at Rarotonga

The Royal Molars

How a Calamity Was Averted at Rarotonga

From Our Own Correspondent.

Rarotonga, Sept. 2.

LORING ANDREWS, the American writer and novelist, who recently re turned from California to take up per manent residence here, had an amusing experience whilst fishing last month.

The author favours the native method of getting his dinner and is highly pro ficient underwater with diving glasses and a 12ft. barbless spear, with which he thinks nothing of spending three or four hours exploring coral caverns on the ocean side of the reef.

A short time before this incident oc curred, Tinirau Makea Ariki, Paramount Chief of Rarotonga and also an enthu siastic fisherman, had gone out at Aro rangi to seek the wily kingfish. There was a choppy sea running and, coming back, the royal canoe capsized at the entrance to the narrow passage. The Chief, who was alone, scrambled ashore with difficulty, minus canoe, fishing tackle, fish and —his false teeth. The loss of the latter was serious. Two visiting warships were due shortly and there were to be feasts and junketings at which he would be prominent.

Young bloods were sent to Arorangi and there spent hours unsuccessfully searching for the missing plates. Days passed and soft foods continued to be served at the Palace.

A week later, Loring Andrews, swim ming about outside the passage, saw, 10 feet below, a strange twin marine growth, pearly white and apparently growing on a pale pink crescent base. Intrigued, he dived down and to his astonishment found a perfectly good set of false teeth.

Enquiry revealed their ownership and the royal molars were restored to the royal mouth, social calamity was averted, and gastronomic equanimity re-estab lished in the Palace.