Analy High School - Azalea Yearbook (Sebastopol, CA)

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CL, tr- O i the ground at both ends to furnish the support for the roof, a mat of bulrushes and flags, which were so closely fitted to- » gether that I believe the rain could not penetrate them. One end of the huts was left open, which disclosed the fact that they had few articles of furniture, other than their weapons, consisting of bone spears, and a few cooking utensils, such as earthen pots. u But it was not my lot to enjoy the shelter of one of these f mansions. My captors hurried me to an old oak, the inside a of which had been hollowed out so that it was slightly larger than the room required by a human being. They rushed me ' - inside oi this, and secured me therein by passing thongs it around the trunk of the tree so that I was veritably a prisoner r tho not bound. d But hark! Misericorde! A rumble filled the air; the sky 3 , became overcast; the rain fell; the wind blew; the lightning s dazzled; the thunder deafened. n A crash, and the tree which had held me captive had e fallen headlong, broken many huts, frightened the natives, and ). left me free. p Free at last! What should I do? The natives decided e this for me. From every direction came human beings, man 1 . and woman, youth and maiden, boy and girl, each with his s ottering of gold or silver, bewildering me with their obse- n ciation, surprising me with their eagerness, almost smothering me in their haste, and, kneeling before me, they left such a t. mound of articles around me that some stray god might have d taken me for a mummy that had been buried in tumuli, d Selecting the most valuable jewels and gold ornaments, p I hastily left the village in the direction in which I thought g the army might be. I knew that the storm would prevent it from moving, so I quickly traversed as many miles as possible. But I had not been on the road long, when upon hearing a shout I turned and saw following me the whole savage host Not to be caught as I had been twice before, I dodged into the underbrush, and, still carrying my load with me, I endeavored to evade my tormentors. After wading thru several streams, and hiding my traces in every possible manner, I sat down to rest. Ecce! By Jove! The sound of moving feet! My cap- tors! Misericorde! What shall I do? I crawled under an old, half-rotten log, which offered protection on three sides 21

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inexplicable phenomenon that I was lying upon an object and yet could put my right hand thru it, troubled me not a little. Trying to rise, I found that I was securely tied. Afraid to move for fear that I would fall, I determined to lie where I was until morning. (The manuscript is untranslatable at this point. It ap¬ pears to concern his troubles during the night.) The day broke. How different was the aspect! In lieu of a deep, black hole on either side of me, there was a floor of small poles, which crossed each other at about one-third of a foot apart, but where I was lying, one of these had been brok¬ en, which explains the mystery of the abyss. The walls en¬ closing me were about three feet high and the room six feet square. In one corner of the room was a hole in the flooi through which I judged they put their fish basket which stood near it in the water. While this surveillance was in progress, I was working at the thongs which bound, and after an hour’s work was free. I went out on the platform and saw children tethered by chords of leather for fear they might fall in the water below them. But the most surprising fact was the ab¬ sence of visible men. But I could hear them yelling at the top of their voices. Then it dawned upon me that they were drunk—drunk with the wines I had carried with me to sell. I was a ruined man! I had lost all my property at the hands of these barbarians! But I didn’t remain longer, but ran over the bridge to land and set out towards the army. After traversing a great distance, I saw that I was lost. 1 wandered over hill and down dale, waded throu swamps and streams, suffered under the heat of the sun in the valleys, and shivered from cold on the snow-capped hills. A yell; a group of warriors announced that I was a prisoner. There was nothing to do but submit, altho I expostulated and used every language at my command, but in vain. They carried me to a small, but exceedingly dirty village. The people were dirty, the animals were dirty, the houses were dirty. The bodies of these savages were covered with a cake of soot and dirt which stuck to the oil on their bodies. In their hair this had hardened and appeared like a crust, or cap of black mortar. Over their shoulders they wore one skin and another around their waists. For ornaments they wore rings of iron, copper, ivory, or leather. Here and there were huts about four feet high, four¬ teen feet long and ten feet wide. Poles had been fastened into 20

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only. It was a safe hiding place when my pursuers were not looking at it. I waited, and my heart was palpitating with great velocity. The barbarians! There comes the chief with his long bone spear pointed at me. Ah! he sees me! His spear is poised! His arm is drawn back! Oh! I die the death of a dog! But hark! The chief falls! A javelin is in his side. The barbarians turn and run. What new and dreadful enemy is this. A moment later I know. They are scouts, picked by Caesar, who have been searching the country. How joyful was I that I could now return to the camp. After a short time we came in sight of the great “castra,” with the shields of the soldiers gleaming in the sun that was again shining in its original lustre. As we passed the gates great Caesar, himself, said to me with great kindness, “I’m glad my scouts found you. I thought that you were lost.” It’s no wonder all the army likes its imperator. He always takes an interest in their private affairs. We are to move camp in the morning, so there is no haste, but hold! an army is coming across the plains towards our camp and I must (Finis) Willard B. Akers. 22