On Board S.S. Padnsay

Jan. 31, 1934

We were in Conakry this morning and we will be in Freetown this afternoon late. Conakry is a small French port so we did not go ashore. The town is on a head of land jutting out from the main land and it is as neat as a pin. It reminded me for all the world of a south sea island you see in pictures.

You should see the boys come in to unload the cargo. Some clean with rather nice clothing, I mean for a native, and then others just in rags. There must be about sixty or so and they swarmed everywhere. It was the funniest thing to watch them work some of them were so dumb. One boy would stand on the box being swung on the lighter and push the cable holding the box inorder to get it way from the side of the ship and then the captain would blow up and he did not dare to get to scorching because the missionaries were on the deck watching fun.

The colony is French as I said and the boys would play dumb when the captain got on his high horse even though they could understand him when he spoke English. The French officials were just about as bad as the natives, but they did make a pretty sight in their whites from head to foot.

The headman brought some oranges aboard from the shore they were sweet and good and that is saying a lot for me because I do not like oranges that we get at home. One boy brought a stem of bananas to sell to the steward but the steward did not want them so the boy gave them to him.

When the cook was opening the cans this noon the boys swarmed around to get them. They must have gotten a dozen or more with ragged tops and lids hanging.

Three missionaries got off at this place I believe, I mean in Freetown, it will not be long before we land. The girl that is the most fun goes on down the coast a week or so journey beyond us.