Eastern High School of Commerce - Eastern Echo Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

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42 , EASTERN ECHO the undercurrent of thoughts and feelings in the two Europeans. Per- haps it was deference to his employer that caused him to speak no more of the perils of the passa-ge, or perhaps he, too, -saw the futility of further argument. - In a very short time the girl was in the outfit. The diver had adjusted the helmet on her shoulders, and with meticulous care had screwed it on tightly. Carefully he and one of the crew lowered her down. On the deck they stood, the Captain an-d his crew, with the native diver acting as tender beside the engine for pumping the air. It was all so very simple. The Captain laughed to hi-mself, reassur- ingly. Tzhere were the two black streaks of the life -line an-d the air tuble snaking away from the Driftwood into the intense blue depths of the sea. The afternoon sunlight had -mellowed from garish torrid fires into a dreamy gl-ow. How foolish to have a-ttempted to dissuade her. Wlhy, it was an adventur-e. The girl was right. She was always right. At frequent intervals came the signal to the tender that meant: All right. Five minutes slowly passed. Why didn't Iris hurry? By this time she must have satisfied her curiosity. The sig.nals seemed farther and farther apart. Then, after an agonizing, strained silence the realization -came over the g-roup that they had stopped altogether. An un-comfortable, clammy perspiration br-olke out over the forehead of the Captain. Restlessly the -crew shifte-d and c-hanged their positions about the deck. Tlhe diver signalled down to the girl, but there ca-me no answering tu-g. A faint breeze stirred, not refreshing but like the dreaded chills that precede the heat of island fever. The diver motioned for a me-mber -of the crew to take his place as tender. Two others assisted him into an emergency diving outfit beside the pump. There was no ti-me for careful examination of the screws. Into the depths he was lowered, not 'merrily as the girfl had been, but quickly and solemnly, almost, it appeared, like -a ritual. The Captain clenched his han-ds until all blood seemed gone, leav- ing taut, -vwhite skin over his knuckles. A silence fraught with name- less -terrors descended upon them. N-othing moved-nothing but the wh-ite lips of the Captain moving in silent prayer. Oh Heaven! -let no tiger-m-outhed barralouda come along, no diamond fish with Hopping, enveloping wings l After what seemed interminable ages, came the signal: All right. Stand lby. The wave of relief that 'swepft over the group was almost .miracu- lous. The crew looked at each other for the fi-rst time since the native had gone down. T.he Captain's hands unclenched, and 'his lips regained their natural colour. Then -came the signal: Pull up girl first. Slowly up, up out of the luminous depths -came 'tih-e black case until it reached the surface. Over the side of the deck part of the crew carried the outifit, with rev-erentiafl care. Into a cabin they ca-rried the girl w.ho had not ye-t regained consciousness. The rest of the crew were waiting for the signal from the native. Instead, a great dark shadow Hitted with lightning speed past the deck, and down into the depths. Momentfarily, no one realized the significance of it. A few

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EASTERN ECHO 41 Iris, he remonstrated, can,t you see the risk? Yes, l know you dived before. l know the outlit's in good condition! ljut the passage, why, it's twenty-five fathoins, and dangerous at that! From you, of all persons, john. The girl's voice held a note of mockery. But why must you dive there? Why not pick a safer playground? Ohl l don't know! Curiosity, l suppose! Her tone was rather bored and a little amused. lrlow irritating was her poise. The captain looked at her appraisingly-laughing, intense green eyes, vivid against the golden tan of her face, a black, unruly bob carelessly pushed behind shapely ears, a lithe, slim body, tense with youth, and vibrant, expressive hands. To himself, he thought: She has it, too, that hopeless, indomitable craving for adventure. Shell have her own way with or without my consent. Aloud, he said: lf you must, then, lris, but I consider you very foolish. l shall get a diver from the -island we're approaching to put the apparatus in good condition. Weld better go inside now, as this sun is getting worse every minute. Are you sure it's the sun, Uncle? she said, sweetly: too sweetly to allow ehim to miss the ironic rin-g of triumph in her voice. An-hour later, the yacht steamed in sight of Rennell Island, one of the Solomon group. The fronds of t'he cocoanut palms clothed the island in a dark garment of leaves, amids-t a great hush of silver and azure. To t'he side of Rennell, a smaller island formed a narrow passage. A sort of smiling somnolence brooded over it, yet every native knew the treachery of its apparently guileless beauty. Across the tepid, shallow waters sailed the Driftwood, until the pink and scarlet of the hibiscus, and other tropic blooms, were visible against the verdure of the foliage. For a period of half an hour the yac-ht anchored, while three of the crew went in search of a diver. Soon they returned, and slowly the boat steamed toward the passage. The Captain and 'his niece were once again on deck chatting, but this time t-hey -had a new companion. The diver from Rennell Island was in heated conversation with the girl. But, Miss, there is much danger. Even I, who know it well, fear the tide, an-d the jagged coral reef. If once you get caught-l ln vain he groped for English words to explain his fears, but his eyes and his gesticulating hands told their own story. My mind is quite -made up, she said, and the Captain knew by the thin line of her lips and a certain indefinable light in her eyes, that she -meant every word of it. Sorry, but I guess t-hat's hnalf' sai-d the Captain. He looked at t.he tgirl disparagingly, yet with a grudging admira- tion for her pluck and resolution. A moment's silence ensued, during which the Captain studied the diver. He was extremely young, with as fine a form as tihe Captain had possessed in his youth. l.ong hours under the boiling sun had roasted his skin to a burnished copper. and his legs and arms were curved with muscle. He was t'he personilica-tion of robust health and vigour. More intelligent than his fellow natives. he seemed to sense

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EASTERN ECHO 43 seconds later the full realization of the tragedy swept upon them. Firantically the crew pulled on the line, but the eyes of the two men at the pump widened in terror as they felt the weight leave the lines. Up came the two snaky lines, amidst a swirl of bloody waters. All self-control deserted one sailor, and, as he repulsively dropped the line, he gave one -agonized, piercing scream. Across the lurid twilight drifted a luxurious pleasure yacht-a picture lovelier far than any artist's wildest dreams. As a background was a sunset of awe-inspiring splendour-gorgeous clouds drenched in startling scarlet. How crimson they were! as crimson as-as the mottled surface of la bit of the smiling seas. Floating across the tropic night came the weird, haunting strains of a native lament! -Dorothy Deacon, 4S1, 200. Cn Books Books are the food of youth, the delight of old a.ge,' the ornafment of p-rosperity, the refuge and comfort of adz1erS'ity,' a delight at home, and no lzindrance abroadg companions by night, in travelling, in the country. -Cicero. OOKS, books everywhere. Deep books, shallow books, heavy books, light books, clean books, dirty books, big books, little books, open books, closed books, bank books, 'phone books, score books, code books, cook boo-ks, scrap books, needle books, work books, budget books, and, since I've gone this fair, the declarer's first six tricks in bridge. But omit the bank books, the cook books and the needle books. They perform a most important function in their way, indeed, without them we would be lost, but they are secondary as books. Books are meant for entertainment. That is their primary importance. There is no joy that, in my mind, can compare with a good book. Go to your party, go to your dance, but leave me to my book. You will return tired, perhaps 'bored and with a bad taste in your mouth. 1 shall be in a confident dreamland, hand in hand with Romance, Advenrture, Mystery. You call yours Life, but Life is too real, too harsh for perfect contentment. Therefore, give me a book, for it is an ever-faithful friend, a silent friend, one that never lets you down. lt gives all and asks nothing. No matter how elaboraite or pretentious the furnishings, a house is not a home wit-hout books. It lacks that essent-iall something. It is simply a place off ostentation. But the humfblest shack, if it contains hooks, gives prom-ise of companionship, interest, and serenity. Of a winter's night when it is too cold to venture from the fireside, what -better comrades-hip is there than the intimacy of a book? A haven far from the cares and worries of a hum-drum existence. To show us the open road, the passion of spring, and the vastness of nature. Strange places, different people, new thoughts, beauty. These only a book can conjure. Realism left behind, we are in a blissful mirage, loving, fighting, living.