Pola and the Biscuits.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXVII, Issue XXII, 30 November 1901, Page 1042

Pola and the Biscuits.

During her residence m Samoa Mrs Isobel Strong, the step-daughter and amanuensis of Robert Louis Stevenson, adopted a native boy named Pola. He was a most delightful child and well deserves the name which she gives him in “Scribner’s Magazine,” “A Little Savage Gentleman." And yet he did tell one lie, but it was under circumstances which made

it easy to forgive him. Airs Strong had given the boy two large ship biscuits one morning, but instead of eating them he asked leave to carry them home, for he served his adopted mother by day and his own mother by night. “Eat them." she said, “and 1 will give you more.”

“Before leaving that night." she records. “he came to remind me of this. 1 was swinging in a hammock, reading. when Pola came to kiss my hand and bid me good-night. “ ‘Love,’ I said. ‘Talofa.’

“ ‘Soifua.’ Pola replied, ‘may you sleep.’ and then added. ‘Be not angry, but the ship’s biscuits—’

“ ‘Are you hungry?' 1 asked. ‘Didn't von have vour dinner?’

“ ‘Oh. yes, plenty of pea-soupo' (a general name for anything in tins), ‘but you said, in your high-chief kindness, that if I ate the two biscuits you would give me more to take home.’

“‘And you ate them?* "He hesitated a perceptible moment, and then said. ‘Yes, I ate them.’ lie looked so glowing and sweet, leaning forward to beg a favour, that I suddenly pulled him to me by his bare brown shoulders for a kiss. He fell against the hammock and two large, round ship’s biscuits slipped from under his lava-lava.

“‘O, Pola!’ 1 cried, reproachfully. It cut me to the heart that he should lie to me."

Indeed, it was a tragic moment, for the child, too, although he repressed his tears, was evidently suffering. But Mrs Strong's tact was equal to the occasion. She uttered no further reproach, but simply promised the two biscuits if he would explain why he had lied for them.

" ‘Teuila’ (his name for Mrs Strong), he cried, anxiously, ‘1 love you! 1 would not pain your heart for all the world. But they are starving in the village. My father, the chief, divides the food so that each child and old person and all shall share alike; and to-day there was only green baked bananas, two each, and to-night when I return there will be again a division of one for each member of the village. It seems hard that 1 should come here and eat and eat, and my brother and my two little sisters and the good Tuman’ (his

mother) ‘should have only one ban* ana. So 1 thought I would say to you ‘ Behold! I have eaten the two biscuits,* and then you would give me two more, and that would be enough for one each to my two sisters and Tuman and my brother, who is older than I.* ”

It was all true. There was famine in the village, but the Samoans were too proud to mention it; and only through little Pola’s disclosure was it discovered and relieved.