-51- The unpredictable, as it concerns the "Jessie," still has to be vouchafed to us in full. The latest vagary is a radio from Buntings: "Unable have vessel Menapi until Monday afternoon regret delay." We stopped collecting yesterday in order to have things packed for pos-sible loading on the boat tomorrow afternoon, and Van picked up his traps this morning. Friday 5/1/53: Strong southeaster and fine weather after early morning and continuing through night. Hoogland, after a fortnight with us, left today. O'Sullivan sent a policeman and prisoner carriers to take his baggage and I accompanied him to Baniara, where he will await a boat for Samarai. I'd say Hoogland is the makings of a good systematic botanist, possible a good field man. At present, fresh from Europe, he does not have a good eye for plants as they growlin New Guinea. It is understandable that a tropical flora might be a mite overwhelming to such a person. Not to be so easily condoned is a Dutch nationalism which will not stand him in good stead in this country, especially as its chief manifestation is in disparaging comparisons with things Australian. Another tendency, which I found it necessary to check on two or three occasions, lies in an apparent urge to poke an oar into anything that goes on. For instance, taking a hand in instructing one's native personnel does not go well. Our progress on the four-mile journey to Baniara was somewhat of a marvel in inefficiency. Involved in the proceedings were four armed constables (without arms) and four prisoners. There were three canoes to transport two passengers and three porter loads of year, when one canoe of the right kind, available at Baniara, could have done the job. About half way along the coast we came to one canoe, adequate for the baggage. A mile farther on was another canoe, manned as was the first by police and prisoners, which was able to carry Hoogland; Walking another half mile to Abuara village, with one of the surplus policemen, I got a village canoe to take me across the strait to Baniara. Lost sight of somewhere along the coast were two police and one prisoner. They had all crossed over from Baniara in the early morning calm, crowded on two small government canoes. No one concerned, including two white officers at the government station, had thought about the almost certain rise of wind and sea later in the day. I had an exciting moment as my canoe bumped through waves breaking on the edge of the fringing reef at Abuaro. Stayed the night at Baniara. A mail arrived overland from the tip of Cape Vogel, having been dropped there by a vessel out of Samarai. Saturday 5/2/53: Returned from Baniara in the calm of the morning, paddled to within a mile of camp by a policeman and a prisoner. A good part of the one-hour canoe trip was taken up by the prisoner, a Menapi man doing a short stretch for stealing, giving the policeman a detailed account of our doings. How we hunted for all sorts of things in the bush, skinned rats and cuscus, caught snakes and put them into cans of medicine, and so on. Both were taken aback when at the end of the trip I spoke to them in Motu, the language they had used.