A Liberian Journey

Creator

Richard Pearson Strong

Date

7/3/26

Coverage

Atlantic Ocean, S.S. Wadai

Transcription

Saturday, July 3rd.

We are having tropical weather and great humidity. Yesterday we passed along the coast of the Sahara easily discernible as a waste of sand scarcely three miles away; we went close in at times looking for fishing vessels to get some fresh fish, but found none. We passed enormous schools of dolphins completely surrounding the ship, a few whales and enormous numbers of “Portuguese man-of-war” with their blue sails fringed with pink. Hundreds of thousands of them were visible at times around the ship. A number of birds followed us, particularly Wilson’s petrel. I have called attention to the fact that while Mr. Firestone cabled to his agent Mr. Ross in Monrovia to prepare a house for our party, Mr. Couper said that we might have to divide up as there were very few available houses in Monrovia. In view of the fact that we may be temporarily separated on shore I have issued Circular No. 1 of the expedition for the guidance of the members which has been typewritten by Bequaert. I enclose a copy. One of the men acquired a fungus infection about his feet in the Amazon which he never got cured, although he went to several dermatologists in Boston. He did not tell me about it until the day before we left London for this boat. I wrote him prescriptions and have looked after him. I am glad to say his feet are now about well. To go on an expedition of this kind with sore and infected feet is naturally a serious thing. Such abrasions, particularly in the rainy season, are apt to develop into tropical ulcer and to almost incapacitate one at times. Liberia and the surrounding area is the wettest part of Africa and I presume we are in for a severe rainy season. I take my two hours of hard walking each day; occasionally Loring Whitman or Harold C. walk with me for the better part of an hour and on the Ohio George occasionally tried it for an hour but no one cares to go on to the bitter end of two hours or more. I had no exercise to speak of this winter but I am fairly hard now thanks to this daily walk and I am also rested. I have cut out all alcoholic drinks except when we have to entertain, both for its example to the men and so that I may not depend on it myself. As you know I do not take anything when on an expedition into the interior. My opinion is that in the field men are better off without it. I regard the taking of wine or an appetizer before dinner as largely a pleasure to be partaken of with friends on social occasions. I think in the field except for medical purposes it is superfluous and unnecessary. George however does not agree in this respect. He thinks the men are often better for having it in the field. He has asked to be allowed to take some as medical stores and this I have no objection to. We have been told that we will have to take some presents of cases of gin to the native chiefs who supply us with food, porters, etc. We passed Cape Verde (Dakar) last evening and saw the flashing of the light. Today is July 4th hot and moist. We are all in white or khaki. Last evening we changed from our black dinner coats to white ones. Harold and Loring, who have just had their white ones made by Hill in London, are quite proud of theirs. They are such nice boys. Tonight we have asked Mr. and Mrs. Mills (the representative of the British Embassy in Liberia) to dine at our table.

Several of our Guinea pigs died yesterday. I have had the carpenter make them larger cages. One of the men who has charge of the animals does not always use the best judgement but I know that and am on the lookout for it. In London George asked him to get some more morphine for the expedition. He of course could not get it without a prescription from a registered doctor and instead of going to one of his doctor friends and asking him to write a prescription for him, he went and took out a license to practice medicine in London which cost five pounds. When he presented me with his accounts yesterday which I asked for he had charged $25 for the registration and $1.50 for the morphine. I of course accepted his account but I told him I thought it was poor judgement on his part to obtain the morphine that way. Of course little things like this are mere trifling details hardly worth noting, but I must make at least a mental note of them or otherwise take the responsibility myself if I entrust details to one whose judgment I feel is sometimes not the best. We are stopping at (Sierra Leone) Freetown tomorrow evening. There is a British mail ship for England to leave that port tomorrow and I will try to put these notes on board her. Ordinarily you can not expect such quick mail service.

Type

Diary

Citation