When They Brought Out
p. 99 · Read in the full issue
The "Cat" In Moresby
Mrs, Nourma Abbotsmith says of herself that “perforce, I have lived around the world a little”, because she is married to a Master Mariner, One of the places she has lived a little was Port Moresby, when the first House of Assembly was being elected. Her novel, White Girl, Brown Skin, is based on her observations during that time.
If she had lived there longer she may not have been so con fident of getting inside the skin of the main, Papuan characters of her story.
It would be interesting, how ever, to know what piece of research led to the author having one of her old timer characters saying: “If a native attacked a white woman, which didn’t happen very often, he was thrashed, then chained to a post in the main street. A cat o’ nine tails was laid within reach of the passer-by so that every white man who passed could give him a hefty cut for good measure. . . JT.
(White Girl, Brown Skin.
Rigby Ltd. $3.75.)