Tough!

The People of Reao and Their "Giant Pahua"

From Our Own Correspondent.

Papeete, Aug. 16.

REAO is the most easterly island of Tuamotu Archipelago. Not so very long ago it was isolated and seldom visited. The inhabitants were primitive, wore few clothes and subsisted on fish, pandanus, and patina.

Palma is a shell fish found on coral reefs. The meat is of the appearance and digestibility of caoutchouc.

The people of Reao were accustomed to dry the patina and string it in garlands and necklaces, so as to have a food supply always at hand. The air in their neigh bourhood resembled that which emanates, on a very hot day, from Chinese restaur ants in the byways of Papeete when a bale of dried fish from Canton has been broached. Travelogues and tourist pam

phlets call this smell “the aura of the mysterious and exotic East.”

One day, during a storm, a sailing ship was wrecked on the outer reefs of Reao.

As she broke up, cases of strange mer chandise floated in and were cast up on the beach. Some of these were found to be full of objects that looked and tasted like patina of giant size; but were so tough that even the strong teeth of Reao ans could make no impression on them.

“We will cook them,’’ said the chief.

A big cauldron, from some ship of the far past whaling days, was filled with water and put on the fire. All that day and far into the night relays of natives gathered firewood to stoke the flames.

But the stubborn toughness of the giant patina was undiminished.

A second day of furious boiling—and the same result.

The Reaoans were desperate. They could not bear the thought of all this good ma'a (food) going to waste for the want of proper cooking. So they stoked the • fires and boiled the giant patina through a third day. Still it resisted their efforts to chew it. Roasting gave no better success. It only produced a blue smoke and a smell which nearly suffo cated those about the fire.

Then, by chance, a schooner came in from Papeete. The captain was told the story of the wreck and asked if he knew of any method to make this ma’a popaa edible.

When he saw the objects, and heard of the three days’ boiling, he laughed so hard and so long that he had to lie down and beat the ground with his fists to re cover his breath.

The giant patina were rubber overshoes.

It was not long before all the islands had the story.

The Polynesian loves a good joke par ticularly if it gives occasion to twit the people of another island.

The men of Reao have never been per mitted to forget the giant patina. They have been so tormented that even the casual mention of rubber overshoes is likely to produce a brainstorm.

Reao is still primitive, but thoroughly aware of the marvels of European inven tion. They have radio machines now, and can listen daily to the tumult of all the world and laugh at the absurdities of other races. But they can see no humour in rubber overshoes.

Mr. Alan Villiers, the Australian writer and former owner-captain of the

little full-rigged sailing ship Joseph Con

rad, who navigated her around the world in 1935-36, calling at Papua, the Solo mons, and French Oceania, will shortly have his book “Cruise of the Conrad”

published by Messrs. Hodder & Stough

ton, of London. The volume will contain a section devoted to the voyage through the South Seas and will be illustrated by photographs and charts by the author.

Mr. G. Peacock, superintendent of the Seventh Bay Adventist Mission in New Guinea, arrived in Sydney by the Malaita in August. He lived on Matupi Island, New Guinea, and was there when the

volcanic eruption occurred recently.