Arangkaa, Talaud Islands, Indonesia

Hugo started off for an all day hike. David suggested I should go off with him. Marian was cleaning shells, which left Anne rather out of things. At first she wanted to go along with us but David rather hurriedly got two praus to take him and me ashore.

David was ahead in a prau with one paddler and I was following some distance behind when I noticed that the water was rising in the prau. I began to bail with a coconut shell but the prau soon sank. As I went into the water with my cameras and equipment, I called to David. In turning his prau around it capsized and he went into the water also.

Ah Fook came out in the launch very quickly and got David and me back to the boat. I began at once to see what damage had been done. My Weston exposure meter was full of salt water and beyond repair. My Bantam color camera was well protected in a water proof bag and only needed a little cleaning, but the Rolleiflex was thoroughly soaked. I took it apart as much as possible and soaked it in alcohol with Fenton’s help, but the shutter got worse and worse and finally would not open at all. It was definitely out of commission. My watch had a little salt water under the crystal but the works were all right. David’s watch had some salt water in the works and Fenton tried to clean it. David lost his glasses, of which he had a duplicate pair, which were not quite as good.

David felt it was his fault. Fortunately he did not have his camera with him.

Hugo returned at 10:30 P.M., after a very long hike to Essang Bay. He had some new and interesting specimens.

I had a headache in the afternoon and missed dinner for the first time on the trip. Anne was very considerate and sent her electric fan to my cabin, screened the light in the companion way, and offered me medicine.