Native's Courage
p. 35 · Read in the full issue
How He Saved Companion From Alligator
BY M. HARPER, M ANDO LIANA, SOLOMON
Islands.
IT was late on Sunday evening, and my house-boy was off in a canoe to the mainland to see his folks. He had to return at “First Fowl” (5.30 a.m.) to light the kitchen fire and work the refrigerator. He went off 0.K., as happy as could be.
When I awoke about 6 a.m.. no house boy was to be seen. When the labour ers came. I asked where the house-boy was, and then I heard the following story: The house-boy, and a boy named Vikaar. who was coming to ask for work, left Hoomba in the early hours of the morning (11.7.38). in a small two man canoe. After getting out over part of the reef, they were suddenly attacked by a large alligator which, with wild but straight sweeps of its tail, soon had the canoe smashed to pieces.
Then the fun started. Both boys were waist-deep in the water, and as it was still not light, were as a loss to know just what had happened. Soon, however. Vikaar screamed and Mat thews (house-boy) grabbed Vikaar. and then he saw the alligator. It had grab bed Vikaar’s leg near the thigh, and it tried to drag him off to deep water.
However. Matthews hung on and, with great pluck, managed to keep his hold.
The alligator, to get a firmer hold, opened its mouth and shifted its hold,
and. with a jerk, smashed the bone in Vikaar’s leg. The blood worked the alligator into a fury. It lashed out and knocked both boys over. In doing so, it lost its hold and, with fran tic strength, Matthews pulled the unfor tunate Vikaar ashore. Matthews then started a long canoe ride of 10 miles to the Tulagi hospital.
Vikaar is now in the Tulagi hospital, under the care of the Senior Medical Officer and his staff, and is progressing as well as can be expected. The cour age of Matthews in holding on to Vikaar and saving him is remarkable, especi ally as it was not quite light, and he might easily have been taken himself.