Can You Top

This One?

Amusing Pidgin incidents are happening every day in the Territory, but this is the funniest we’ve heard for a while. It all happened to a new European employee of Qantas, in Lae, NG.

With his meagre knowledge of Pidgin he was doing quite well, and picking up a bit more each day. But the time came when he had to book a native on a plane trip to Wewak.

The conversation went something like this: Qantas Officer: You want to go along Wewak?

Native Passenger: Yessir, mi laik go long Wewak.

QO: Have you any cases?

NP; Yessir, mi gat tupela paus.

QO: Ah-h-h two fella “paus”—oh yes, pouch. You got wife?

NP: Mi nogat Meri. Mi gat manki, tasol.

QO: Oh, a monkey, ay? Well, you will have to go along to the Agriculture Department and get him sprayed, then put him in a box before you can fnirp Tiim NP: Mi nosave bokis long manki. Em i olosem yumi, em i wokabaut na abaut.

QO: (A little testily at be ing likened to a monkey, even though it could “walk about now about”): Now, don’t you be cheeky, and hop off and get that monkey sprayed, and fix up a box for him. There s going to be no animals loose on that aircraft —making a mess and ripping up seats.

At this stage an Old Hand walked in, explained that a manki was a small boy, and straightened the thing out, and all was well. Small boy was neither sprayed nor put

in a box.-

■PR.