Polytechnic High School - Polytechnic Student Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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4 long I lay in bed. I came to my senses again, though, when I felt some one roughly shaking me and calling my name. It was my partner back from Dawson with supplies. After Wymer had finished there was much discussion as to his state of mind and his imagination. You know another singular thing, he said, is that the first thing I did, after getting back to the States, was to write to that fellow 's mother. But I never heard from her, the letter was returned. I say, old man, said Thompson, did you strike gold while in Alaska? Wymer got up and stretched himself. Do I look as if I did? he said. - There was a shout from Blair. Haven't you heard? Do you know what he did? He landed in Seattle with just enough money besides his ticket to telegraph to his father, 'Meet me at the station with a shirt. I have the pants., CAMPING-ENJOYABLE? Harry Bowers, W'16 Yes, quite a few of us have camped out. Most of us have, in fact. With a skillet, a blanket, and a side of bacon thrown carelessly across our backs, we start out for a week's outing and a good time-maybe. There's not o11e of us. however, who won't return with a peeling nose, and one that is very brilliant where the sun has kissed it into a rosy hue. It 's the sign of the amateur camper- out. Occasionally he boasts of it-quite unnecessarily. As I have implied, the percentage of us who have camped out is large. Even so, there are a few of my friends who are yet uninitiated into the joys and trials of a week elsewhere than at home. For them I shall relate a few of the incidents of my trip to Pine-knot Gulch with my good friend, Jerry Bluders. And by the way, he 's a professional outer. That 's what made it so difficult for me. He dragged me into his profession Without so much as an introduction to the smallest details-unaccustomed as I am. It seemed hardly fair to me. I shall go alone next time-if there is any. I might tell all about the preparations I had made for this great event, but it is unnecessary to do so. They became as nothing, that is, when Jerry saw them. He took one look and laughed, and then he told me I had prepared too much, that I wouldn't need any of the things I had planned to take along. I protcstedg he didn 't flinch. He said it was going to be a professional camping out. He let me know that a skillet, a blanket, and a side of bacon are all that are required. That's all there was to it. We started out-professionally. I came back dis- gusted. I shall spare Jerry the embarrassment of telling how he came back. Moreover, he doesn't speak! of it to anyone. It 's rather sacred to Jerry, you know. First, let me say that it is quite unnecessary to concern ourselves with the trials of reaching our destination. That's a different story, Therefore we will consider that we have arrived and are enjoying a delightful evening at Pine-knot Gulch. The day had been hot, and an uncertain breath of air stirred up enough pure mountain dust to iill our eyes and noses almost to the limit. The path wasn't a difficult one to traverse, but it had become provokingly long. I had noticed it particularly. At noon we had found a beautiful little spot beneath a wide-spreading grease-wood bush. There we ate our lunch. We were not alone, however. A drove of mosquitos, or tear-bugs, or something pestering, on its way to San 32

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built our cabin before the long, dreary winter set in. As my partner thought he ought to return to Dawson for fresh supplies before the trail was closed up, he started off bright and early one morning. I didn't mind being left alone as I had a gun and enough supplies to last me a few weeks. At times it became monotonous and lonely with nothing to do but read books which had been read many times before, or perhaps write in my diary. The stillness settled down on one like a damper and I would catch myself looking up continually from my reading and listening, expecting to hear I knew not what. But the howling of a wolf afar off calling to his brothers was all I ever heard, until one day I did hear a voice hallooing. Running out of my cabin I saw two men-, one an Indian guide, the other a white man, standing by a sled. The sled was covered with blankets, but I could tell there was something under- neath them. On examining further I saw the something to be a young man in the last stages of a terrible illness. 4'The white man spoke up then. It seems that they had come from a boat which was anchored in the river five miles from my cabin. The young man was suffering from typhoid fever and, as it was impossible for anyone on the boat to nurse him, the captain thought they had better find some one on land who could care for him. The Indian had told them of me and offered himself as guide to my cabin. There was nothing for me to do but take the poor chap in. After making the invalid as comfortable as possible, the men departed. I must say that I was stumped at first, and at a loss what to do, but fortunately I had had some experience with typhoid and knew the fever had to run its course. My patient became quite fond of me and always called me iNurse.' Most of the time he was delirious, but in one of his sane moments he told me his name and gave me the address of his mother who lived in the States. In spite of my efforts to keep him alive he finally died. It was hard work making a coffin for him by myself and when I did finish it, it was a little short. As I pushed him into the coffin, his mouth fell open, giving a grotesque expres- sion to his face. This unnerved me so that it was some minutes before I could go on with my work. Somehow I cou1dn't get the thought of that poor fellow out of my mind and the picture of him lying in the bunk crying out in his delirium for his mother haunted me day and night. Three or four days after I had buried my patient I woke up in the morning feeling very queer. During the day I would catch myself listening intently, and as I gazed out over the frozen country, it seemed as if I could almost hear the deep silence. As night came on, my nerv- ousness increased and a little earlier than usual that night, I crawled into my bunk. How long I slept I never knew, but I awoke and sat up suddenly in bed. It was in the gray dawn of morning. I distinctly heard some one call, 'Nurse' The voice seemed right beside me. I don 't know why, probably because of the fright, I yelled out, 'Wl1o's thereil' As if in answer the call came again but farther away, 'Nurse, Nurse' It was the voice of my patient. Wymer paused at this point in his story just a second. There had been an ejaculation from one of the men and the others had let their cigars go out, but they had never taken their eyes off Wymer's face. The soft murmur of voices from different parts of the room came to them now and then. The story con- tinued. I jumped out on the cold, pine floor. A shiver went through me from head to foot. I rushed into the other room of the cabin just in time to see the door slowly close. How I reached my bunk again I never knew nor will I know how 31

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Diego, saw to that. They stuck around very closely. They didn 't seem hungry, for they didn 't stop buzzing around long enough to eat. I took it that they were amused. That's what exasperated me so. Finally we washed down the last of our professional hard-tack with a swig of warm water from a patent, self-cooling canteen. I questioned Jerry as to the apparent failure of the canteen's work. He laughed. You can't expect too much, he said. I had found that out some few hours before. But I seem- to have forgotten. We were going to concern ourselves with the filrst professional evening of Jerry 's and my professional outing. Well, so we s a 1. Jerry and I drew straws to determine who should trot down a miniature precipice to fetch a pail of fresh, spring water. I went for the water. Then, on my return, we drew straws to determine who should wash dishes. Jerry received the honor. After that we drew straws for everything. It seemed to be the only professional way. At last dinner-we called it that-was prepared. Consequently we sat down to enjoy it. It seems that the bugs had planned a vesper service at this particular spot. A mighty congregation had assembled. Those who failed to sing communed upon our bread and brown cookies, and then washed this repast down with a drink from the edge of our water pail. It was very pleasant, indeed ffor the bugs. They seemed not to mind us in the least, save for a few who insisted. looking us square in the eye. We discouraged this practice as much as possible, but there were still a few hangers-on inquisitive enough to risk a slap in the face for their impudence. ijThey'1l go away sooner or later, Jerry assured me. 'fhlaybe by tomor- row. At last dinner was a thing of the past. Jerry washed the dishes: they, I might add, were tin. Except for this fact, I should hardly have allowed Jerry the honor. When everything had been put away, Jerry and I sat down and looked at each other. My face registered disgust. Jerry kept his under better control. Z-zzz-z!', came a noise from under a bush. What's that? I ejaeulated. '4Be still. Jerry replied. It's only a snake. I jumped up. What are you going to do about it?,' I demanded. Jerry never moved, and danger right at hand. Hepossessed an unbalanced self-control. What's the matter? Do you want to tease it? Sit down, I tell you! he bellowed as loud as a cautious whisper would permit. I sank limply down. From the bush a long, lean, curving neck, or what looked like a neck, ham- mered down to flatness at the end, shot quickly out some ten feet, it seemed, and hissed. Jerry put a finger to his lips, perhaps to insure silence. I didn 't move. I couldn't. And now Jerry did the professional thing. He pulled a small automatic revolver, took a quick aim, and fired. The long neck jumped straight into the air to a height of five feet and came down a wriggling mass of what seemed to me a part of a dream I had had the night before. Jerry had shot the intruder's head off. He said the snake was dead. It didn't stop wriggling long enough for me to substantiate his convictions. Well, I said. 33