MY WIFE HOLDS THE GUN 215 



*' Well, if she can't, I certainly can't!" was the best 

 reason I could think of. 



It was a rough trip all right. Every moment of it 

 we were in danger from the wild tribes that hatinted 

 the jungle through which we plodded. Our army oi 

 black boys were just as frightened as we were; more 

 so, in fact, for they knew what it meant to be tortured 

 by the cannibals. 



Here it was that Osa first began to develop her 

 natural talent for rifle shooting. I call it a talent 

 because she had never done any shooting as a girl. 

 Yet with a few days practice she began to bring in 

 pigeons, wild goat and fish as a result of her 

 marksmanship. 



Another trait she brought forward unexpectedly 

 was her quick mastery of native lore. In no time she 

 picked up a smattering of local dialects and spent 

 long hours over our campfires listening to tales of 

 hunting and superstition. As the years have gone on 

 she has developed this hobby until she speaks Malay 

 and Swahili fluently and has endeared herself to 

 natives of many tribes by her sympathetic interest in 

 their lives and beliefs. 



Just about the time we began to feel at home among 

 the Solomon Islands we had an experience that nearly 

 ended our adventuring forever. The little vessel on 

 which we were cruising had to go back to get more 

 supplies and to pick up the British commissioner. 



