Framingham State University - Dial Yearbook (Framingham, MA)

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19 and digging their beaks into one's hand will tear the flesh off in strips. The passengers were greatly pleased with the birds, but I quickly interposed and gave them a very bad reputation. What was my amazement when the one near us allowed the first officer to take it in his hand and to all appearances was as meek and as gentle as a lamb! Indeed I think some thought I had slandered the bird most unjustly, and all the sympathy was with ihe poor pretty bird which I still looked upon with distrust and ept my distance. Meanwhile the captain, upon whose face for the past hour had been a look of grave concern, passed by, and the look, not readable to all, deepened when he saw the birds, the other one of which had also made a landing. And oh cruel and heartless man! he saw not the beauty in the pretty birds, but scowled in a dreadful manner. He had but to look at the birds and know, what all of us did not know, that those birds are never, except in great stress of weather, found more than fifty miles off the coast. He reasoned that bad weather and heavy winds must have driven these birds from their course, and they stupified and frightened, were suffering themselves to be handled without the slightest resistance. His glass and the increasing volume of the waves were fast prov- ing the correctness of his judgment. Soon the waves began to break in over the lower deck, and in one of the sudden lurches an exceedingly fat man fell out of his steamer chair and rolled down over the deck and only his excessive bulk saved him from rolling out through the rails. After that protesting was of no avail and we were ordered in, and, as the captain,s orders are law, in we had to go. The waves at this time, as they rose like huge mountains and shook their shaggy heads at us threateningly, were the most beautiful things I have ever seen. When we went in I found Mr. Blank huddled disconsolately on a settee in a corner of the social hall. As he had always been one to protest that he was not seasick, no, not he, and remember- ing his desire to get a photo of a wave, I thought it no more than kind to tell him of the fine specimens outside and suggest that he go to the door and take advantage of this opportunity which he robabl would never have again. Some men are the most Iingrateiiul, unappreciating, creatures that ever lived, for all the answer I received was a low grumble from which I barely made out -his camera wasfnft working. Things began to grow worse until at last we could neither sit up nor stand up, and as it was not very pleasant holding on to the floor every one sought his room and lay upon his berth.

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18 A Hurricane VER since earliest childhood I had heard of that most fearful of all storms, the hurricane, and wished away down in my heart, as I listened open-mouthed to the wondrous and marvel- ous tales, that I, too, might taste of that experience. It was not until the year 1906, however, that I had this fantastic wish Cas it mav seem to some who feel not the joy in the dash and plunge of the wavej granted. In September of that year I took a trip to one of the West India islands. The weather on the downward trip was perfect and the sea as smooth as glass. One of our number, Mr. Blank, had a camera with which he was wont to take pictures of most anything he could take a picture of, but his one crowning ambi- tion was to secure a picture of a wave, a great big wavef, and at no time had he ever had an opportunitv. As I said, all went well on the downward tripg and all was going well on the return trip until the third day. It was on the said third day, about three hundred miles to the north of Cuba, that the waves suddenly changed their peaceful nature, and one by one the passengers went crawling to their rooms with that weak, wan, smile and the old so often repeated remark, I think I shall lie down awhile, until only a few remained in their chairs upon the deck. As the wind rose and the waves grew higher the steamer naturally began to roll, and still more naturally, by the force of gravity, our chairs began to slide on the inclined plane. Things at last grew so bad that we had to have our chairs ,lashed to the railing that ran around the house. All went well for awhile, especially when the ship rolled low on the other side, -but when she rolled on our side it was hang on for dear life and many times we slipped half out of our chairs. While we sat there watching the waves, which were perfectly marvelous with their emerald colouring and snowy breaking tops, we noticed two birds flying close to the ship. They were about the size of a crow and of a rich brown colour, from their beaks I knew them to be birds that fed on fish. At last they succeeded in making a landing and one of them alighted almost at our feet, this at the time surprised me very much, as birds of that kind are usually of a wild nature and when touched will attack one fiercely

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20 Soon the waves began to wash over the upper decks, and the water poured in through the ports until it became necessary to close all ports and doors and the air was stifling. As it came on towards night the waves and wind were in a perfect riot, ports were dashed in as if they were match wood, heavy glass skylights as if paper. As I lay upon my berth listening to it all, I was startled by a heavy crash directly underneath my stateroom and a ripping noise outside. The ship trembled like a leaf but soon we could feel her gradually rising on the waves again. The crash and tremble had been caused by the shipping of a wave which had smashed in the stateroom below me, and ripped a part of the upper deck up, just outside of my room. The whole saloon was now afloat with this inrush of water, and clothes and suit cases and steamer trunks began to wander around at their own sweet will, their owners little caring whither they went, so busy were they trying to keep in their berths. Some of them managed to roll right over their bunk boards out into the water, and if you have once rolled out of a top berth I think you will agree with me, that itls a performance not to be indulged in too often. But after you have gone to sea and have become accustomed to its ways you learn how to stay in your berth and balance yourself on the end of nothing and still hang on. Between nine and twelve o,clock the storm was at its worst, a real live hurricane was upon us, the engines unable to battle against such a sea were stopped. Now was the anxious time for captain and officers, and the helmsman at the wheel, how much rested upon him! One single false turn meant the bringing down of thousands of tons of water upon the ship, from out of which she would never rise again. Trembling like a frightened steed she would ride on the top of a wave, then drop as the sea dropped. Imagine yourself tossed as a ball into the air and then coming down again. The jerk with which she landed was tremendous and we were black and blue from pounding on our berths. The force of the hurricane lasted for about three hours but for three days the storm raged and for three days no sky was seen, nothing but mountains of water. Un the fourth day the sun shone forth and the waves went down and we were allowed to breath the fresh air once more. Such a curious sight as we presented! Everyones, clothes had been soaked, some were not fit to put on, but all helped his brother in the common cause and we made no unkind remarks when we saw the fat man's suit walking off with the slim youth. As for myself, I appeared in a dress that had once been white,