CHAPTER VIII 
INACTION AND AN EXCURSION 
As there was really nothing to be done until the 
beginning of the year, we settled down at Port 
Moresby in some spare rooms which Sam, my 
Cingalese head-man, let me have in his house. 
We occupied our time with the despatch of our 
collections. The herbarium, of course, had perished, 
but the moths, butterflies, and birds had come safely 
down from Dinawa. We did not disturb the boxes 
already packed, but merely stowed them in large 
cases, packing them with cocoanut fibre and straw 
to resist concussion. Kach box was tin-lined, and 
on receiving its full complement was soldered up. 
For the procuring of empty cases I was greatly 
obliged to the courtesy of Mr. Ballantine, the Curator 
of the Intestate Office at Port Moresby. This work 
occupied us in all over a fortnight, and finally we 
despatched our collections to England by way of 
Australia. 
Thereafter the days were very dull and uneventful. 
Christmas was fast approaching, but there was very 
little hope of its being a merry one—for us, at any 
rate. The stores of provisions were running very 
short, and our Christmas dinner was probably one 
of the queerest that was ever set before an exiled 
Britisher. I left the task of preparing the meal 
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