one, too. 
After lunch we went out to the Zoo, and Bill picked 
out some of the animals he would like to have to take home with 
us, adding principally two half-grown orang utans to our collec- 
tion. 
In the evening we had Berthold and £udretsch at the hotel 
for dinner, and the talk was all of animals. 
July 18 - 
We had cholera inoculations this morning, on accoiint of 
the very recent epidemic in Siam. Then Epperlein's for sausage 
and joghurt, then to call on Harold Coolidge, who is not as well 
this morning. The poor boy is certainly having a terrible time 
trying to build up strength for the homeward journey. 
We sailed from Belawan on the Kedah at five o'clock. 
Carpenter went down with us, and we stopped for a few min tes to 
see his gibbons, which were aboard the City of Singapore. He has 
