Snake

The Prince And His

Nukualofa’s Hectic Hour

NUKUALOFA never will forget the homecoming of Crown Prince Tau fa’ahau, who arrived there is December, fresh from Newington College, Sydney, to spend the Christmas holidays in his own country.

The Prince, like all lads, is an ardent student of natural history. When passing through Fiji, he somehow found and be came attached to a snake.

There are no snakes in Tonga—little excitement of any kind, in fact. “This,” said Taufa’ahau, “will stir up the boys at home!” He put it in a box,'and added the box to his luggage.

The Prince is popular in Tonga. Half Nukualofa assembled at the wharf to greet him. There were cheers and singing. A band of high-spirited musicians played lively airs.

The snake had recovered from sea sickness. The music stirred him.

The Prince was ashore in the midst of joyous meetings, when a steward accosted him anxiously.

“Your snake, sir,” he said. “’E ain't in his box!”

True enough. The box was open. The reptile was free in a hitherto snakeless Tonga.

There was a wild alarm. The Chief of Police assembled the whole of his force.

A quick search disclosed no snake.

A grim-faced Minister of the Crown took the Prince aside and showed him a solemn law of the Prince’s own realm: “No person may introduce any new animal to the Kingdom of Tonga without first obtain ing written permission from the Premier, with the consent of Cabinet.”

The news spread. Anxious parents rushed around, gathering their children into safety. The elders held grave debate.

Someone hopefully suggested that the oc casion demanded ceremonial kava.

The police chief was a resourceful man.

He quickly enlisted a large volunteer force which, led by the police, spread out fan wise from the wharf, through Nukua lofa’s grassy streets and lawns, searching every nook and cranny for the missing reptile.

Queen Salote and Prince Tugi took their erring son silently away to the pal ace. No one knows what happened there.

One presumes that Crown Princes are not spanked.

The search went on for hours.

Then, suddenly, a mile away from the

beach, the palm trees quivered to a wild hulloa. In a paddock, coiled in the grass, a native constable had found the snake.

It was a new problem for him —so he danced around it, and howled. The ser pent raised its head, and hissed.

The photographs were taken just before, and just after, death.

The Prince is back at Newington. A reporter wanted to discuss snakes with him. But the Prince is an athlete, and the reporter did not like the look in his eye.

As Josh Billings (or someone) said: “Snakes is tabu!”

Right: The serpent which disturbed Tonga’s Eden, as it was found after a long hunt. Left: A Tongan policeman holding the reptile, after it was despatched.

Photos.: W. Finau.