Evening star., 1942-10-23

and all the banana trees were de-
stroyed beyond repair.
The commissioner explained, very
worried, that the island was low on
provisions OF all sorts, because there
had not been a supply ship along
IN some time, owing to the war.
There was little rice, flour, tea.
sugar and salt, but the stock of
canned goods was almost gone. His
wife had used the last tins Of carrots
and peas to make stew for us our
flrst day on the island. Chickens
were still plentiful. and there were
wild pigs, but of general provisions
the islanders now had a supply sufn-
c1ent for only two weeks.
Gifts Pour In.
Nevertheless, the natives, a brave
and generous people, began pouring
gifts of food upon us as soon as the
hurricane had subsidized. They re-
manned carefree and confident even
IN the face of the impending famine.
The native who had found us was
typical. With his home gone, his
gardens ruined, and no boat coming
until no one knew when, he sat down
and wove for me a beautiful coconut
hat. with a band of beaded shells.
He gathered somewhere basket and
coconuts, another basket of taro, and
two chickens, one live and one
cooked, and presented them to us.
When the other natives heard Of
this, they all dropped their cares
and began streaming up to the COM
missioner's house with all sorts of
gifts. Among them were several in
tr1cate shellWork hatbands and other
trinkets, coconut mats, and other
articles of native handicraft, at
which they are unequaled.
The commissioner, not to be out
done, made each of us a present of
genuine South Sea pearls.
Many of the natives brought gifts
OF food, usually chicken, either
alive or cooked, and in some cases
both. These chickens looked like
Plymouth Rocks, except that their
legs were considerably longer. They
are apparently good layers and their
meat leaves no complaint.
One native brought US q quarter
Of pig freshly killed. This pork
tasted different from any I had ever
eaten before. It tasted more like
chicken. The fat didn't contain
much grease, and the lean meat was
very tender. I learned that the
island swine, after weaving, are al
lowed to run loose in the jungle
where I presume they live mostly on
coconuts. The newborn pigs are
allowed to suckle the SOW only seven
days; then they are taken away and
are fed the same preparation Of
cocoanut milk that the native
mothers give their babies. This i.
not the clear liquid from the inside
of the mature coconut, which il
what we call the milk; the islanders
prefer the liquid obtained by taking
a spoon and working on the juicy
meat of the coconut kernel I have
already described.
Smoking Only Vice.
These natives are curious, friendly
and entirely unspoiled by contac'
with the ways of civilization. They
have no firearms, but have biz
knives which the men handle with
extreme skill. The men all smoke
cigarettes, which they make by cut
ting up plug tobacco and rolling i
into a slip of dried pandanus leaf
We were hungry for a smoke, o.
course, and soon learned the art
Smoking is their only civilized vice
They have no liquors.
After the first three days, wher
we were able to sit on the verand,
for our meals, the islanders gath
cred in great swarms to watch u
eat. When they could get near us
they would stand about for hour
looking at us, without a word. Thi
was embarrassing to us at first, bu
we soon got used to them and pait
no attention. One woman I re-
member particularly. She watches
us for three days without q letup
just leaning on her elbows ane
gazing.
Under the kind and skillful car
of the commissioner wife we re-
cuperated amazingly. Strength be
gan to flow back into our muscles
and in a few days we were able II
straighten our legs, then to wall
with only a barely perceptible un
steadiness. We were still weak, o
course, and were to remain so TO-
some time, but mentally we seemed
quite normal, all of us, and tina
relieved a worry I had had.
I could feel the weight growing
back on my bones, and I could sex
Gene and Tony putting on pounds
by the day. In fact, the most Sc
rious difficulty any of us had ther
was to keep from gorging on thu
food that the natives were con
finally putting before us.
When it no longer tired me to-
much to talk, I had long converse
tions with the commissioner abou
the island and the serious foo.
shortage he and his people facee
because Of the hurricane. With wal
conditions as they were in tn,
Southwest Pacific, he didn't know
when he could expect relief. I wa!
becoming bit anxious, too, abou
getting back home to the Pacific
Fleet, where I belonged. The com
missioner then said that he hae
radioed an urgent plea for help, bu
had no answering word that h.
could take as assurance Of in1me
diate help.
A Radio Call.
Radioed? What! I had been al
most a week on the island ant
didn't know there was a radio!
I went into action without delay
It seemed that the government hat
installed a small radio transmitte
on the island and had sent
trained native of one of the large
islands in that area to man it fo
the duration of the war.
| Straightway I met this operator
He had some real cigarette tobacc'
and we discussed matters over m,
first honest-to- goodness civilize,
smoke. The languid South Sea al
got a message to carry in a hurry
I made nv report to nv command