Poor Mr. Frings

An incident after World War I, as related by Sydney H.

Chance to R. W. Robson.

IT was 1920; and, in Manus, New Guinea, Mr. Sydney H. Chance, ADO, was co-operating with the Australian- New Guinea Expropriation Board in formally taking over and valuing the properties of the German nationals in the Western Islands.

The small vessel Nugeria had gone out from Lorengau (Chance’s headquarters) with about 30 Australians, who —on be half of the Board —had formally entered into possession of plantations at Maron, the Anchorites, Ninigo, etc.; and now the displaced Germans from those places were passing through Lorengau, en route to Rabaul.

Herr Eyssen, newly arrived from Maron, Called formally upon the ADO. “You remember Herr Frings, at Wuvulu?” he said, “Veil, he is dead. Shortly after you vere there, poor Frings got sick. Black water fever. He vos dead in three days.

Ve buried him there on Wuvulu. See, I bring you this to show you.”

He unwrapped a parcel. Inside was a cigar-box. Inside the box were a number of test tubes, filled with a liquid of the colour of port wine. The startled official was assured that these were the last mic turitions of poor Mr. Frings evidence beyond argument of a death from black water.

The German went away, and Mr.

Chance sat there in his little office and thoughtfully regarded the test tubes.

“They’ve gone to remarkable trouble

to convince me of the death of Frings,” he said to himself. “However, I suppose it’s alright. They seem to get bad fever out there occasionally.”

ONE of young Chance’s first jobs, after his appointment to Manus, had been to visit all the German plantations in the Western Islands and make a complete list of the properties and equip ment. He went first to Maron and, assisted by Ralph Gore Lambert, he cata logued the possessions of Herr Wahlen, who once lived in state in the “Big House on the Hill.”

Thence he proceeded to the plantation on the Anchorites, and there dealt with the manager, Herr Herman Pudor. Now adays, it is reported that only one native remains in the Anchorites. Chance in 1920, out 15 on the official list. He noted their extraordinary ear ornaments of tor toiseshell, and how their ear lobes reached almost to their shoulders.

Then the ADO boarded the Ninigo (commanded by Captain Bill Stower, formerly of Bristol, England, and more lately of the Light Horse) and was taken on to the Ninigo Islands.

As they were approaching Wuvulu, Captain Stower told Mr. Chance that “Mr.

William” had died there some time pre viously, and that he had not been liked by his fellow-Germans because he was not enough of a Teuton! His name was Borchardt or Bernhardt—. but he was generally known as “Mr. William.”