Tropicalities

PROBABLY many P.I.M. readers could supply examples of quaint native ex pressions, such as “house belong letter” for envelope, “picanninny belong foot ball” for bladder, etc. I was nearly beaten by this one. I received a pencilled note from a bright native in a distant village asking for some “oil-ocean.” For tunately, he did not leave it at that, but went on to explain that it was for his eyes. Of course, I sent him some eye lotion; but I still don’t know whose

twang was to blame.

p.

FEW men have had a more varied ex perience of Fiji than Thomas Horne, merchant, of Suva. He arrived in Fiji in 1883, and, always interested in the history and traditions of the native people, nothing pleased him more than to collect several of the old chiefs in his heme and listen to their stories. Many of the legends he learned were carefully noted down. Unfortunately, some years ago a fire destroyed many of his impor tant records.

Mr. Horne is notable also as a patriotic Scot. On one occasion he was challenged by the late Sir William McGregor (later Governor of Papua and other British possessions), then a medical man in Suva, to recite “The Cottar’s Saturday Night.” Young Horne never faltered in his recital and, as a result, a brand-new half-sovereign went into his pocket.

Incidentally, this Scottish bond is sometimes useful. Not long ago “Tommy” went into an umbrella-maker’s shop in a Sydney suburb with a damaged gamp.

He wanted it hack that “ver-r-y mor-r -ning!” The assistant said it simply could not be done. But the Scots accent had penetrated into the back of the shop. Out came the master himself with hand out stretched. “For a brither Scot,” he de clared, “of course it shall he done!”

Eriki.

'TTROM a Tongan correspondent: During recent years, there have been among the Chief Justices of Tonga an ex-sailor and an ex-schoolmaster. How about a sound lawyer, one day? * * * 1%/T ASTER, master, hamai! Mi gi mata heloa! Hamai, waive!” (Master, come here, see the devil. Come here

quick!)

Breathless and trembling with fear, one of our little islanders rushed with these words into my bungalow. He pointed out to me some natives, standing at a respectful distance from a heap of coconut palm leaves. They told me. trembling with fear, that they believed the devil was in that heap, where there certainly was something, moving and growling.

I went to the dangerous heap to face the devil. In the light of the nearly full moon I saw something moving, like a little snake, but I could not make out what it coqld be, as no snakes have ever

been seen on our Tasman Islands (north of the Solomons).

Then I guessed what it was. I grabbed the wriggling thing, and pulled hard.

There were shrieks, the whole heap heaved, the natives ran away howling in terror—and I was left with a tail in my hands and, on the end of the tail, a small, fat pig, which had sought a com fortable bed under the palm leaves.

J.W.G.

EDITORIAL NOTE: There are only about 100 natives on this tiny group of Nukumanu (or Tasmvn). The interesting fact that they are one of several Polynesian remnants in Melanesia is shown by the word "Hamai” (come here). It is almost identical with the Maori “Haeremai,” which means the same. * * * *TMME marches on, and American Samoa * is trotting at its heels. The day when native belles were contented to act in films just for the fun of it has passed, in the opinion of Mrs. Dorothy Reid, widow of Wally Reid, film star. On her return recently to Hollywood after work ing as an associate producer on location in the South Seas she sorrowfully de clared that native beauties in American Samoa, were no longer to be tempted by a few shells. They demanded a

guinea a day and meals !-

J.C.G.

THE present vogue for “cruises” to the Pacific Islands is nothing new. In 1898 the Union Company sent “the power ful and magnificent steamer” Waikare from Sydney with more than 160 tour ists. Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands, was the first port of call.

A survivor of that cruise is Miss Doro thy Wentworth, of Vaucluse, Sydney, a grand-daughter of W. C. Wentworth, the famous Australian statesman, who visited the Group in 1814 and was one of the

first men to land there. Among the files of the loi Karanga, a belligerent little newspaper which had belched forth brimstone against its contemporary, the also now defunct Te Torea, is preserved the note of welcome sent by Queen Makea to Sir James Mills and his tourists.

“You are thrice welcome to our land— the land of Tumutevaruvaru-ki-te-taringa o-Papa. Come across and witness the ways of Rarotonga, the land of Tumute yaruvaru.”

Nothing loath, the newcomers accepted the Queen’s invitation. Buggies and saddle horses were in readiness to take the visitors round the island. Despite the fact that the British Resident, F. J. Moss, was then in holts with the Queen and the majority of the chiefs—he left Raro tonga soon after —local troubles were forgotten, and every effort made to enter tain the travellers with appropriate Cook Islands hospitality. To the performer# who gave native dances and songs, at the behest of Makea, Sir James Mills mad* “a handsome donation in gold.”

The Waikare subsequently visited Ta

hiti, Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji.-

“Eriki.”

VI/HO found the world’s only known »» bat with coloured wings? Mr. A. J.

Vogan says that he discovered the creat ure, in the Trobriand Islands (Eastern Papua), several years ago, and described it fully. Australian museum managers, who seem to take a delight in twisting Mr. Vogan’s tail, now are trying to rob him of the credit of his find, by saying that the queer bat was “collected in the Trobriands in 1910.” Mr. Vogan is vigor ously challenging the statement.

Although now past his 78th birthday, Mr. Vogan is still a doughty fighter in matters scientific and literary. He now is the only survivor of the Colonial Scien tific Expedition which explored the Fly and Strickland Rivers, Western Papua, in 1885.