Mika's Pink Pearl

By A. Cross

MIKA and Joeli were good friends.

They went pig hunting together, and they helped each other with their plantings. So it was only natural that they should go pearling together, Mika owned a small punt, and they arranged to fish a certain reef for the pearl-shell, which they could sell to the local Chinese store.

“Suppose we could find a pearl,” said Joeli, as he skilfully poled the punt over the placid waters.

“Well, whoever finds a pearl keeps it, replied Mika, as he busily baled the punt dry, •‘Good!” said Joeli, “Each will put his shell at opposite ends of the punt.” And so it was arranged.

When they reached the diving-ground, each donned goggles and, with this scanty equipment, they dived and fished until the incoming tide warned them to climb aboard and call it a day.

Each had quite a pile of the pearl oysters at his end of the punt; and Mika took the pole on the homeward journey, while Joeli busied himself opening his oysters, all of which proved quite barren of any kind of pearl. He piled the cleaned shell into a basket, and took over the pole from Mika, so that he could open his shell.

Mika’s pile was quickly disposed of.

But, as he opened his last shell, he found to his delight a pink pearl of wonderful size and beauty. He held the perfect sphere between his finger and thumb for Joeli to see, and the rays of the setting sun made it glow like a live thing.

Joeli gasped: “Mika, what will you do with it?”

“Keep it until some honest trader offers a fair price,” replied his friend, tying the beautiful gem carefully into the cor ner of his neck cloth; and the two friends continued on their way to the village.

Although they spoke of the pearl only under their breath, the news leaked out somehow, and Mika was pestered with requests to show his pearl. The local Chinese storekeeper offered him £5 for it, but Mika refused to sell.

One day, the tribal chief arrived at the village, and a goodly number of chickens met their fate, to provide the usual spread, for such is Fiji custom. The chief must have the best the town could offer.

After he had dined, and while the finger bowl was being passed around, the chief said, “I hear ojie of your young men has found a big pearl”.

This simple remark was rightly inter preted as a command for the pearl to be brought to him. Someone hastened to tell Mika that the chief was inquiring after the gem; but Mika refused to take heed The native drink, kava, was served, and after partaking of a bowl, the chief re peated his statement. He had heard that one of their number had found a pearl.

Another messenger hastened to Mika and said, “His lordship in the Big House wants to see your pearl”. Mika replied to the effect that he could want.

But when a third party hurried to him with the same request, and foretold the dire ill luck that would befall the town if the chief’s whim was ignored, poor Mika betook himself to the chief’s house, and after creeping on all fours, he handed the dirty handkerchief, with the pearl knotted in one corner, to the chief, who leisurely untied it and rolled the beautiful gem into his fat palm, exclaiming over its beauty. Lying there, it appeared to be shot with a dozen different tints.

Calmly slipping it into his wallet, the old chief magnanimously said: “Very pretty indeed. Go to the store and select a couple of shirts and a sulu for your

self, and tell them to charge it to me”.

Poor Mika had no alternative but give his humble thanks, and crawl out back wards from the presence. Not long after wards, I heard that the pearl had been sent to a European market and the in surance alone was £lOO.

Such is the fear and respect the natives of Fiji have for their chiefs. Mika cheer fully collected his shirts from the store; and, I am told, is still diving for

pearlshell

A Papuan native, Salawai, who had been employed for 13 years by Pt. Moresby Customs Department, was drowned on September 15, when attending to his evening duty of lighting the harbour beacon on a reef near the main wharf.

Swimming to secure his dinghy which had broken adrift, he failed to reach it and, attempting to return to the beacon,

disappeared.