L. 13, P. 3 A Tues. Apr. 7. Went out with Brass to see how he works his plant-collecting. We went along past Dr. Vernon's place and then turned off to the left. Saw a number of orchids but not in flower. Very hot. We did not get back until half past eleven. In afternoon went across to Gov't office to read up on the Annual Reports, in which are included many short reports of expeditions into the interior. Archbold developed film most of day. A number of excellent pictures already. In the evening had Port Moresby on the radio. Reception much better. Two messages in and one out. About eight oclock the "Laurabada" carrying the acting governor of Papua arrived. He is Mr. Champion, father of Ivan Champion who made the flights with us last week, and of Claud Champion who is on the government staff here at Daru. The last with his wife has just returned from four months leave of absence. Our station is developing rapidly. Sheds have been built to house the aeroplane gasoline, to contain the generator for electric light and radio power, and a workshop by the plane for Rogers has been completed. The house is now wired for electricity and a big radio mast is going up today. In fact there is so much mechanical activity going on that I begin to wonder when something will be accomplished about the expedition proper!!! The spare engine for the plane, covered by a big tarpaulin, is sitting out in the yard, and Rogers has been overhauling the second generator which we brought back from Dogwa on Saturday. Wed. Apr. 8. Today spent the morning reading "A Prince of India". Arranged in the afternoon with Brass for us to take a canoe and our boys and go across to the mainland tomorrow collecting and to spend the night at a mission village named Old Mawatta. The place has been seething with activity: Rogers and Julstedt working on the ship and radio; Rogers fixing up the generator from Dogwa; Archbold cataloguing photos; Rand skinning birds; Brass and I getting ready for the trip. A message from Sydney advised us that they didn't know how to test gas and couldn't understand what was the matter anyhow, and please ship back the two drums of leaddless gasoline. What we'll do next I don't know. Thur. Apr. 9. Rand and Archbold with Dr. Vernon are going out in the "Pitt" to the reef other side of Bobo Island, taking with them some tow lines, a couple of rifles and materials for collecting sea birds. They also carried one of the field radio sets. Heavy rain during the early part of the morning delayed the start for both parties, but eventually Brass and I with our boys left in a canoe with outrigger and the others went on board their boat. We caught the tide very nicely and were across the other side and having our lunch beofer the "Pitt" had gone anywhere at all. We watched her slow progress all through the afternoon around the end of Daru and across the channel to Bobo, and that evening we could tell by the bright light of one of the gasoline lanterns that she was anchored off the eastern point of the latter island. Old Mawatta is a village of six houses and a "mission". No missionary lives there, but one may stop by once in a while and the house is rather larger than the others and has a veranda of split cane flooring. The village is really built on a high sandy beach about a hundred yards across, having the sea in front and an extensive swamp behind it, where the water lies thigh deep. Along the back of the beach stand irregular masses of big trees Calophyllum, rather fig- like, with knobby trunks and thick leaves, and quantities of rather dense grass with the sand dune vine Ipomaea twining through cover most of the ground. The beach proper is of fine white sand, and the exposure at low tide is very ample - nearly a quarter of a mile. Along the beach, besides the Calophyllum, are several stands of coconuts, evidently old plantations. I took a walk along the shore after lunch and before sending any of my four boys out with their traps to get an idea of the possibilities of the place.