World: Something they Ate

The U.S. forces that had taken over the South Seas island were in a hurry. An airfield had to be built and there was a lot of work to do. Native labor on the island was short. So Captain Martin Teem sent a sergeant of Massachusetts infantry to a nearby island to round up help.

When the sergeant landed, the natives, attired in loincloths and belts of coconut husks, were in the midst of a happy community feast. Main dish: the ten wives of a neighboring tribe’s chief.

The sergeant waited around until the barbecue was over. Then he had no trouble getting his recruits. The islanders had heard of the good wages and good treatment which other natives had received from U.S. troops. Back to Captain Teems went the sergeant to report. Explained Captain Teems to his nervous soldiers: “They only eat each other.”