YOU PINCHED THE PEPPER!

Arawa Guerilla, Issue 3, 1 June 1942, Page 3

YOU PINCHED THE PEPPER!

It was evening meal time at the men’s mess. Jaws were just „ begin, ning to clamp when , the appearance of the Major caused a sudden

cessation. The Major stoodcommanding his attitude. He was going to speak and his message was guaranteed to make front page “Guerilla” news. “Men,” he said, “you have at last been supplied with pepper. It is just another little thing, but I hope you will not be wasteful or that any of the pepper pots will disappear.” Here the Major flung his arms out. “But,” he said, “that will always happen. Somebody, will just walk off with pot and all. Only one, but it spoils it for everybody.” With that final deliverance, the Major retired and the boys “peppered” their vegetables with gusto. Little did the Major realise that even before he had spoken, one pepper container was missing, and out of the mess. Thirty minutes before this, mess hands and special diet men had eaten. The mess hands were all good honest men. The diet blokes included Len Burrows of Headquarters, the Bugler, and several other more or less men of repute. The evening wore on and the mess was now deserted. Dave and Bert were checking over the equipment. Bert, handling the pepper pots, suddenly recoiled. “Gord!” he exclaimed, “some b has pinched a pepper pot. What will the Major say?”

The Major knew it would happen. He was a long suffering man, for he was still living in hopes of being in charge of a Utopia of well-behaved and honest men. Sorrowfully the next morning, he sent a “Lootenant” over to the mess to tell the men that it had happened. Somebody had pinched a pepper pot. The “Loot” wiped a tear away when telling the story. He was visibly shaken. In another few years he would be tougher.

But while he was delivering his message, Bert of the mess held a secret. Bert knew where the missing pepper pot was located. . .

Half an hour before, the mess hands and the diet blokes had arrived and among them was the editor of the “Guerilla.” Bert rushed to him with hot news and his tale of woe, “and,” said Bert, “after the Major had spoken and all, some b pinched a pepper pot.” The Editor, although used to hearing hard luck stories, blanched. The night before, he had sat next to Burrows, his hut mate. Len was peppering his dinner and handed the pot to the Editor, who remarked that his friend was certainly getting “finnicky” by bringing pepper into camp. Len grinned, finished his dinner, and walked out, when your Editor noticed that he had left the pepper pot behind. “Len,” he called, “you have forgotten your pepper pot.” “Cripes,” said the man from H.Q., “so I have. Bring it over when you come.”

And all.that night, while a pepper pot stood like a little silver soldier in our hut, and a saddened Major groaned in his sleep, Len laughed and laughed and laughed.

And people, there you have it. It was the Editor who pinched the pepper pot.