L. 25, P. 13 Mon. Dec. 28. Was talking to Oroville wondering how [illegible] we might get in touch with Port "Oresby", when suddenly he came in and said he had just been listening to us. He cleared our business quickly and sent on my message to Daru asking him to come in at one o'clock. At one I picked up Daru and got Beach to the other end where I was able through the operator to get him to send a large sailing canoe to get me at the mouth of the Mai Kussa. The anoe is due to get there to pick us up on the eighth of January. So at last matters are settled. Spent the day packing up and generally winding up my part of the collections which are being left for Rand to bring out. Tues. Dec. 29. Full moon last night. Got everything down to the water side in readiness for loading. Tide still low at 5.30 but rose quickly. We got away from just at eight a.m. First bend (r) 8.15; second bend (l), {time not noted} third bendxxx: 8.50; Our little expedition comprises three canoes with double outriggers copied after the style of the seagoing kiwai canoes. I have each one rigged with a small fly over it to give a bit of shelter to our gear in case of rain. We plan, heavily loaded as we are, to work down on the tides to Azasaco (port of Buji) at the mouth of the Mai Kussa. This morning's tide was not a very high one, and probably we wont get many hours travel before we meet the incoming big evening tide and have to tie up till it readhes high (a out six o'clock). In my canoe I have my first boy who speaks some English, Kanamoia who functions as cook boy, and a crew of two locals. The other two canoes are in charge respectively of the police boy Koimi, and the medical boy Kousa. In each canoe I have four of our regulrs and a local crew of two. Third bend (r), 9.10; furth bend (l), 9.19; fifth bend (r), 9.40. We still have the falling tide with us, but I doubt whether it gives more than 2 mile per hour. We seem to be traveling at about one third of the speed of the "Goodwill" coming up. The 9.40 is the last sharp bend we met. The river runs generally SSE. I stopped at 11 to let the boys get fresh water at a place they knew about. The local boys that is. Thinking the tide must be just about low and ready to turn I decided to wait over, cook food and catch the evening high tide. But as I write it is past noon and the water is still running out, so I lost at least an hour. The tides are so darned uncertain in these parts that you cannot calculate them as you can in most parts of the World. We are on a savanna from which the trees have mostly been destroyed by fire. The water, a seepage, is good. Decided to push on a bit more before the tide gets too strong. Pushed off at 1 p.m. The boys, knowing they are on the way out, were anxious to keep moving, and it was all the same to me so we went. However we naturally didn't make much time. A light, intermittent west breeze helped a bit tho$. About 3.30 a stray fragment of SE wind sent us to cover. That wind coupled with the still rising tide was too much. So wetied up at a fairly good place at 4 p.m. 5.30 p.m. We are now set either to go on by the light of the full moon with the tide as it begins to fall, or to stay the night through. Rain is threatening from the west, and it is evidently giving Tarara which we left this morning a good bath. But the SW wind seems to be holding it off from here. I have a fly set up in case it should come. Tide was high at Tarara yesterday at six p.m. Under the tail of the departing storm which after all beat the SE wind we got away. It was practically dark at 7.30, and though the sky had cleared in the west the moon had no perceptible effect for the first hour. Vivid lightning flashes lit up the sky and momentarily blindedus, and between such the paddles dripped phosphorescence. Hour after hour we paddled and I must have dozed for I dont know when we reached the Jaro fork of the river. At midnight we entered Jaro creek at practically dead low water.