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103 exactly is exempt from consular invoices. "Merchandise consigned to the UnitedStates Goernment" is one thing, and we decided - may the powers that be sustain us - that tapirs and gibbons and dicky birds are "merchandise". In the evening we met Dr Picard, the government veterinarian who has to give us certificates that our hoofed stock is free from rinderpest, contagious pleuropneumonia, surrah and foot-and-mouth disease, and that our apes, cats and dogs are free from rabies. Mr. Ven den Weerd, the shipping agent, had dinner with us. It seems now fairly definite that the Silverash will not go to Baltimore for us, and the conversation during dinner was pretty acrimonious. Just what Bill thought of the Kerr Company for refusing to let us charter the boat and steer it where we please was pretty lurid. July 17 - We had a busy morning, seeing the bank, the Straits Steamship Co., and various wholesale merchants who are to supply food for our stock on the homeward run. We ordered more than a ton of bananas, one hundred dozen eggs, papaya, salt, grass, chicken mash, and other things. Back in the hotel, we were handed a letter from Carpenter, who had taken offense at Bill's unwillingness to assume responsibility for Carpenter's gibbons. I was simply foaming I was so indignant at anyone's writing to Bill in that tone of voice, and just then Helen Coolidge turned up saying sweetly, "See who's here" and it was Carpenter. It was really fortunate, because he and Bill started kidding each other about the letter, and no ill feelings will follow. We had a large lunch party - Helen, Carpenter, Mrs. Carpenter and her sister, Van den Weerd, Williams and the two of us, and the lunch was reistafel - a darn good one, too. After lunch we went out to the Zoo, and Bill picked out some of the animals he would like to have to take home with us, adding principally two half-grown orang utans to our collection. In the evening we had Berthold and Audretsch at the hotel for dinner, and the talk was all of animals. July 18 - We had cholera inoculations this morning, on account of the very recent epidemic in Siam. Then Epperlein's for sausage and joghurt, then to call on Harold Coolidge, who is not as well this morning. The poor boy is certainly having a terrible time trying to build up strength for the homeward journey. We sailed from Belawan on the Kedah at five o'clock. Carpenter went down with us, and we stopped for a few min tes to see his gibbons, which were aboard the City of Singapore. He has
