the rear of his thatched hut (as humble as any other hut on the island and no more ornate), or riding in the former Japanese ammunition cart which is his carriage, Ueg commands respect with a kingly grace and a sincere kindliness. He rules his people wisely and justly; he has proved a warm friend to many servicemen who have come to him as visitors.
Various islands had their respective chiefs—each chief serving his constituency at the supreme meeting house with King Ueg. On Falalop there was Chief Ken; Halen was Chief of Asor; and kindly old Chief Maho, cosmopolitan and connisseur of good beer, is chief of Fassarai island.
Chief Maho, incidentally, has a long list of interesting experiences. He shipped aboard several merchant vessels during his younger years, and received his impressive tatoos at Hong Kong. Marine aviators flew him over several of the nearby islands, and for several weeks he ate at the enlisted men's mess on Sorlen—occasions marked by his logical eating habits: when his food was served, the soup was too hot and the ice cream was melting. So he merely reversed the normal procedure, ate the ice cream first, then the main course, and finished the meal by drinking the soup which was then quite cool. Maho's epicurian delight in good beer would shame a Milwaukeean.
***
The natives of the Western Carolines are members of totemic clans, with each clan having a myth of origin. The myth is that in the beginning of the world some plant, animal, or fish created the first man, from whom all the members of this particular clan have descended. Each clan held its totem—a specified plant, animal, or fish, as sacred, and it was not eaten or destroyed in any way. A strong feeling of kinship developed within the clan out of this worship.
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