69 Keglsugi bamboo and a big Coprosma on the edges. A tight, pandan-thatched house there and an open shed the property of one Kwoima, who also owns the foresta thereabouts and the birds-of-paradise in it. Gilliard probably camped there chiefly to collect birds-of-paradise. Came back on the creek at 10 o'clock (9850 ft.), just above the rock slide. Found Kim the cook sitting there, sick. He had been affected by the wog that is going through New Guinea the night before, but said nothing about it. A long steep climb began there. The edge of the alpine grassland in a glacial valley was reached at 10,800 feet. Forest there mainly of Podocarpus compactus, a Papuacedrus also there. Clearia thickets flowering on edge of forests. Two species of tree-ferns (Cyathea) abundant on the grassland. The bottom of the narrow valley rough and poorly drained. Trail followed the lower left-hand slopes; very wet and sticks laid on it in places. By that time most of the carriers were ahead of me and the trail, was badly cut up by the traffic. About half an hour up the valley I found Hetanin, one of Van's boys, lying alone in the grass. He was hungry and buggared up, he said. I then discovered that contrary to strict orders last night and a before-daylight call this morning, only two of the boys had eaten breakfast. Gave Hetanin some chocolate and kept him ahead of me on the trail. Reached the top of a conspicuous cascade at 11:40 (11,350 ft.). Continued on in misty rain and arrived at the Piunde-Aune top camp at 1:15. Altitude 11,600 ft. The camp takes its name from two small lakes, one several hundred feet above the other, both of which are called Piunde-Aunde by the local natives. The camp overlooks the first lake from an elevation of about 40 feet. John had had a tent rigged to shelter the cargo from the rain. Two small huts of grass and bark were belching smoke, but most of the carriers did not bother to take shelter. Soon the rain cleared for a while, cargo was lined up and the carriers paid, garden produce brought from a group of women who had accompanied the carriers, and most of the people departed for their villages down the mountain. About 20 locals who remained to help us rig camp retired to sleep in three grass huts across the valley. We put our boys into the lowest of the two huts at the camp site, and ourselves crawled into the other. It was about 8 feet by ten, and five feet high at the ridge. Leaks developed with heavy rain late in the day and we stretched a fly over it. The ground was hard, drafts came through the grass walls, and I for one slept little. Tuesday, June 9. The day broke clear and for maybe an hour snow glistened on the peaks visible about 2000 feet above us (the main peaks are hidden from here). A truly miserable day followed, with intermittent cold rain until after nightfall. No sun at all after early morning. Our cook quite ill, and three more of our five permanent boys flat on their backs. Our local helpers needed much bossing from John to bring in timber and grass and build us a more habitable hut. We can stand up in this hut, is measures 11 x 13. We have our beds on the ground, well padded underneath with (moist) grass, and shelves for stores and personal belongings. At the warmest part of the day, temperature outside our work tent (also rigged today) was 50 F. It was down to 42 at 5 pm. Wrote to Archbold, Van Gelder and Womersley, informing them of our arrival on the mountain. Said letters will go down to Dengalagu Mission by messenger in the morning.