Los Negros Nostalgia

By Mrs. R.C.W.

11THEN I realised that Los Negros ▼ T Island, on which the American Forces landed, in the Admiralty Islands, was what we know as Papitalai, it brought back memories of my only visit there —perhaps the jnost amusing night I spent during the time we were stationed in the isolated, sleepy district of Manus.

We were guests of the hospitable cap tain of the NDL ship “Freiderun” for two or three days while it was loading at the various plantations in See Adler Hafen. (This captain had had an adven turous trip during the last war; in South America, when war broke out, he and two others bought a cutter and sailed it back to Germany through the British blockade.) On this particular night, gloriously moonlight, we danced till midnight on the deck, then gathered up beer and sandwiches and descended into one of the string of whale-boats being towed to Papitalai plantation to load copra. We were accompanied by the only two pas sengers on board —an English doctor's wife from Hong Kong, and a German who had recently been a Secretary of State in the Stresemann Administration (I am writing of 1933).

On landing, we proceeded by lorry to the bungalow and danced to a gramo phone and our host’s accordion until 4 am Little did we think, that night, when seated on that bungalow verandah, look ing out at the vast expanse of silvery water which is Hyane Harbour, that a mighty fleet would one day sail in there, and American Marines land on the beach below us.

We piled back into the lorry and were driven at broak-neck speed back to the landing stage—our host standing on the swaying lorry, still playing his accordion.

We were just seated in the plantation pinnace, waiting for the petrol tank to be filled and the rudder fitted, when the big pinnace from the ship came to pick us up. However, as the manager had to go out to the ship, we decided to stay where we were, and the ship’s pinnace moved off.

Then “Sailor” (our host) had the bril liant idea of trying to race the other back to the “Freiderun.” With cries of “Get up ’im, engine” (start the motor), “Put ’em n’eil” (needle), “’e go down” (accelerator), “Put ’im n’eil ’e go down more, put ’im n’eil ’e go down alter getter,” we raced neck and neck down the long, narrow, winding channel and across See Adler Hafen to the ship. How we escaped collision, I do not know; nor can I remember who won.

Aboard ship we repaired to the cap tain’s cabin, where he mixed some special drinks for us, and then at 5.30 am, just as dawn was breaking, all except the captain, who went up to the bridge to start his day’s work by moving the ship to Pitalu, went sleepily off to their cabins.

Three members of the LMS from Paci fic Territories were on leave in Sydney in April. They were the Rev. Maurice Nixon, of New Guinea, the Rev. Henry Whyte, who is returning to Samoa, and the Rev. J. H. Spivey, of the Gilbert Islands.

The Rev. R. L. Challis, of the LMS, Rarotonga, while on furlough in New Zealand, has been holding a weekly ser vice, immediately following the usual service, in the Terrace Church, Welling ton (NZ), for Rarotongans living in that city.