The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-12-15
RY UPOO ANAANA

Down on the island of Tahiti two world-famous authors pre-. sumably are engaged in writing another best-seiler. And, for the first time anywhere, it iS made public here what the book will be about, the new historical novel by James Norman Hall and Charles Nordhoff, I mean.
 "The Broad Arrow," will be the title, I learned from Edward Weeks, editor of The Atlantic Monthly, several months ago when l was writing some South Sea articles for the New York Times. But the story about "The Broad Arrow" was not written at that time.
 Broad Arrow"
 The book will deal with the early penal colony in New zea. land and the broad arrow" is the term by whihc the insignia of tlie convictg was known. A Tee production of on arrow was sewn into the shirts Of the con. victs when they were embarked from England for their long terms Of servitude ia the prison colony down under.
 Hall and Nordoff, as you know, arc authors Of the "Mutiny on the Bounty" series, (Men Against the Sea, and Pitcairn'S 1sland), followed by "The Hurricane, cur- rently groSsing big at cinema theater box offices. But they had written much before the Bounty" books brought them world fame.
 Why. you may ask, do not the authors return to the United States to capitalize their fame? Why should they remain to write in such an out-of- -the-way place as Q South Pacific island?
 Paris in 1919 was hot with the rcstlessness 10 those who had come from scenes Of blood with shattered nerves and bodies. Two former aviatorg met again after a considerable interim, one re- gently escaped from a German prison camp. Tn fact, Hall es- capped a short time before the war ended and, after chancipg death by guards bullets, almost literally crept across part of Ger many to swim the Rhine and eS- cape into Switzerland the I1orn- ing of the Armistice.
 Shot Down
 Hall was shot down by machine gun fire of German aviators and crashed behind German lines, his motor "csme up in his lap," frac- turing both legs. An anti-air- craft missile had lodged in his motor but had failed to hit vital part, to stop the engine.
 But let Nordhoff tell the story. Nordhoff and Edward Jones, M. I. T., a chemist, and I were sit- ting outside the Hotel Tahiti, in Papeete, dallying with some rum punches as the hour pressed toward midnight.
 "A young lieutenant Of an anti-aircraft battery was the first to reach Hall," Nordhoff related. "Did my gun get you. captain?' he asked, in spite of the pain he was suffering, and it was conSid- erable. noticed the youth of the German officer. just a boy. really He decided to give the lad credit for bringing him down. Hall pointed to his engine and the 'dud' in his motor. right up in lap. resting on his broken legs. See for yourself he told the German.
 "Then some aviators came along and lifted the motor off Hall. took him in a car to staff headQuar- ters." Nordhoff continued. "When they reached the headquarters they gave Hall Q drink or two and then warned him that he had to appear before an intelligence officer.
 Refused lo Answer
 ''rhis intelligence major asked Hall numerous questions concern ing his base. his squadron. hiIn- self. 70 all of ySllch Hall de- clined answer. Finally. when the major was growing exaspeFated. 1zaii remarked; 1f any of the