[?]00 Many Captain

[?]Ellers

[?]Re Reported

(See also Page 51) N “Calling Captain Keller,” many months ago, the PIM got more responses than it anticipated, he situation has become a little pkward.

Captain Haug, a well known “old ind” of New Guinea, originally rote from Germany to ask if any le could tell him what became of iptain Otto Keller, who was well lown among the small ships of the 3w Guinea-Solomons area before brld War I. There have been a imber of replies—some (see page of this issue) insisting that Cap in Keller was killed by natives in e Solomons nearly 40 years ago; hers saying that Captain Keller is alive and well in Rabaul in the wenties.

Later in this article, we print a ;ter from Mr. Leslie Gill, well town planter, of Vella Lavella, lomon Islands, who knew Otto dler, and who says he was killed savages in the Solomons. In this, is supported by Mr. Carlton >unger (PIM, July last).

But now comes another letter >m Captain Haug. He says: “Cap in Keller was alive in 1920, when was skipper of a small steamer which Captain and Mrs. Fehr were ssengers from Bougainville to (haul. Captain Fehr was one of b German planters who were ‘ex jpriated’ and had to hand over his Dperty, Twi’, to the Board.”

Incidentally, Captain Haug asks ■ details of the Kuper family—and Gill says that Henry Kuper was sociated with the Captain Keller 10 was killed in the Solomons.

T knew Kuper in the Carteret ands,” says Captain Haug. “It a coincidence that a few days ago vas talking with my friend Hugo rnatzik, who was giving a lecture Darmstadt, and we discussed iper. Bernatzik was a guest of 3 Kupers on Owa Raha before Drld War I. I suppose the old in is dead; but maybe the boys 3 still there.” (He has been ad ed that the late Henry Kuper’s i is a well known and esteemed ;ident of the Solomons.) ■t now seems probable that there re two Captain Kellers—one, who s killed in the Solomons over 30 irs ago, and another who was in w Guinea some 20 years ago and to is reported to have died a Jap >W in Malaya in World War II.

Keller and Jack London

Leslie Gill wrote under date gust 15: KNEW a trader and recruiter named Otto Keller in the British Solomons, but more than years ago—in fact, a year or two ■ore World War I. He was in rtnership with Harry Jacobsen

and they were planting around Star Harbour, San Christoval, and were also trading and recruiting around Makira, Ulawa and Malaita.

I met Otto several times in Tulagi (I was recruiting then on Malaita and Santa Cruz), where we foregathered at the end of recruiting trips. Keller offered me a share in his partner ship, but I was already committed to take up land on Vella Lavella, in the Western Solomons, so was unable to accept.

I understand that Henry Kuper, newly arrived, after a short sojourn in Gizo, came East and joined that outfit, instead of me.

I cannot exactly say whether Otto Keller was then alive (when Kuper arrived), because I had gone West and the news filtered through that Otto had been killed whilst recruiting at, I think, Fiu, a little north of Auki, Malaita. As I heard it, Otto was chopped with a native long-handled tomahawk in the re cruiting boat at the beach, whilst surrounded by naked savages.

When I knew him, Otto Keller was probably about 25 to 30 years old. But there was no captainship of a “small trading schooner” in his life at that time—though he did own and run an Island schooner. He could have been Jack London’s “in evitable white man,” because he often referred to his meetings with Jack at Berande (Penduffryn) and around Gavutu.

On one occasion he said to London: “My word, Jack, you’ve an easy way of making money. All you do is to walk up and down the verandah and dictate to Charmian, and get paid a dollar a word for it.”

“That would be all right,” replied Jack, “if I were paid for every word I spoke. But it’s not as easy as that, as I often have to tear up a day’s work as not being good enough.

Editors or publishers do not pay big money for tripe. You have to keep U P to standard, otherwise you are sunk.

Jack London kindly agreed to read the manuscript of a book Otto had written. After reading it, Jack said to Otto: “You want a candid opinion, Otto?”

“Of course,” replied Otto.

London then went on: “Otto, it’s rotten. Marvellous material; enough for about ten good books. Why did you have to tell everything in one?

That long, tedious opening died with Dickens or Sir Walter Scott. No publisher would look at it, because no reader could stomach it. Then those slabs of descriptive matter thrown in at intervals by you for local colour an{3 information. Pad ding, just padding. You have to get your effects in a few words. Broad sweeps of the brush—not a lot of niggling small strokes. Come, I’ll show you. Take your first few pages —it can all be put in a short open ing paragraph, such as this . .

Seizing a pen, London dashed off a few lines, passed the paper to Otto Keller, saying, “Get the idea, Otto. Try to set your stage some thing like that . . . briefly . . . make it snappy.”

Otto told me the result was a re velation to him. His turgid pages were on that slip of paper—glowing and transfigured—in a few vibrant, magic lines of Jack London’s.

II Popular resident Air Force Officer in Port Moresby, Flt.-Lt. C. Miles, left Papua for Australia on Novem ber 26, after three years Territory service. He will be replaced by Flt.- Lt. Drury, of Home Command head quarters—a brother of Mr. Tom Drury, Acting Superintendent of Air Navigation with DC A at Port Moresby.