Satan's Colour

The Garden of Eden in Pidgin

THE following conversation took place, in Pidgin, between a European woman in New Guinea and her cook-boy, whom she found was a Mission product.

The lady wanted to find out how much the boy knew of Holy Writ, so she started with Genesis.

Said she: “How’s that man ’e come up along country?”

The boy: “Now one fella garden ’e stop —no got man; now God ’e catch im some fella white-sand; now ’im ’e hold ’im along hand, now ’im ’e blow along ’im, now man ’e come up.”

The lady agreed, and asked the boy if everything was then “good fella”.

“No”, said the boy. “One fella man ’im ’e no good. God ’im ’e like make ’im one fella Mary along : im”, and he duly ex plained how God took a rib from the man and “one fella Mary ’im ’e come up”.

So far so good, thought the lady, and asked him if everything was all right then.

“No”, said the boy, “Now along this fella garden, ’e got one fella dee-why along fruit, ’im ’e itambu. God ’e talk all-a-same, no can kai-kai along this fella. Now Mary ’im ’e catch ’im one fella fruit, all-a-same apple, along this fella dee-why. Now nurra (another) fella man ’e stop along garden, ’im ’e bad fella man, ’im ’e talk all-a-same along Mary ’im ’e catch ’im this fella fruit. Now altogether something along garden ’im ’e come up no good.”

The lady again agreed, and said: “Ah.

this fella man ’e no good, now what name along ’im?”.

“Satan” said the boy glibly.

“True”, said the lady. “This fella ’im ’e bad fella too much; ’im ’e black man true.”

Immediately the reply came: “No, Missy, ’im ’e no black man; 'im ’e white man true!”

Thus are our black brethren instructed.