Tropicalities

ALTHOUGH Monsieur Pardieu was a cordonnier (shoemaker) of sorts, he generally walked around barefoot.

He was a sellier (saddler), but he pre ferred “shank’s pony” to the saddle; and, although a matilassier (mattress-maker), he didn’t mind sleeping any old where.

From time to time, he would leave his little boutique at Vila and tour the plantations in the Group, plying his trinity of trades. While on one of these tours, he arrived rather late one night chez the Jobsons, on Ambrym. Mrs. Job son bustled round and stirred up the houseboy and the fire, and sat Monsieur Pardieu down to the substantial remains of a curry. Like most Latins, M. Pardieu likes his condiments plus plus, and then some; so he asked for pepper. Mrs.

Jobson apologised for the omission, and hurried the houseboy to bring “something

shakim all same belonga kiki”

The boy rushed to the kitchen and returned with a tin with a perforated top, which he placed before the guest. . vQfdieu gave his currv a liberal sprinkling mixing the pepper in with his knife, in true French colonial style. He then lapped up the mixture with Gallic gusto and vocal accompaniments.

It was after M, Pardieu had retired, and was trying to drown the rumblings of the Ambrym volcano with his snores that Jobson shouted to his better half’ through the din: “Well, you might have had a pepper pot put on the table, in stead of that grubby old tin”. He then picked up the offending object and read Insecticide”.

I? the morning, Monsieur Pardieu blithely departed, on his way, none the worse, after the usual handshakes and remerciements, Mrs. Jobson wonders if a curry recipe which included insecticide would be ac cepted for the recipe column of “PIM”. —Dawk.

THE prophetic de Gaulle memorandum of January 26, 1940, entitled “L’Ave nement de la Force Mecanique”, has been published in New Caledonia in booklet form and is being sold in aid of the Free French armaments fund It contains an introduction by the new Pacific Governor-General Brunot The price is 2 francs. The popular opinion in the colony—it is almost a superstition— is that de Gaulle is the genius who is going to win the war, directing the efforts of the British forces as well as those of the Free French. * IN an interesting letter published in “Rabaul Times”, Lieutenant R. M Farlow (now of the AIF, and for merly of the District Services staff in New Guinea), includes the following note on athletic events”:— The athletic events of the Libyan Tournament are rapidly drawing to a close and the Final of the 1,000 mile Open Handicap is the main attraction.

The “Itais” put up a great show and, although badly mauled during the race, sprinted through Benghazi easy winners.

The second prize, I believe, will be a continuation of bully beef and biscuits for us, while a multitude of Dagoes will be fed in luxury for the duration.

There’s a bigger and more interesting tournament advertised on the other side of the Mediterranean shortly, I believe, and Fritz, one of the most likely com batants, practises regularly on the Libyan oval. The idea is to drop from a great height a half ton or so of explosives, which makes a big hole in the ground and a hell of a noise, inducing everyone in the vicinity to try and kid oneself he is protected behind a stone 6 inches in diameter. After this the roll is called and any names not answered are posted as missing, together with the bridge, automobile, or other obstruction which was noticed lying about before the event.

This is a very fascinating pastime, practised by both sides with enthusiasm, and at the same time provides employ ment, in between sets, for the Pioneers, whose job it is to keep the playing field in good condition. * ONE of the Free French Polynesian soldiers, now in camp in Australia, who attended the Pacific Islands Society’s meeting on May 30, happened to mention that the men dearly miss the warm, balmy climate of the South Seas —they felt keenly the cold and rainy winter of Sydney. Within a short time several of the Society’s lady members had banded together in a spontaneous move ment to provide comforts and woollen ?arments for the Islanders. Mrs. E. M. rvine and Miss A. D. N. Busby, the prime movers, got busy and, enlisting the aid of the Women’s Voluntary Ser vices organisation, soon collected a sub stantial sum of money and a dozen parcels of knitted sox and pullovers and thick cloth jackets to protect the chest and back (always danger zones in natives who are susceptible to bronchitis and pneumonia). Mrs. Irvine would welcome

any help or donations from Islands resi dents or friends in Sydney, and con tributions to the fund or parcels of clothing, addressed to her, may be left at the PIM office, Union House, 247 George Street, Sydney. * RUMOUR, that lying jade, is one of war’s closest camp-followers. Here, in Fiji, signs and portents are abroad; gunfire is heard; submarines emerge and submerge: warships signal to shore (with looking-glasses!).

It reminds one of the last war. A planter (Jim, we’ll call him) was famous for his “jags”; and, when he rolled in from the country, swearing an aeroplane had flown over his plantation, the hil arity was unbounded. Wits asked him what colour it was, and if it carried the usual purple spots. Jim was heartily dis believed.

After the war, it was found that a plane from a German raider actually had flown over that part of Fiji—from the “Wolf”, I believe. But no one apologised to Jim. —R. *• SURVIVORS from the French liner, “Commissaire Ramel”, which was sunk by a German raider in the Indian Ocean last September, and who have returned to New Caledonia, report that one of the stewards employed on the liner was a Nazi spy. When the French ship was sunk, and her people taken aboard the raider, this steward gave the Nazi salute, was enthusiastically greeted by his fellow-Huns, and changed into a German uniform. As he crowed around the raider, among the unhappy prisoners, he said it had been a great honour to travel around in that fashion on an enemy ship and - risk death for Hitler.

The people from the French liner were

put aboard a prison ship and taken to the port of Mogadishu, in Italian Soma liland, where they were kept in prisons, under filthy and miserable conditions, for four months. They were released when the British forces occupied Italian Somaliland.

Miss L. Drewett, who has been spend ing furlough in Victoria, will return shortly to One Pusu, Malaita, Solomon Islands, where she is engaged in mission work for the SSE Mission.