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As the afternoon wore on, the nearness of the Southwest Monsoon became increasingly evident. A stiff wind, sudden gusts of rain, and a wallowing sea, made animal keeping anything but a pleasure. Three times we got completely soaked to the skin ourselves, because we dashed up to the boat deck to cover up gibbons when we saw a cloud on the horizon, and the rain came whitening the sea, and blowing horizontally on us before we could get back to our own quarters. 
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The big Mawas kuda from Atjeh sits and skakes his cage alarmingly, and it has all been reinforced with steel wire and guyed to stanchions so that he cannot shake it completely to pieces. He is the most dangerous animal aboard, not excepting the Sumatran tiger, and certainly the most fearsome to look at.
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Davis and Jennier are discouraged almost to the point of tears. Davis confessed at dinner time that there was one bird cage he had not yet been able to reach - the roulrouls have now been three days without food or water. The Captain promptly ordered two sailors to go below with Davis and sort out cages so that this last lot could be reached, and saved - if indeed they were still alive. Only two of the twenty were dead. As Davis said "Boy, they sure can take it."

August 12 -

The day is still a little stormy, but not as bad as yesterday, The Captain turned all hands out to help the boys place their cages where they want them, and make of Nu mber Six hatch something approaching a tidy Zoo. With help, it was done, and Jennier and Davis are cheerier. The female blue sheep, one of our rarest animals, is not feeling so well, and everyone is hoping that she is merely seasick, and not suffering from an overdose of sun the day we were in port. The blue sheep are mountain animals, and the noonday sun is hard for them.

Gaddi is at work again. The first day we were out I watched him, and he spent the whole day running his legs off up and down the deck, always with a couple of buckets of sweet potatoes, or water, trying to get all the stock fed and watered before the day was over. He never had a moment to draw breath, and when I asked him, "Well, Gaddi, what do you think of life at sea?" he answered, "It is very good." Yesterday he was seasick. After many valiant efforts at conquering the qualms, he finally had to give up. He is such a plucky little soul that it must have been hard for him to admit defeat. Today he is smiling and busy once more.

The Captain showed us his movies in the evening, pictures he has taken on his round-the-world trips, and he had some very good shots, especially of porpoise, albatross, and the Medan Zoo.

August 13 - 

I have been promoted. I fed the gibbons before breakfast, and then spent two hours down in the hatch cutting up apples and bananas for the birds and ani als. Bananas are required cut in three different ways, and a bucket of each kind, so it was quite a job. I had Stengah out for a while, and gave the poor mite a bath, which she seemed to like. The Captain's dog tried to make friendswith her, but the tiny bunch of fur did her best to bite him.