-50- will walk overland to Tapio, via Abuaro and Podargo, thence west along the coast to Medino, Baiawa, Kwagila, and Kewansasap. They carry their swags, three days food, trade tobacco to buy more food, guns and three cartridges each. In the bustle of leaving, Jimmie dropped his arms permit which natives bearing firearms are supposed to carry at all times. The precious document was picked up in camp later in the morning. Early in the afternoon a letter arrived from Peter O'Sullivan at Baniara. His radio news was that the Jessie would arrive here tomorrow. He was going to contact Buntings in an effort to have the boat diverted to Mukawa Mission to pick up a hospital case for transportation to Baniara, and asked my OK. Sent the approval by another messenger, and in remarkably short time a third runner turned up with the information that the proposed call of the Jessie at Mukawa had been cancelled, and that the "Leander," a government vessel, would pick up the hospital case. A pending dance may have had something to do with the speed of the messengers. There was a canoe launching at Menapi village during the afternoon. And the villagers brought presents of food for our- selves and boys. Bunches of cooking bananas for the boys. Eating bananas, papayas, watermelons, pineapples, pumpkins and tomatoes for us. Then as night fell, the fillagers gathered to dance in the lamp- light in front of the resthouse. At 10:30 they are still prancing back and forth and singing primitive songs to the beat and throb of 20 drums. They are nice people when one gets to know them a little. Good progress made with the packing of stores and gear. The or- ganization for our move is complex. Provision is being made for a week of collecting from the coastal village of Baiawa while the bulk of preliminary transport is being made inland to Biniguni by Ken. The main lot of stores and supplies for use at the top camp on Mt. Dayman is being sent in first. Then 10 days supplies for a possible waiting period at Biniguni while carriers are being marshalled for the mountain. Rice for the carriers on the mountain and cases of tobacco and drums of salt to pay them also have to be sent in. Ken has most of the stuff packed and marked and stored in the copra shed at the plantation. A fourth lot of collecting supplies has been packed for a mossy forest camp on Mt. Dayman, and a fifth for the main work at Biniguni and a probable camp at the junction of the upper rain forests and the mid- mountain forests. Thursday 4/30/53: Somewhat showery in morning. Clearing later. Slight SE breeze. Yesterday there was very heavy rain between 10 and 11 followed by scattered light showers in the afternoon. Night bright and starry. The dance last night ended about 11 o'clock when I was called upon to make a speech to the assemblage. Village Constable "Maclaren" translated my English into the local Paiwa language. When the dancers had dispersed, three sophisticates in white shorts treated us to selections on mandolins -- native songs, including one composed during the war when many natives worked for the armed forces at Port Moresby. The theme of this mainly on the monotony of the rice diet they lived on.