Tropicalities

Pacific Islands Monthly

Magazine Section

How The Head Got

Into Hogshead

SEARCHING for some data on 5 Gilbert Islands early history, I came upon a story in an old ook, solemnly told by an early lissionary.

This was in the bad old days ben Islands communities were aled by their own chiefs, aided and betted by runaway Europeans.

George Murdoch was a sort of rime minister and general mana sr to notorious King Binoka, of bemama. A ship was wrecked on le of those atolls and a party of istaways, in much distress, was ought to Murdoch.

Murdoch took one look at them, ad prescribed rum. He hastened ito a goods shed, and disinterred small cask of rum. The battered id famished sailors drank deeply, id seemed much better.

King Binoka came along to ex nine the new arrivals. When he ,w the rum cask, he seemed a :tle startled. Murdoch explained iat the rum probably had saved me lives. Whereupon the king sat wn, and slapped his huge stomach, id bellowed v/ith mighty laughter.

It appeared that, shortly before urdoch arrived in those atolls, an lemama trader had received an der for a dozen skulls (complete ;ads preferred) for a Sydney sdical school. He approached noka. Binoka found a few skulls, id completed the order by be ading six or seven of the less pular of his subjects. The heads, : preservation and transport, were iced in a small keg of rum.

Sydney duly received and paid • the heads. The trader there was uctant to waste all that good n. The Abemama trader had put an order for more rum. The dney trader tested the keg that d just arrived, decided it was OK, >ped it up with fresh rum, and it it back to the Gilberts. :t duly reached the royal house id. But Binoka’s entourage was jpicious —it was placed in the ik of the shed, out of sight and mory.

Peking up the story from His ijesty, Murdoch repeated it to i shipwrecked sailors.

About one third of them ap ired very unhappy” reports the

solemn missionary, “but they said nothing. But, such is the mastery of mind over matter, the remaiinder of the sailors became ill, and vomited very much”. — R.

The Uncomplicated Savage

THE simplest schemes of making money are always best. One native in Port Moresby thinks so, anyway.

This lad went into a bank, filled out a withdrawal slip for £6, then took it into a local shop and asked

the girl behind the counter to cash his “cheque”.

She did—and away he went six quid richer and no doubt believing that Cargo Cult was old-fashioned stuff.

The King And The

Circus Horse

WELL do I remember the oc casion on which the first cir cus visited Nukualofa, Tonga.

Wirth’s Circus I think it was, and the year about 1901. For days prior to the first showing, the Tongans worked furiously to make and sell copra to raise the wind for the great occasion.

The season opened with a com mand performance for King Tubou I. who was obviously fascinated with all the wonderful acts and animals, and before the show was over it

A big smile from a small girl. A photograph taken at Hanuabada near Port Moresby by German photographer Bernd Lohse.

was quite clear that the King’s heart was set on a magnificent white horse, for which he promptly made an offer to the circus mana ger.

The latter was very reluctant to sell, but finally, perhaps for diplo matic reasons, it was agreed that the horse would be handed over when the circus departed for home.

Great indeed was the King's pleasure when the noble animal was delivered to his pastures, and ail the population of Tongatabu came to admire this handsome ac quisition to the royal stable.

Then came the day of the annual opening of parliament and the oc casion for the white gelding to head the team which drew the royal coach on these occasions.

It was clear that the King was greatly pleased with his purchase as the carriage moved out of the palace grounds and past the ad miring crowds.

The Royal Progress nearing the rnalae of parliament building was almost over when the drawn up military band sounded a roll of drums and the first bars of the

national anthem. It was routine procedure for the arrival of the Fling—and for the opening of the white gelding’s circus act!

Until then, as he grazed on the King’s pastures, the white gelding had merely seemed a better-than average looking white horse. But at the first bars of the anthem he reverted to circus performer.

Up he went on his hind legs, higher, higher, until he was stand ing quite erect; then he began to advance again in a graceful waltz step —to the right—to the left— then a circle hampered by harness and carriage.

Momentarily dumbfounded, the populace roared when they realised that they were seeing again one of the principal acts of the circus.

King Tubou was perhaps the only one not completely delighted.

Quickly he realised that, whoever else used this fine beast, His Majesty was the one man in Tonga who could never do so.

He alighted hastily from the carriage and continued the Pro gress on foot. — JDW.