I 
Yost , Robert L . 
Filed: Belgian Congo 
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September 21, 1955 
Air Mail 
Mr. Robert L. Yost 
American Consul 
American Consulate General 
Leopoldville, Belgian Congo 
Dear Bob: 
I never seem to be able to catch up with my correspondence or museum 
business either. I have been wanting to write, for weeks it is now, to 
acknowledge your letter of August 17 and to tell you that the crate that 
Mr. Malle forwarded is now safely here, --even though it had some very 
rough handling. The stout leather straps around the telescope case were 
brutally cut and the contents of the crate virtually turned inside out. 
Fortunately, nothing was missing. Whatever extra charges there may be I 
shall defray promptly, if you will but let me know how much. 
Just the other day I forwarded a small draft of $6.15 due Mr. McGregor 
one of a number of little bills that have come to hand since my return. 
On the other hand I am due a number of reasonably substantial refunds for 
hotel bills, presumably paid in advance but of which fact the hotel pro- 
prietor had never been apprised. Also, Sabena owes me several hundred 
dollars for reservations that were not available when called for at Entebbe 
Through some miraculous bit of intuition I arranged to get there a day in 
advance of our set schedule , to gain time for packing our gear for ship- 
ment home via Nairobi. But for this extra day we might not have had time 
to drive to Juba to catch the fortnightly steamer down the Nile. It was 
between Entebbe and Juba that we had originally counted on flying. The 
road from Entebbe to Juba i 3 as good as any in the Congo and some stretches 
indeed oiled and so as good as paved. 
The best news is that you folks will be coming through here sane 
time in October and , moreover , that the State Department may be your next 
post. 
Whenever a good friend comes home from abroad everybody wants some- 
thing j "me too." With me it’s one or two of those little ivory figurines 
of native huntsmen or warriors that they sell in the sidewalk market where 
we encountered you and your wife one night. They stand about 8 inches 
high on a half inch thick piece of wood. Two that I bought for Mr. Bredin 
