Fairhaven High School - Huttlestonian Yearbook (Fairhaven, MA)

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THE H U T T L i; S T O N I A N 15 sary, so Jean cut off his little finger, massaging the ragged stump with the herb which put an end to the bleeding. The doctor was convinced that he was dealing with a case of ad¬ vanced leprosy, and the young man was prepared for the leper colony on the He Lawrence which was some twenty miles inland on the Macon River. Perhaps it would have been more accurate to have said that he prepared himself, for everyone avoided him as they would have avoided any personification of death. On the packet which was to take him away, he was thrown into a hatch, given water, bread, and some sort of canned meat, and left there for the thirty-six hours necessitated for the journey. Time did not drag in this wooden inferno; already Jean was dreaming of what he was going to do, the girls he was going to dance with, the people he was going to talk with as soon as he reached Rio de Janerio. The hours slipped by as he amused himself with this happy occupation, and he was even a little rueful when the hatch was lighted and the daylight protruded itself into his privacy, causing his eyelids to contract involuntarily. He was aware that a man was coming down the steps, and the next thing he knew was that an arm was flung about his shoulders and a priest was chatting cheerfully to him as they mounted the ladder. This was the first show of open com¬ passion that Jean had witnessed in more than three years. Tears threatened, and it was only by sheer force of will power that he was able to press them back, making his eyes burn with the rage of suppression. Now accustomed to the light, he looked at his friend. Slightly built, the priest seemed a spirit clothed in a flowing cassock, endowed by mystic interference with the ability to appear as though it harboured the body of a man. His hand§, one of which rested on Jean’s shoulder, were like the claws of a bird only whiter and more tapering. His face would have impelled a second glance from the most insensitive of men. It was one which spoke of suffering not for self but for others, and, deeper than that layer of suffering, was a certain sad, resigned glow of happiness. All this could be read in his eyes.

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14 THE HUTTLESTONIAN sorts of pain, for leprosy deprives one of all sensitiveness. He must learn to grin foolishly when a needle is jabbed into the sole of his foot, not to cry out when his arm is pricked while he is sleeping, and to appear unconcerned when a match is held to his nose. This may seem impossible, and yet practice and will-power can accomplish it. When such fakir-like control is attained over the body and the leper virus has arrived, the stage is set for the final act. A finger is lopped off, leper virus is soaked into a handkerchief, and secreted beneath the finger nails. All bleeding of ampu¬ tated members is stopped by a herb that not only holds back the hemorrhage, but leaves markings peculiar to leprosy. Then a brother convict goes and tells the authorities that he does not want to be near a leper. The investigation is carefully made, and, if control of the body can be maintained, freedom is in the ofiing. How much freedom means to these men who will endure all this in her behalf! It was to the simulation of leprosy that Jean Giraudin bent all his effort. Valuable information was imparted to him by Rasset. Late at night, when the latter came into the bam¬ boo barracks to check on the inmates, he would bury a needle into one of Jean’s nerve centers. At first the youth cried out in agony, waking his fellows who would yawn unconcernedly and turn over with the thought that it was just another guard having fun. As weeks sped by the cry dwindled into a muffled sob, and finally there was no sound at all. Then, since this was regarded as the final test of control, Jean’s part¬ ner brought his leprosy complaint to the commandant. Gir¬ audin was ordered isolated. The doctor afforded him an ex¬ amination which gave every indication of his being contam¬ inated. After that, it amused Jean to see how all kept their distance from him. He answered all the questions fired at him in a manner that his friend, Rasset, had told him would make his dismissal from He Royale a certainty. For seven days, Jean was placed under the closest surveil¬ lance. There were still doubts in the mind of the doctor, even though that worthy healer placed many yards between his person and that of the afflicted. The finishing touch was neces-

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16 THE HUTTLESTONI AN blue and frank, into which one might gaze and probe the very depths of this man, knowing that the reaction obtained would be correct. A feeling of guilt enveloped Jean. This was the one whom he was going to dupe, the one who, obviously, would be responsible for him, on whom would fall the blame for his escape. For a split second, Jean’s plan tottered and then swiftly regained its equilibrium. Too much had been endured, too much was waiting for him — he must go on, and it was a dictate of fate that the simple-minded priest must pay for his freedom. Perhaps, mused Jean as he threaded his way up a winding path overhung with foliage still glistening with myriads of cobwebs of morning dew, the priest would con¬ sider this added trouble as just one step nearer Heaven. The He Lawrence remained Jean’s world for six months, and he was sure that a lovelier spot did not grace the world. After three years of sand and sun, there were trees and brooks and moss, and freedom to wander and enjoy all this. Often he would lay on the moss, listening to the alternating melan¬ cholic murmur and rippling laughter of the brook, smelling the air pregnant with the heavy scent of heliotrope, such as only twilight can sire, and, occasionally, entertaining the thought of passing his life here with no respect for tomorrow and no care for today. There is a strong likelihood that this might have come to pass had it not been for the fact that, lovely as the island might be, it was given over to lepers and, regardless of the cautions that Jean might take, his position was precarious. It was when they allowed him the privilege of roaming about the island unattended that he first began to formulate his plans for escape. He knew, from information imparted to him by Rasset, that the He Lawrence was four miles from the mainland and that the waters thereabouts were infested by baracudas. His only means of departing from the island were either to hide in the packet which brought the provisions, and this was too risky, or to fashion some sort of a raft or canoe that would get him across the river. He commenced building a raft,