The Harvard African Expedition Book 1: August 8, 1926
Creator
Loring WhitmanDate
8/8/26Transcription
Mon Aug 9th Hal & Dr. Shattuck decided to go after elephants after all, so immediately after breakfast there was much scrambling and packing. In the meantime Dr. Strong & I were trying to get under way. Of course my camera boy decided to buy rice & vanished from camp while Dr. Strong by mistake took my other boy leaving me stranded without any body to carry my two cameras – tripod – extra films – rain coat etc. However I nabbed two boys for the moment & finally got across the clearing to the river crossing with all my junk. I also picked up my camera boy on the way. Then with the customary palaver the boxes and bundles started across the river in three large dug-outs. Every body was yelling at the top of their voices
When I got to the river I found Dr. Strong & Bequaert waiting for me on the other side but it took much shouting and palava before the whale boat decided to take me across & B. back. When I got there I found that the chief had given Momo enough so that I couldn’t add cameras to his load. So we were one man shy & no one in sight. Fortunately there was one man & his wife travelling our way & we commandeered him to help out. For awhile we went thru an old clearing grass & scrub grown so that the trail was practically obliterated and the wet grass quickly got us soaked from the waist down. But we soon got onto the regular trail – an open path with trees arching up over head. the first town we came to – Sui town – was deserted not a person in sight – only a band of goats of all sizes playing thru the empty houses. Whether the people were off at the farms or not I can’t say.
I took a few pictures of the houses & we were off again. Quite frequently we passed thru deserted coffee plantations – their blossoms like orange blossoms with the same heavy fragrance. When we got to the next town – Yampo – our extra porter said that was as far as he was going – so we picked up two men – to go on with us. I took some movies of the women of the town & we found one case of chicken pox on a small child who other wise looked healthy enough.- Then on again.
The trail now led thru taller growth which so completely arched over us that the sun rarely broke got thru and it was more like walking thru some massive vaulted tunnel. In places – too – we walked over moss covered rocks or crossed clear running streams on rock bridges or more perilous logs. It was cool and damp walking thru the jungle and we blessed the trees that protected us from the hot sun. And most of the time the trail was smooth and over level ground tho it never went straight for more than 20 paces. Of course here & there we climbed small hills and we frequently came to places where the trail was a mass network of twisting roots – still on the whole it was very comfortable going and after 2 ½ hrs we came to Owens Grove – or rather Mt. Olive for Owens Grove is across The River.
Mt. Olive consists of two corrugated tin houses belonging to a native trader then on the bank of the Farmington R. – a much bigger river than the Du at is best tho less picturesque at that spot. We met the D. C (District Commissioner) with whom we chatted and talked about Porters for about an hour. When the Chief had been there before the D.C. had told him that we could reach Zanga’s town in 1 day – he had done it himself. Now he said that he had meant another Zanga’s town in the opposite direction (even tho we had shown him a map-) and that the one we wanted – interior Zanga’s town was 3 days away. Of course that was quite a kick blow but that is Liberia.
We crossed the river with him and walked for about a mile to his place of residence thru mostly cleared land some of which had been planted to rice altho most was second growth. When we got to his place of residence we sat down in the council hut to further discuss porterage. <Drawing of the council house> His council house was a rectangular thatched affair with large windows or holes in the walls on all four sides. The building itself was of very hard dry white clay and was very smoothly floored with the same. Around the outside was a ditch to keep the rain from getting in. inside was a table & two chairs. It was very cool dark – and cool with a fresh breeze passing thru all the time. And it was clean.
While Dr. Strong talked with the D.C. – a portly negro with a dirty khaki uniform & no shoes – I took some movies of weaver birds building nests in a palm tree near by and later of a rather tame dance staged by the women of the place at our request. Of course one of my films jammed and I had to start all over again. And while I am about it we were impressed with the method of weaning children. A woman with a young baby held firmly in place up in her lap; another girl pouring liquid food into the childs open mouth; The child crying when no food was being administered and choking and strangling when it was – well to me it is remarkable that they aren’t all drowned at that period in their careers.
But we must be going back. The trip home was uneventful except for the fact that our extra porters were very footsore and practically refused to carry beyond their village altho we eventually herded them to the river. And when we crossed the river it was in an exceedingly tippy dugout which leaked an for which one man was a complete load (with the boatman) bringing the water level within an inch of the top.- I was greatly relieved to get my cameras over dry.
And one more thing – along the trail we passed occasionally perfectly fascinating termites nests of another variety. They look like pagodas about 18” high with usually 3 little series of roofs. They “grow” right in the thick jungle along the trails & look very much like giant mushrooms. <Drawing of a termite hill> When we got back to camp I was well content to sit down for a while – take a bath – and put on fresh clothes. After all 20 miles within a week of 6 days in bed is not to be sneezed at and you can be sure that I didn’t develope after supper. Just about dark Dr. Bonet arrived bringing with him a crocodile which he shot on the way up the river. He is leaving on Sat for France and he took the trouble to come up to see us in the field & say good bye. We got out some wine specially brought for him and had a great supper. He spent the night in Shattuck’s tent.