-St- 
and. these people, who produce it, told us that when rice was plentiful 
they were not paid enough for it, and now that it was scarce they 
were going to hold it for a good price, as they were always perfectly 
happy to keep it for .themselves and their children, rather than 
carry it do?m on their heads and dispose of it for next to nothing. 
„ We killed the francolin with the bad leg, and ate it in 
country chop tonight. It was good, but I never really enjoy eating 
a bird that I would so much rather have alive for the" Zoo. 
Pay- Pay is now sleeping with the animals to guard them against 
drivers. He caught a large rat in the house tonight, brought it in 
proudly to show us, and proceeded to dissect it with our table knife 
in order to feed it to the mongoose. 
After all the trouble we have had with cameras in this climate. 
Bill * s splendid tripod went out of commission today, 
& 
Bill spends his evenings regretting that he did not bring 
a couple of Halloween masks and some red and blue flares with him. 
He could put on an impressive show for these simple, superstitious 
souls. The best he has done to date has been the egg-laying trick, 
where he takes one egg after another out of his mouth , 
a 
May 25 - 
The morning was devoted to inssct collecting, and Bill got 
some Paussidae and scarabs that he was pleased with. The natives 
brought us one sick pigeon and two frogs. 
■O* 
All afternoon a heavy thunderstorm kept us indoors , The 
wind was so violent it blew a great deal of thatch from roofs, and 
our own ridge pole came down with a crash to the ground. However, 
the hut does not leak. In the evening it cleared, a full moon shone 
over the village, and in the romantic light the silhouettes of the 
huts, with the big cotton trees beyond, were most picturesque. 
May 26 - 
We dug up some more termite nests in the morning, but stayed 
home all afternoon because of rain and the necessity of packing up, 
as we are to leave tomorrow. Our animal s for the day consisted of 
one small bird, one good-sized hornbill, and a third' species of 
crocodile. We now have the Nile crocodile (Niloticus ) the narrow- 
nosed (Oatafractus ) and the broad-nosed (Osteolemis ) . 
May 27 - 
% - 
We were up at six, but did not get off until nine, after the 
usual carrier palaver. This time it really was mostly our fault, as 
we had estimated that we would need eight additional porters, and 
when the loads were lined up there were fourteen extras. We left six 
loads with Bobo, and the Chief assured us that other carriers would 
soon arrive, and that we would have all our belongings by night. So 
starting all the animals ahead of us, and one box of food, we left 
Bendaja - with some regret, for we have really had a pleasant if not 
spectacularly successful stay here. 
Bill and I walked the first two hours, over the rough and 
