Orrible Tahiti

Tory

Bout Large Rats

I7TIEN M. Maurice Calamy, heir t to the former Rougier Estate Christmas Island, returned to ipeete aboard the schooner New olden Hind, with a cargo of copra om his Tuamotuan atoll of Nen •nengo, in January, he brought with m a tale that should chill even the mtest female heart.

It seems that M. Calamy first took i residence on Nengonengo several onths ago with some labourers, her the schooner had sailed away e atoll appeared, on the first day, be no more or less interesting than y other atoll.

But at sunset the scene changed me what. There were stirrings gh up in the leafy palm tops. As e sun dipped below the horizon jek, black shapes began to des nd from every tree. The night e of Nengonengo was under way.

The whole island was alive with ts, ravenously hungry, infinitely orough in their search for food, ways ready to try anything once.

Nightly, M. Calamy’s bed was in ided. He would wake to the sharp te of a fat, warm rodent com

mencing a meal on one of his toes.

Finally, in desperation, he had his men build a raft, which he anchored off in the lagoon, with most of his foodstuffs stored aboard it. Here, at least, he would get some peace— so he thought.

But the rats thought otherwise.

Retiring to a night of restful sleep, M. Calamy soon woke to see the lagoon between raft and shore star spangled with green eyes, and the first of the horde clambering aboard, many of them “as large as over grown rabbits” (to quote our corres pondent).

Within minutes, so many rats were aboard the raft that it capsized and sank. M. Calamy lost most of his stores, but he swam ashore with the visitors.

He and his labourers had been living for some time on fish and

coconuts when the New Golden Hind arrived.

But M. Calamy is not deterred in any way. He hopes that when next he sails for his atoll there will be a hundred terriers as fellow passengers.

Then shall the night life of Nengo nengo be more interesting than hither to-fore. One can imagine the pained surprise on the faces of those rats like-rabbits when they descend their trees at sunset to welcome home their patron.

Editorial Note—We Em

phasise that this story is supplied by our Tahiti correspondent. We firmly decline to take any responsibility whatever for it.

Madame Lucille Cross (nee Schultz) of Raiatea, French Oceania, visited Auckland and Nelson, New Zealand, in April-May.

It took a Supplement to the Wes tern Pacific High Commission Gazette, with 40 lines of big type, filling the whole of a foolscap page, to record the fact that the Treasurer -and Collector of Customs in the Gil bert and Ellice Islands Colony will in future be known as the Accoun tant-General and Collector of Cus toms.

The Rev. Ivo Ruiter, who recently joined the Society of the Divine Word Mission in New Guinea, is a licensed pilot of small aircraft and a ticketed aircraft welder. His arrival was par ticularly welcome to Bishop Leo Arkfeld, since most of the flying for the Vicariate’ of Central New Guinea has been done by the Bishop per sonally in recent months.