Tuesday 27 October 1953 (cont) #2 Camp Showing slight improvement. Len has decided to terminate expedition. Ken will leave for Mapamoiva tomorrow with intention of talking to Samarai by radio & will send off cables to home. Will ask Buntins to send boat to pick us up at Bolu Bolu on Nov. 3. 2 carries: 1 tomorrow and 2nd Saturday to Wakonai rest house. To Bolu Bolu on Monday. If Geoff has died or if the opinion is that he cannot travel in the near future, Len & I will sail for Normanby to collect there for a few weeks. We hope that Geoff can be flown home as a stretcher case. In that event I will accompany him. No plans can be made until we get latest news from Samarai. Much confusion at home--Geoff's condition & our whereabouts. Ken gave me his 2 Goodenough slings & collection of stone implements. These will be presented to the Museum. Wrote note to Kay & caught up on latest news in Time & Kay's clippings. Ken had word that his father had died in Wales. Gave him my watch. Wednesday 28 October #2 Camp Ken left early this A.M. with Niko. My boys found 2 batches of Pogonoms yesterday P.M. -- holes in trees. Also shot a Rhinolophus in clearing last night. Isilele brought in the real prize, our first Melomys for Goodenough. Dark mole- like fur. This makes 22 species for the island. Reorganized food supplies & put out excess for first carry tomorrow. Spent day making up skins. Spent short time out jacking. To bed with Time. Thursday 29 October #2 Camp Sailed from N.Y.C. 9 months ago today. The 2 young boys I had asked to look in the small caves above Garuwata showed up today with 3 Hipposideros--new for the island. Now 23 species. I was so pleased with their work that I gave them 3 sticks of tobacco and 6 boxes of matches & 3 sheets of newspaper. I had been after this bat for weeks. Up before daylight today: saw the little sheath-tail but did not get it. Found a low bat flyway behind cook fly. Act like Hipposideros-- fast flyers. Also saw Dobsonia and heard Nyctimeme. Fixed up 16 carrier loads for Wakonai. Carriers arrived about middle of A.M. & had a feed of rice. Then with 5 sticks each & some newspaper they were off, Kim with them to stack & cover in rest house. I shall never be able to see newspaper being thrown away without thinking of the paper hungry Papuans. Made up bats, unpinned specimens--good drying day--and took off bird skin cotton. Some of them are not too bad--my first field skins. Poor bat shooting tonight but I did find a Cuscus "out on a limb" near camp. We pack up tomorrow. Word from Ken should reach us on Saturday. He should have reached Mapamoiva & radio communication with Samarai today. Losima is first cook today--he made a good meat & potato pie for dinner. Friday 30 October #2 Camp We received a note by runner from Ken today saying that he has been in radio contact with Samarai: Geoff is improving; he will be allowed to travel by air; Dusty has booked us south on Thursday, Nov. 12; the "Jessie" is on her way to Normanby & will be sent on to pick us up at Bolu Bolu early next week. Cables have gone to U.S. from Len advising that we are terminating expedition. Ken's trip to Mapamoiva was uneventful. Traps came in today--our Melomys remains a unique specimen. Spent day packing our gear; we are ready for the early arrival tomorrow of carriers. A few drops of rain--our first in this camp. Len will botanize on the way down to Wakonai tomorrow and I may have a day or two to pick up last minute specimens from the village. We are sorry to miss our collecting on Normanby but there's always the future. I can hardly believe the expedition is