A Liberian Journey

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                  Sun Aug 29^th. Being Sunday we could get no porters in this wild and uncivilized country. So we were forced to sit around. Reppues town is quite large with 25 or 30 huts rather closely bunched. Patients started to come in early but most of them came in for “sick belly” or “Belly hurting him too much” In consequence there were few photo’s and a large distribution of Calomel. There was also a large demand for Methylene blue pills (for Gonorrhea) among the more clad members of the community. As it was quinine day for the boys we got them together (with difficulty) and dosed them. After taking his 15 grains Smallboy said “plenty chop now.”. He is small – perpetually talking – with an ever present grin on his face. At Monrovia he came in one morning with a small cut on his finger to say “Guinea pig chop my finger”.

                  I spent most of the morning writing my diary which was two weeks behind at that time and reeled off 10 days before lunch. Theiler & I also took a short walk which brought us to a funeral – much wailing of women – real tears too. The subject was a small child 3 or 4 years old.

                  In the afternoon Dave & I walked south to Chemakomo – about 2 miles off where we found a town about half as large as Reppue’s town. However we found it rather uninteresting and quite dirty. There was an ostrich picture on one wall which was quite amusing and an old man with a silvery like scale over him. He was very thin & we were told he was “as old my father, as old my father, as old my father which evidently meant 3 generations older than the speaker.

                  On return I took some pictures of Reppue & his son. Reppue put on two very picturesque costumes – with leopards teeth & skin. Reppues brother came in for a picture after his boy had brought him his hat – a derby. More ulcers and “Belly humbug” came in for treatment until nearly dark. Supper was a tremendous affair ending with plum pudding. I shall be bloated for life. 

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