Central High School - Red and Black Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

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1931 PTEMBER THE FRESHMAN BOYS, SE

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1 RTF! , dim :, - L . . X 'Xi th re , in. .ff'l-IE. iii 251 il.-Q.3C,lQ, THE LOST COLONISTS By W1'Ibur Moore and Guy Veech, '35 O THE person who intends to enjoy this story it may be interesting to know that it is not entirely based on fact, but is, in part, an imaginary story. It is a known fact that a party of colonists including women and children, led by John White, settled in the vicinity of Roanoke Island. It is also known that they mysteriously disappeared, leaving no trace of their whereabouts, except the name Croatann which was carved into the bark of a tree. The imaginary part of the story deals with the experiences of the party of colonists. When John White and the colonists ar- rived at,Roanoke lsland, they were al- ready short of provisionsg and for this reason Governor White disembarked his passengers and sailed back to England for more supplies. He immediately se- cured the supplies and began the return voyage, but his ships were attacked by pirates and thus he was forced to return again to England. Four years passed and White finally succeeded in returning to the island, only to find the colonists mys- teriously missing, as has been mentioned before. About the time that John White de- parted for England, a certain young ln- dian had been stirring up trouble in one of the most famous tribes in America. Maneteo, the chief of the tribe, had aban- doned the young Indian, Tayoga, for a reason that shall be fully explained. Tay- oga was banished from the tribe for the obvious reason of being a weakling, and a hindrance to the tribeg but the real reason dated back to some trouble which his parents had had with the chief. His parents were now dead, but the chief's hatred still remained in his savage heart, and now was the time for revenge. He could not just banish Tayoga from the tribe because of the hatred he himself had for the boy, for the youth had many friends among the tribe. So he gave the reason that he has been mentioned in the preceding lines. Tayoga was forced to leave the tribe and depend upon his own ability as a game hunter for existence. He was an accurate shot at close range with his weapons, but he had not the strength to bend his bow for a long shot. For this reason he was unsuccessful as a hunter because he was not able to get close enough to his quarry to kill it. He was near starvation, when some colonists in search of food discovered him lying ex- hausted not far from a sparkling stream of fresh water which he had been trying to reach. The colonists, being of a merci- ful nature, took Tayoga back to the settle- ment with them. The doctor of the settlement immedi- ately took charge of Tayoga, depriving himself of half his own food to feed the Indian. After a period of about two weeks, on the doctor's small rations, Tay- oga had recovered a great deal of his former energy. It was through Tayoga's knowledge that the colonists were able to survive through the following winter. He taught them how to lay traps so as to bring good Seventeen

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' W r if QM? r . . Muu nrai f .ff'l-IE. 12.2.-.19 Aer-qu: a,L...o.c.la.. results, and he also showed them how to raise their own corn for future use. The colonists had a good supply of seed corn fgiven them by some friendly ln- dianj which had been of no use until Tayoga happened along. The colonists and Tayoga received plenty of nourishment during the winter, and Tayoga recovered rapidly at the hands of the doctor. ln fact, at the end of the winter, Tayoga was no longer a wealcling but a perfect specimen of lndian manhood. Now to return to the chieftain who had driven Tayoga from his tribe. lVlaneteo's conscience had been bothering him and he had vowed that if Tayoga ever re- turned safely he would love him as his own son. There was to be an athletic assembly of many eastern tribes at a designated clearing in the forest in a few days. Tay- oga upon hearing this, decided to enter the contest wearing the colors of Mane- teo's tribe. On the day that the contests took place Tayoga appeared at the last realize that the big fellow was Tayoga. The young Indian easily defeated the other entrants in three-fourths of the matches, and at the close of the day he had brought fame to lVIanetoe's tribe. Afterwards Tayoga revealed his identity to the chief who was so filled with joy that he wept aloud. Tayoga unraveled the mystery of his change to the tribe and gave the kind group of white men all the credit they deserved. Maneteo was overjoyed and so amazed at the ability of the colonists that he invited them to accompany him to his new hunting grounds on Croatan lsland. This invitation they accepted read- ily. Before leaving the island, the colon- ists carved this name in the bark of a tree. They lived happily with the Indians for many years before they Hnally per- ished during a severe winter. Thus, when John White and his company returned to the island, he found the homes of the colonists vacantg and, as they never sought the colonists who had been on moment before the events began. Al- Roanoke lsland, their disappearance re- though the chief saw him, he did not mained a mystery. THE COLONISTS By 'William Stratton, '35 Plunging brauely into unknown lands Praying under brooding skies, Going singly and in bands. Seeking ever the hidden prize. Caring not for pagan wilds. Caring not for treacherous snow, Worrz'ed not by Indian guile, See them marching onward go. Finind anon their sought-for goal, Settling in the wilderness, Playing their courageous role- God bless them for their nobleness. Nineteen