Extraordinary Plague of Big Snails

Big Snails

The Japanese invaders have been ousted, but Kavieng is still the victim of another invader. Japanese troops intro duced a giant land snail as a source of food, and now the snail is looking for a source of food. This silent invader is slowly but surely oozing his way inland, destroying vegetation as he goes. At night the roads are covered with them, and in the day the crushed remains lie rotting in the sun.

Everywhere are the empty shells of those destroyed by natural enemies, yet their numbers are increasing. No one excepting the Japanese have cared to place them on the daily menu.

Meanwhile, until an Australian scientist discovers a counter-destroyer, there is nothing that can be done to stop them.

Driving down the highway one after noon in our jeep, we wqre halted at Put Put by native sentries who immediately began peering all through the jeep, under the hood and under the vehicle.

I inquired as to what was the idea and was told it was a precautionary measure to keep the snail invasion at a snail’s pace.

We were also shown what is called “Blue Hole,” a miniature Carlsbad Caverns. Although natives once referred to it as “pies masalai” the Japs, using it as a source of water, chased out the masalai, and the natives do not fear it now. It was a very impressive spot, something I had never before seen.

I was also amazed at the numerous varieties of fish to be caught around Kavieng and the inexpensive delicacies such as the giant kindam and kuka. One kindam was a meal for our ship’s officers. , The Japanese also left a good airstrip which Mr. Roberts has repaired. Many Japanese fighter and bomber planes still stand in the revetments, although the lot of them are but a shrapnel-riddled shell of the one-time dreaded raider that gave me many a miserable night on Bougain ville and Guadalcanal.

Manus and Los Negros, next on our mission, were not very interesting. Lor engau still harbors a US Navy base, and Los Negros an air strip. There is a wonderful highway now, which bridges the Loniu Passage between the two islands.

Leaving Manus, we made one short stop at Cape Gloucester which, in spite of the battles that were fought there, had as beautiful a landscape as any place we had visited.