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-63- bodies, just about under the arm-pits, the wet one drops off underneath. A perfectly modest performance, and how much simpler than our undressing in the bushes, and struggling into clothes again if we want to go bathing without benefit of bath-houses! We ask a boy who has been working for us as "commission agent" all week if he can get a pestle and mortar to grind some corn for the males. He thinks that he can rent one for five cents. Itchee, the comely young daughter of the Mandoer, spends the morning picking lice out of her young brother's head. The Mandoer's youngest sits all morning in a basin of water in the sun. The Mandoer's wife, who is soon to present him with more offspring, watches all our movements with a tired interest and occasional red-toothed grin (betel). The daily rains make life a constant battle against damp and mildew. To-day we are airing everything before packing it. The inside of the typewriter case is positively mossy, shoes, helmets, towels, cameras, books all have to be sunned whenever there is a ray of warmth and light. Between rains in the late afternoon we loaded our menagerie aboard the Noesa Ina, the little government launch that is to take us back to Ambon. The P asanggrahan seemed very quiet after all our cages had gone, although the odor of cuscus is still pungent. We sent the Mandoer out for some disinfectant to scrub the floor, but here, in the Tropics, where disinfectant is needed badly, there is none to be had. Oh well, sun and air will doubtless do wonders before the next guests stop here. The Rajah's room, which has been occupied by Henry the hornbill, needs a good deal of sun and air, too. May 3 - Piroe - Amboina We left instructions to be called at five o'clock, but the Mandoer, going perhaps by the sun which was not yet up, called us at 4.15, so we had an extremely early breakfast. By six all our baggage, and the few birds that had to be carried down by hand at the last moment, were all on board, and just as the sun came up, we hoisted the anchor and sailed away from Ceram. The Noesa Ina is small but comfortable. About eight o'clock we began to feel hungry, and two of the sailors warmed up a couple of tins of pea soup for us - a good nourishing breakfast. [[strikethrough]] One [[/strikethrough]] ^[[Neither]] of our white cockatoos has [[strikethrough]] n [[/strikethrough]]ever been in a cage. One we left on its perch, and hung the perch near the rail of the boat, to Cocky's great amazement. [[insertion]] ^[[Jacob,]] [[/insertion]] the big one we put in a bamboo cage, and he promptly ate his way out, and had to be transferred to a cage that had been originally built for cuscus and was not the right size or shape for him at all. Otherwise the ^[[j]]ourney was uneventful. We passed close to land, and through a narrow passage instead of the main entrance to the harbor, and saw big white cockatoos flying over a little fishing vi[[strikethrough]] a [[/strikethrough]]llage. About one o'clock we reached Toele^[[j]]oe on the coast of Ambon, as close as we can go on this government launch to Amboina. Native praus came out to meet us, and we clambered over the side of the launch and were rowed almost to shore. The water was
Transcription Notes:
Typographical errors in original document were uncorrected per transcription instructions. sfl
