13 May. 0530 came very quickly in spite of our early retirement, but we all slept well, I think. Certainly I did. We moved off at 0630 - the porters did, that is, and we followed shortly afterward. First we forded the river, about knee deep and put our boots on the other side. That was a good effort, but we forded the river so many times and the mud was so deep that before long we gave up as we were losing so much time putting on and taking off our boots. At one of the cross- ings the skull of a crocodile was impaled on a post as a warning but the stream was clear and limpid. We passed first through the village of Opagwari, after about two to 21/2 hours march, Budmag (Budumaga) an hour and a quarter later and Biniguni about 3/4 after that. I was pretty tired and completely parched on arrival, but the cooks had been at the head of the column and tea was waiting when I straggled in. For the first part of the trip Ken and I were together but after two hours marching I have to travel at my own pace, which is just about half anybody's else's, I fear. A pay-off of porters took place immediately or arrival, followed by another reorganization of stores as Len and I start up the mountain tomorrow morning. We hope to camp at about 650 or 700 meters for the night and go on to the 1400 m. the next day. Ken and Van will start on the second day and make the 1400 m. climb in one day climb, being young and strong. Ken may not come then, depending on the porter situation. It is now five P.M. and another early turn-in is forecast, for me anyway. 14 May. We left Biniguni, Len, myself and six boys and eight porters at 0730 in a chorus of wild yells and yodels. The first mile or so was level, through wet forest and we passed one of the former sites of Biniguni. The current one is the fourth village of that name, the three previous ones having been abandoned perhaps because of a death in the tribe, perhaps because something else hamted them. We crossed the Gintum River, in a bouldery glen and were then faced with our climb. It war more or less straight up but through forest and not over rock, and was pretty hard on the legs. I never knew before how big and heavy my feet are - always con- sidered them sort of dainty. At 570 meters we stopped for about 20 minutes, having stopped at short intervals all the time. The porters, who had started off at a great speed, were tiring, and at 700 meters we came to the last water for that particular stretch and made camp there about noon. Tomorrow we should make at least as much again, and the back of the job (I hope not mine) will be broken. At that point, which is to be the site of our second mountain camp, Van and Ken and the main body of porters should join us and we shall rig and leave a fly there for the future. On the following day we shall continue up, but the slope will be less abrupt, until we reach the site of the top camp. That will be a thousand feet at least below the real summit but it is the last water on the mountain. The weather has been good - cool and bright - it clouded a little in the early afternoon but cleared again and has been a good climbing day. The trail is all clay and would be terrible if it were wet. We took little Losima with us to do the cooking and he stayed close by our side all the time; when we made our 20 minute halt he gave us his own cup, ours being packed, to drink from, a gaudy, green enamel thing with red flowers all over it. So dense has the tree cover been that at only one point could we see anything out from the mountain, and our noses have been pretty much in the mud. 15 May. We turned in shortly after 2000 last night, both of us pretty far gone, but were up at 0530 and on our way again at 0700. Today's was a tough, grueling climb. There was a message from Ken; he had not got all the porters he needed and he and Van are not coming up today. Instead the Biniguni chief is bringing what men he can with more food and Len's collecting gear and I suppose the remainder will arrive with Van.