Rockland High School - Cauldron Yearbook (Rockland, ME)

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THE CAULDRON 5-,Q Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- Q. Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- Q- .-.Q...,v..,.... :Q .v....,...-... Q.. i..':Q.-.-T.. :Q :-T,::-....-.. ...:- :-1-TQ,.T once a month for supplies. When the pilot boat had drawn up to the neg- lected wharf, the American again had been impressed by its mysterious ap- pearance and had the feeling that someone was behind him. He had turned --to see nothing. He recalled fondly repairing the small warehouses and laying the ways. It had been a proud moment when he wrote his first bill of repairs to a small fishing vessel. He had marked the date on the hemp stained walls, August, 1941. Hauled out beside the ancient warehouses, he had discovered an old schooner, formerly used to carry the hemp which once was grown on the is- land. It had been in excellent condition because of the heavy covering, and it had taken him only a few weeks to fit it out and put it over. His shop had soon become well known among the natives, and his business had grown by leaps and bounds. The natives had conquered their superstitious fears, and life went on regularly. Still, ever present in the back of his mind lay the dis- turbing fact, that when the sun dipped low in the west and the shadows lengthened, when all the fishermen had departed and had left him in his quiet solitude, the mysteriousness returned. Time and again he had the feeling that someone was near him, but as he turned, only the quiet lapping of the water greeted him. In. the first week of October he had again made his monthly trip to Manilla for supplies. Three had gazed piercingly through thick-lensed glasses at the sea-worthy schooner nosing its way through the crowded harbor up to the fishing wharves. Welcoming shouts had greeted him as he lowered the sails and had made fast 'along side his friends and customers. Whileloading supplies the next day, three Japanese made their way across the fishing fleet to the schooner. With an Excuse, pleeze, they came aboard. After giv- ing them a silent onceover he had nodded a curt hello and returned to his work. He had heard strange tales of these too polite .laps from the fisher- men and he had learned to distrust them. I-le soon found that they were tourists and wished passage to Mindaro, a neighboring island. Letting his guard drop he had realized that their high offer for passage could buy new machinery for his shop. He had soon sealed his agreement and had told them of his intention to sail on the noon tide. He thought it strange that they had wished to stow their own duffle, but the thought of the passage money quelled his suspicions. He had hoisted sail with a light heart, and the little schooner stood out to sea with all sails set and a bone in her teeth. The luffing of the sails startled him from his reminiscing, and he set himself to the task of mooring his boat. The same close feeling enveloped him, and he involuntarily turned his head to gaze into the slant eyes of the Jap brandishing an automatic that glinted murderously in the pale moonlight. He regretted with every fibre in his body, putting in at Simara for the night and not sailing on to Mindarog but instantly he raised his hands, for tales of Jap atrocities were suddenly all to fresh in his memory. The Japs locked 18

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THE CAULDRON .ew gf gn 2113 ,gn .gn enzn ggga gng- .en gggg 3-Q: 41:21 eneozgpzgpzgnpln zbelenzg Tv- 7,741.4 'r-T- 1.1.7761-. g.. qv. . -. ... .Q .-. . v :sig :sv-:v-T-. . - v.vw.v.v,1. ig I think Kitty had better explain, said Mrs. Moffet. Well, said Kitty, when I heard that Viola thought I stole her poster I wrote her a note, put in my award money, and took the train back home. When I got to the first station, a wire was waiting for me. It was from Viola. She explained that she had found her poster and wanted me to come back. Icame, and she was waiting at the station. She gave me the 9510 and said that she was going home in the morning, but Mrs. Moffet and I persuaded her to stay. That's wonderful, said Marianna. Does anyone else know about this incident? No one but us four, and no one else will EVER know, said Viola smiling. MELZINE McCASLIN ,onpn Q1 .on pn an 'K .TK If 4-K w.'- 1. K .T RENDEZ-VOUS WITH HELL The marine railways and small shops of the boatyard soon became ap- parent under the faint light of the tropical night. A small but well found schooner capably manned by a tall lean American in dungarees and mocca- sins, made its way toward the moss covered wharf. Phophorescence squirted from under the transom leaving a wake of shining diamonds across the calm, peaceful lagoon. As the schooner slipped through the inky black liquid, the three passengers mumbled quietly in the cabin suggesting an air of quietness and calm. The American drowsily came about and settled back again to his reminiscing of his life on the tiny Philippine Island of Simara. He had first seen the island on a routine cruise when he served in the Navy. His first impression had left a lasting imprint on his mind. From the mast-head, the island was strikingly similar to a huge green snake loosely coiled. The mouth of the lagoon twisted tortuously, completely concealing the small harbor in the center of the island. Due to its ghostly appearance and ancient native superstitions, the island had remained uninhabited and was for sale. Upon returning to Manilla, he had looked up the bank which held the deed, and after signing the necessary papers he had emptied the contents of his purse upon the president's desk. Before him lay everything he owned, money and valuables, but it was not these he wanted. It was a more material thing--the Island of Simara. The little engine of the pilot boat had thumped merrily as the boat made its way through the turquoise blue waters of the South China Sea. The island lay about one hundred miles from Manilla where he would have to sail 17

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, THE CAULDRON 5-7915151 5-51 gg-gre-gg.-:ying-5: ggglgrgugig-11:AL1,a::Ll1-.a,o:1,0::,ep,o:p,o.g ,v. ... ,.. .- .Q .5 .Q .sTQ ,Q-...T.T- ..?,v... ...TQ gy. ,-.:1. ,,.i- rw.,,.,-..:v..Tf.'i,:f5 him in a small out building that formerly had been used for tools, and sys- tematically they began the planning of a secret submarine base on the island. He over heard their fantastic plans of building a base from which to invade Luzon and Mindaro. They planned to board up the buildings and to put up closed signs. He realized with a sinking heart how the gullible natives would swallow this. As he tossed feverishly on the grass mat, his only hope of salvation came to him. The Japs had no way of knowing the chan- nel, without hiring natives, so they would have to use him to guide their subs and perhaps he might find an opportunity to escape, so with a sigh of relief he turned over and sank into a dreamless sleep to await the dawn. The squeaking of the bats under the eaves awakened him to see the sun sparkle on the lagoon. He heard chattering and splashing by the dock, the Japs were taking a morning dip. He marvelled at their small but tough bodies, and he also noticed they were very poor swimmers. He patted the shining medal on which thewords, Olympic Champion, Free style, 1932, were engraved, when he saw this. They appeared around nine o'clock to take him to the house and to give him his breakfast of rice and coffee. Sip- ping the hot coffee, he let his eyes wander about the room. The duffle which the Japs had insisted on stowing was that powerful radio on the table. The one called Taki was manipulating the dials now. and suddenly through the loud speaker, came the monotonous tones of a Jap. In Manilla, he had picked up some Japanese, and he was able to make sense out of the message. The message, from a Japanese submarine outside the island, said that they wished to be guided through the treacherous straits and channels marked by sharp jagged coral to the island. A grin spread across the J ap's face giving him a horrid and repulsive ap- pearance as he turned toward the American, and in broken English he told him of the excruciating and unbearable tortures that eight years of unbroken war had produced and that these would be used on him if he did not agree to bring the submarine to Simara. His racing mind had already formed a plan of escape, so he agreed without any ado. The smaller spoke his suspicions but was told to calm down, that the Americans were a cowardly lot. He was then led back to his makeshift prison, and the Japs set about closing up the shops and boarding up the old plantation house. That evening he was again led to the house and given dinner. He learned that the Jap, Taki, had listened all afternoon and was unable to re- ceive any message. A loud buzzing was heard, and then the Jap's signals came in strong and clear. He assumed that the submarine would be out- side the strait at eight o'clock the next evening for a meeting. He thought that over and laughed grimly to himself. A meeting--no ---- a rendez-vous, a rendez-vous with hell! P That night and the next morning were spent in preparing the schooner 19