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is always willing to climb for you providing you present him with a biscuit, a stick of trade tobacco, or a cigarette. For one biscuit I have often obtained 3 or 4 paw-paws (pronounced by the natives pawpayah) or cocoanuts. The milk of the latter is very refreshing & when on an excursion we generally discard our water-bottles in their favour. As we did not start on our trip till fairly late we had no time to make a thorough examination of the vicinity beside which my lady "Lili" wanted a good deal of coaxing.
Friday 9th : Two short trips were made today. The first one was to a plantation a few miles away where we did some rather good bartering; - that is good from our point of view. For a bag of rice we obtained (on loan) a ship's anchor, 6 cases of benzine,1 doz cocoanuts, & a GRAMAPHONE with 60 records. Rather a good haul, eh? In the afternoon we searched the foreshores of Ganta Ck for a tree suitable for a new wireless mast. The present installation is not too successful. Neither was our search; there were a few straight trees but these were so sappy that it would be impossible to float them down the Creek, besides which they would be too supple for the purpose. At the head of this creek there is a large plantation of kapok trees. From a distance these trees look like telegraph poles with their straight trunks & horizontal branches from which the pods hang like insulators. We returned to Madang at dusk & found a native waiting patiently for the Major's arrival. He was an applicant for the heart & hand of a "Mary" who had taken his fancy. The natives call all their womenkind "Maries" & it is no uncommon