When I returned to the native hospital at Rabaul and told Colonel Honman that I was prepared to lecture in pidgin, he gnashed pleasantly and said, “Try it on them.” Honman was behind me in everything now.
A packed audience was gathered that night to hear my attempt at a new and dreadful language. I mopped cold sweat from my bald spot. Jerope had hung the hookworm chart to a post; it was like nailing your flag to the mast—fight or sink, no turning back. Assistants had passed around our two property bottles, pickled hookworms and ascarides. The natives always admired the bottled ascarides most; they were larger and looked more dangerous. The pause settled my stomach. My natural brazenness returned and I bawled for order.
“You altogether boy, you listen good. Me come talk along one big feller sick....”
I felt the listening silence. They were taking in every word.
“Altogether boy he got um plenty senake he stop along inside bell’ belong boy, he kaikai bell’, blut he come, he kaikai blut. Blut belong boy him kaikai belong senake.
“Place belonga me him stop long way too much. You ketchum one feller steamer, you go one feller Sunday, now you come up along Sydney. Now you ketchum one feller steamer, big more (larger), now you go, go, go three feller Sunday, now you come up along place belong me....”
In the native mind I had visualized the distance I had traveled from New York to New Guinea. And now for a word picture of John D. Rockefeller, Senior:—
“Master belonga me him make im altogether kerosene, him make im altogether benzine. Now he old feller. He got im plenty too much belong money. Money belong him allesame dirt. Now he old feller, close up him he die finish. He look about. Him he tink, ‘Me like make im one feller something, he good feller belong altogether boy he buy im kerosene belonga me.’ Now Gubment (Government) he talk along master belonga me. Master belonga me him he talk, ‘You, you go killim altogether senake belong bell’ belong boy belong island.’”
(I passed around the bottle of pickled hookworms.)
“Now, you boy, lookim good along dis feller bottle. Dis small feller senake he bad feller too much.... He got im tooth belongim. He kaikai bell’ belong altogether boy. Blut he come he kaikai blut....”