5 y~ 
Women who came al&ng the trail sang at the top of their 
lungs • This was not through exuberance or high spirits or love 
of music* The boys ’ bush is now in session, and during its 
three years the boys are not allowed to see a woman* Any woman 
going from town to town is obliged to make her presence known, so 
that a boy who might be working near the road is properly warned 
and may hide before she comes in sight* I tried singing Heigh-Ho 
(to Bobo’s great amusement) but got out of breath after a few minutes* 
The day’s catch consisted of two snakes and a crocodile* 
Whenever any body, even a small boy with a grdsshopper, brings us 
a specimen, the whole village gathers round to see what he will get 
for it* One time this afternoon I counted seventeen people in our 
one-room house, all watching the transfer of a very small snake to 
our possession* 
The baby crows are a delight to care for, as they eat anything 
at all with gratitude* Today they have had several rare tropical 
fish (which we caught this morning and which would be marvels in an 
aaparium at home), hard-boiled eggs, bananas, live frogs, palm beetle 
larvae, and rice. When we first got them they were unrecognizable, 
small , with blue pin feathers, and enormous beaks. Now they are 
quite' definitely turning black, and showing a wide white band around 
the neck* 
We received the promised letter from Col* Davis, in which, he 
called our attention to" ’’the impropriety of ohr behavior 1 ’ and re- 
quested us either to send him our credentials or to report to his 
office in person. Letter filed unanswered. 
I have been trying to learn a few words of the native language , 
but the mixture of Vai, Mend© and Gola is too confusing* I think these 
words are Mend© - anyway Fermetah understands some of them when I try 
them on her: 
Yakonai - good morning 
Mbwao - I must go 
Bakahui - Good-by 
Goa mui panda - God be with you 
Iibuai - Good night 
c a 
The Chief and the Mullah are evidently strict Moslems. From 
my chair I can watch them, five times a day, performing their ablutions 
before they go to prayj they sit on a small stool outside their hut 
and from a tea-kettle pour water over their hands and feet, wash their 
arm pits, head, nose and mouth* 
are 
When we ask them what/ the prospects of our making a good 
collection here, they piously respond that that is "God palaver, l! - 
the native way of saying "If God" wi 1 1 s ”• 
■ ‘ 
oo 
We have been keeping our animals in the house next door, but 
quarters there were crowded, and last night Bobo moved them to a larger 
house. It was certainly lucky that he did, for army ants got in during 
the night, and would have ruined our small collection. In the ^ mornlng^^ 
we saw the column, only a few yards from our house, and Bill tried the 
effect of Flit on* them, having been told that it was not effective. W 
It did, however, completely disrupt the column,- and left many drivers 
dying in clusters* 
