Lick Wilmerding High School - Commencement Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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- I-- if 1927 landed upon. A short expedition showed it to be utterly barren. I did find a dead fish that served me as food fora few days. I was greatly chagrined to find there were no fresh water springs, only a few stagnant pools of water were left from the last rains. Not knowing how long I might be forced to remain there, I immediately set about building a pool to catch and hold water during the next rain. I scarcely had the site marked out whenldarkness overtook me, so I was forced to discontinue my work until the next day. That night was a miserable one. I slept in a little hole under a large rock. It was damp and cold. The following morning I decided that I would improve my lodging at the first opportunityfbut my water supply came first. Later, while I was working on my little reservoir, I saw a band of seals on the near end of the island. I grabbed my faithful oar and ran amongst them, killing and stunning over a hundred before I stopped to survey my work. My intention had not been to kill so many, but my desire for meat was so great I killed wildly. I skinned them and used the furs to line my den.. The meat I laid on the rocks to dry. There was a quantity of salt on the rocks which made a fair preservative when rubbed into the meat. I now had meat aplenty but my water was nearly gone. But luck was again with me, as it rained before the situation became urgent. I had now finished my Waterhole and fit held enough water to last me until the next rain. , I found the seals came there regularly, so my supply of meat was assured. A diet of seal meat was quite monotonous, so different shellfish, which were very abundant on my island, made an agreeable change. Several months passed in these various occupations. I had very little time to be lonely. The question of food and drink engaged my hands and mind continually. During this period I kept a careful lookout for passing vessels. Once I did see a ship pass at a distance, but, not having any way to signal it, I was forced to see it sail over the horizon and out of sight. It did give me hope, however, for it proved that ships did come by. The problem was how to attract' them when they did come near.. There were great piles of dried seaweed on the island, so, preparing for the future, I made a huge bonfire on the highest point of the island to serve as a beacon. From a piece of driftwood and a strip of seal skin, I made a crude instrument to start my beacon blazing, using fire by friction as my principle. Now that I was prepared for any passing ship, to my great disappointment no ship came. Finally, after months of dreary waiting, the Whaler Genoa passed by. I lit my beacon to attract attention and to my joy I saw them lower a whaleboat. ,My signal had been successful! I was saved! XVith my trusty paddle to aid me, I swam out to the incoming boat and there told my story. Safe on board the Genoa, I was given clean clothes and Christian food by the sympathetic and marveling crew. ' After an uneventful voyage, I arrived in my old home town none the worse for my adventures on a desert island. I: Page 26 I

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f1me,1927 ,W I., I, -II ,..l1MfglfiIi, A Tale of the Sea B. GRILLo, ZSJ gat. Y name is Thomas Dawson. My Viking ancestry has probably been the cause of my sailor's life. Ever since I was a little curly towhead boy of eight or nine the sea has attracted me. When I was only fourteen I shipped on the brig Frederick as a cabin boy and ever since then 111y life has been spent on the sea. The last ship I sailed on went down in a hurricane off the Bermudas, so I of new seal beaches. signed up with the crew of the good ship Flavia, bound for the Antarctic in search After putting out to sea, everything went well until we sighted the southern icebergs standing out coldly white and mysterious. It was the third night the crash came. I was awakened out of a sound sleep by the cries, She's sinking I I leaped from my bunk and rushed on deck. All was confusion! The hoarse shouts of fear-maddened men rose above the uproar of the crashing timbers. Because of my long acquaintance with the sea, I knew about how long it would take to lower the boatsg so, hastily dressing in the warmest woolen clothes I could find, I got on deck in time to jump into the last boat leaving the ship. The ship sank almost immediately after our desertion. In the hurry and rush to get out of reach of the encircling eddies caused by the sinking schooner, we lost sight of all the other boats in the overhanging haze. This did not cause us any immediate worry as each boat had independent supplies. The rations in our boat were made up of two or three hundred pounds of pork and several kegs of water, with the usual supply of ship biscuits. This seemed plenty, but, considering that we were out of the beaten paths of ships, it didn't look so large after the first few days. The fifth day the young cabin boy died. VVe cast the body overboard. After 1l1at the weaker men failed rapidly. I had a very strong constitution but I was also better protected than the other men in the matter of clothing. Finally there were only five of us left, the others having died from cold and exposure. It was then that Hanson, the burly second-mate, began to growl over the divi- sion of the supplies. The captain, johnson, the ship's doctor, Warbuck, and my- self ranged ourselves at one end of the boat with the supplies while Hanson and his fellow mutineers went to the other. They rushed us intending to get at the provisions but we easily overpowered them, knocking them overboard. After drifting around for almost three weeks, we finally saw a small island. The sea was so rough that we feared to attempt a landing, but it was certain death to stay in the boat, our water and meat having given out two days before. At last we came to the conclusion that we would try to reach shore. I was at the oars as I had shown the least sign of fatigue. WVe headed straight for the surf when a mammoth wave came from behind and overturned the boat. I instinctively kept hold of the oar, for which I am thankful for, as without it I could never have reached the shore. My first thought was for my late companions but I never saw them again. My first concern was the nature of the island I had so happily and fortunately f Page 25 Il

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- June, 1927 I in L1W1L I A Dog's Life J. MCCAULEY. Ga! Nm AM nothing but a common fox-terrier. Like others of my kind I am fs -ff. forced to work my paws to the bone in order to insure myself a liveli- hood. I work, let me tell you, sometimes a goodly twelve hours a day fa ,C without overtime pay. I travel about the country, with the rest of my dog raglan friends, playing at the various vaudeville theatres. I am known by the name of Prince and am quite a handsome animal, if I do say so myself. I have soft fur, white spotted with brown, and beautiful long ears that are the envy of my companions. There are twenty-live of us in the team and each has his special act to perform. I have been at this job for seven months now and have advanced rapidly. I was first discovered by my manager in an advertisement for dog biscuits in a prominent magazine. I have hopes, however, of quitting this job and going to Hollywood, where I'll show some of those so-called dog stars how to act, even if I am not one of those sophisticated German Police dogs.. There goes the bell which always rings five minutes before curtain time, and I haven't put my ewelled collar on yet. I want to appear especially attractive today, for who knows but that a certain manager may be in the audience. Here comes the rest of the gang, so I'll have to run to my place. The music starts, and Bubbles, that stuck up , bushy-tailed, dull-eyed, wire- haired terrier, comes out to put on her act. Look at the way she struts out, trying to keep time with the music. I hope she trips! She thinks everyone ought to kiss the ground on which she walks, just because her twin brother belongs to old man Rockefeller. I can trace my ancesters back to the reign of Terror! Listen how the people applaud. Ah, at last my chance arrives. The first thing I have to do is to sing the scale. Here I go, --I might have known that I would start on the wrong key, but I'll have to make the best of it. Listen to that unappreciative audience laugh. That man in the box seat is getting his money's worth. He has his mouth opened so wide that I can almost see what he had for lunch. I honestly believe that we dogs have more grey matter than those furless animals who class themselves as human beings. Well, here I am on the last note and I'll make it as loud as I can - ouch, I knew it, I bit my tongue as usual, and just on the day that we're going to have spare ribs for dinner. That was a good song, I know, even if the people don't thinks so. I have a good voice of which I am justly' proud, and have won the title of the Dog Caruso among my friends. Some day I may be able to play in light opera, who knows? Now I have to do my juggling act. I have to stand on my hind legs and balance a big red and white ball on my nose and at the same time walk across the stage. Here I go, -1 I do wish that squeaky orchestra would play something else besides Hearts and Flowers every time I do this act. Crash! VVho put that banana peeling on the stage? See how the people are laughing. They thought my fall was part of the act. Here comes the boss. He gives me a compliment and tells me to keep up the good work. VVell, goodabye until tomorrow. f Page 271