Happen Again

It’s Happened Before It Will Happen Again

By “Daika”

THE interpreter walked into the Native Hospital Office, accompanied by a group of kanakas armed with bows and arrows. They weren’t locals by the look of them, and anyway, the locals didn’t go armed as routine, any more.

More trouble.

The Medical Assistant looked up from the stack of papers on his table and sighed.

“Master,” said the interpreter, “All this man ’e talk bigfelo sick ’e come up long place belong ’em.” Putting down his pen, the Medical Assistant asked where, what kind of sick, and how many people had died, if any. There followed a rush of garbled jargon as the kanakas answered the interpreter’s questions. Finally, the interpreter turned to the Medical As sistant and said, “Long Binj planty man ’e die. Neck ’e strong, head ’e pain, man no can turnim head. Sick come up, now man die quick.”

Asking a few more questions, the Medi cal Assistant decided to send a Native Medical Orderly to investigate, as the hospital was full of patients, and he didn’t want to leave them to the not-so-tender mercies of the station orderlies. He was in the midst of selecting various medi cines to send along, when once again he was interrupted by the interpreter. This time he had a note from the missionary at Binj. which read, in part: “It would appear that there is a certain amount of some serious disease in this area as the natives tell me that quite a few of their people have died. I would be grateful if you could investigate, as the position seems serious.”

Deciding to investigate the position himself, the Medical Assistant sent a note to a newly arrived wife asking her to pack a few things as he was going on patrol. Back came a note from her in double quick time, “Am going with you.

Will not stop on this station by myself under any circumstances.”

The position was explained to her, but the young missus was determined to go along.

Preparations complete, the small patrol set off early next morning for Binj. Nor mally it was three days walk away, but the patrol intended to try to reach there in two days. There followed first, a walk over roads which at the best were onlv pig tracks, but everything, went well until the young missus developed a blister. The pace was slackened: and slackened again.

The offending shoes were exchanged for sandals, and after a six-hour walk the Government Rest House was reached where a stop for the night was made.

Peace reigned supreme until early morning when the young missus, sure that hostile natives were attacking, woke hpr husband. Thereafter came periods at regular intervals when whispered re assurances were necessary to pacify a nervous wife. Sleep, though ardently wooed, was unattainable. It was a tired and heavy eyed couple which set off next morning, still with the intention of reach ing Binj, a day and a half walk away even yet.

Not knowing much about that particu lar area, and hoping that there was a short cut to Binj, the Medical Assistant asked the interpreter if there was an other road they could take which would get them there that night. There was, it appeared, and the interpreter was only too pleased to show the way. In much better spirits the party moved on. It

wasn’t long, however, before the spirits hit an all-time low. The “short cut” was an abandoned road, overgrown by the notorious kunai grass and thorny creeper.

The young missus was suffering from sunburned legs—received the day before —and the kunai and thorns played havoc with it. The early morning mist had left the kunai wet, and there was no escaping it. To walk at all it was neces sary to actually force one’s way through it. The sun came out, and down in the high kunai, the party was almost cooked.

Later in the day, the sun became hidden behind clouds, a wind sprang up and it began to rain.

CROSSING the Wahgi river over a bro ken bridge was the next thing. All the cargo had to be untied and car ried across two strands of not-too-strong cane. This put the young missus in a “home to mother” mood, and she swore that if she finished the walk alive, she would pack up and get out of the place, never to return. She was pacified, and was happy to learn that Binj was only a short distance away. The “short dis tance” developed into a further three hours, with Binj still not reached.

Just qs dusk was approaching, and on topping a small rise, there lay Binj, only a few minutes walk away. It looked to the weary patrol much the same as the promised land must have looked to the wanderers in another age. Five minutes later the Rest House was reached, and the final indignity descended upon the shoulders of the long-suffering young missus. The Rest House was just in the course of construction, and consisted of only wall studs and roof. No floor, no wails. Hysterics were averted only by the timely arrival of the local missionary who invited the party to stay with him.

The invitation was gladly accepted.

THE following morning the investiga tion into the epidemic was com menced. Word was sent out to all boys to report in to the station immedi ately. The boss boys arrived, but there was a noticeable lack of sick people.

Puzzled, the Medical Assistant asked the missionary what had become of all the sick people; where was the epidemic?

“Oh,” replied the missionary, “what we thought was an epidemic appeared to be common colds.”

“But what of the deaths that were re ported?” queried the Medical Assistant.

“It appears now that three or four people died of old age in the local ham lets in a week, and you know what these natives are like at exaggeration.”

If the Medical Assistant had not known, then he surely learned in a hurry.

Further investigation proved that the missionary was correct. No epidemic, or serious disease; no sudden deaths. Just three patriarchs dying of old age within a short time of each other. The Medical Assistant wasn’t game to tell his wife; he just let it slide.

The return trip was taken over a dif ferent route, with short walks each day, over better roads.

Good experience, you might say. Agreed.

A good lesson well learnt, and one which is not likely to be forgotten in a hurry.

If you don’t believe me, ask the Medi cal Assistant’s wife.