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DIARY NO. 7

Book for summer collecting trip, June, July, August, 1929. Diary number seven. Previously there have been 314 boxes of specimens, and mammals including no. 254.

June 14. This has been a very hard and strenuous day of packing, managing affairs, and meeting social obligations. I have 17 loads, one head coolie, and two men to carry a semi-sedan chair. There are five collectors besides myself and anyone who gets footsore will ride.

June 15. Last night I worked until two o'clock, but got things all ready, including the listings of the contents of the boxes. I got to bed about 2:30 A. M. The coolies arrived at five. I had breakfast and got an early start, we travelled 80 li to [[underlined]] Gav [[underlined]] ^ [[Gao]] 'Tsang' or High Village. We had to wade a swollen stream, in which a coolie sprained his ankle. The netter Chen and Yang Fong Tsang have headaches. It was a very hot day. We got some good insects.

June 16. We left Kao 'Tsang' at about five o'clock. The first 30 li is over a very bad road if the road is wet from a recent rain. Fortunately it was dry. In one spot robbers robbed a party two days ago, and we were told that nine armed robbers were on that road this morning. Evidently they heard we were coming and evacuated. We had to cross three creeks and the river besides. We made 85 li to Li Chi. We got a good number of insects, mostly bees. The day was broiling hot.

June 17. About dark last night I began to notice black cumulus clouds in different parts of the sky. Occasionally there was a flash of lightning. I prophesied that there was a storm coming, but nobody believed it. It began to rain a little at about ten o'clock, and about eleven o'clock there came a downpour of rain that kept up for a couple of hours. It then lessened a little, but rained hard until morning. By daylight the river had risen until none of the small creeks could be crossed. It was very muddy, and we had to cross the tops of high hills, at least doubling the work for the first 20 li, besides getting wet. The wind blew the rain through our clothes.

Last night the room we were in leaked in many places. There were no windows on the river front, and the wind blew the rain far into the room. I moved two or three times before I found a dry spot.

When we got to Yoh Boh, the escort and the coolies had their minds made up that we would spend the night there. When I asked if there were ferry boats on which to cross the river, some said yes and others said no. It was raining. I started out for the crossing with one coolie. If we could cross I was to send back the coolie, and the colectors  [[2nd l inserted by hand -- collectors]], the coolies and the escort were to come on promptly. There was no boat in sight, but I waited awhile, and after awhile a boat came. I sent for them all to come. It was a long time before they appeared. The soldiers of my escort tried to pursuade them not to come. However, we went on 30 li to Ma Liu Tsang. The river was very high, and still rising.

There were very few insects out, so we did not secure many specimens.

June 18. This morning it was very had travelling on account of mud puddles and [[underline]] rivlets [[underlined]] ^ [[?inlets]] [[/underline]] that had to be gone around.