Samarai!

Martial Law In

Citizens Flee To Arms

Contributed

RECENT developments have caused considerable alarm to the worthy burghers of Samarai (Eastern Papua) some of whom are making hasty pre parations to evacuate the island and flee to the safety of the hills. “Back to the Bamboos” is said to be their slogan.

Coming so soon after their narrow es cape from the local head-hunters—an escape from which they can never be sufficiently grateful to “the four abso lutes” —this new alarm has set the erst while peaceful community by their ears.

An unusual feature of the remarkable affair is that no one knew anything about it until the intelligence arrived in a hitherto unknown Sydney journal, which stated, in its issue of July 30. that “Samarai and Galilee will be gar risoned by steel-hatted British Tommies and armed police”.

The first reaction to this startling an nouncement was one of great indigna tion; and a crowded public meeting, headed by the Mayor and Aldermen, re solved: (a) That a strong protest be sent to His Excellency the Lieut.-Gover nor (and a copy to Canberra) against the counling of Samarai with Galilee, a land with which Samarai has nothing in common save a well-developed, fully matured thirst: and (b) that anyone found on the island with a steel hat. or a stolen hat, be weighted with fire bars and sunk in the stream until well perforated by the toredo borer.

These resolutions having been carried unanimously, the inhabitants immediate ly divided themselves into two camps.

One, as stated above, made hasty pre parations to evacuate the island, whilst the other occupied a strategic position commanding the communication lines be tween the two pubs, and are reported to be strongly entrenched there.

Later

Further reports are to the effect that a number of the guards have withdrawn themselves from the vital channels of communication referred to above, and the fugitives have postponed their depar ture indefinitely.

It is stated that this development is due to a rumour, probably ill-founded, that the original report should have read “Samaria” instead of Samarai.

Nevertheless strong reinforcements have arrived from the plantations and mines on the mainland, and any threat to the libertv of the subject will be met with the strongest possible resistance.

Latest

An indication of the ferment which has been caused by the recent unrest mav be found in the fact that September 1 found the whole population in arms, at a dance in the Institute Hall (in aid of the Cricket Club funds) which was somewhat marred by an incident which caused “wholesale destruction of pro perty” when the M.C., in a moment of abstraction, was overcome by his emo tions whilst handing round a tray of coffee cups. But normalitv was restored eventually and the casualties up to now are listed hereunder: — Missing—One upper set of dentures.

Killed—Nil.