Rogers Hall School - Splinters Yearbook (Lowell, MA)

Page 8 text:

YW' l I l . I Saba , Like a huge willful geyser, Saba protrudes up out of the glorious blue Caribbean defying all those who dare to approach it. We sailed up to it from the South and were forced by the extremely rough seas to sail on around to the Northern side in search of a more accommodating anchorage. From the water, the two and a half square mile island seemed phantasmal in its height as it rose 2,980 feet from the sea. No inhabitation was visible and we tended to wonder if anyone could survive on the desolate rock so alienated from all other forms of life. Although the winds were somewhat more moderate in the lee of the island, the bottom was covered with what has the appearance of huge pebble-like rocks whose smooth, flat surface made it impossible to get the anchor securely set. Despite our seemingly inhospitable welcome from the elements guarding Saba, we were determined that this particular island should not go unexplored as our Guide to Sailors of the Caribbean book specifically stated that it was one of the most difh cult places to get to and adamantly advised sailors to avoid it. VVe decided to draw lots to see which one of us would be chosen to remain on board and to sail the boat up and down until the island could be penetrated and thus our curiosity satisfied. VV e, the more fortunate four, climbed down into the tiny dinghy and fended off from the boat. Rowing with my back to the shore, I watched the gold lettering of the name Sequro printed on the stern become more worn and more faint. I looked, over my shoulder at the ominous island and the shore with the waves beating unmercifully against the same huge pebbles with which we'd battled moments before. As the waves rushed up, the pebbles made a wobbling sound and then as they receded the same sound penetrated through the sea. I turned again just as the gold lettering on the boat was becoming invisible and the boat was assuming a phantom-like appearance. Three lone helmsmen gave a farewell shout which we answered in unison almost as though he was gone forever and lost in eternity. Or was it we who were to be lost? The pebbles on the shore were as hostile as they had been before, however the dinghy was easily lifted to the higher ground. Once we'd secured our only means of return to the Sequrc-, we congregated to decide which was the best possible way to climb up the side of the volcanic island. After exploring up and down the shore, someone spotted some decrepit steps leading upward in a spiral manner. As we climbed higher and higher, I couldn't help feeling I was climbing Jacobs' ladder or. the like. Looking far below us we could see the infinitesimal outline of the Sequro as it sailed back and forth im- patiently awaiting our return. The steps seemed to become bigger the higher we climbed. Eventually we came upon a couple of small huts precariously perched on little dug out platforms. VVe shouted out but nobody answered. Higher still we went in search of some form of life. With a last surge of energy I ran ahead but was abruptly stopped when a big red ball hit me. As I picked it up, I noticed the Made in japan label. I felt a slight twang of disappointmentg we weren't the first after all. Two small children dressed up in starched Sunday clothes appeared up ahead of me. At first they seemed spellbound but as I raised my arm to throw back the ball, they fled screaming. My companions, hearing the screams, quickly caught up with me. As I showed them the ball, I could see the same disappointment I had felt moments ago darken their red faces. One by one we dropped down where we stood unable to face more steps without some relief. A cold drink revived us and once again we persevered upward. Now we could see houses and people standing at the top of the steps. Two of the men had uniforms on and all the rest were dressed in their Sunday best. Suddenly and somewhat guiltily I remembered that it was Easter Sunday. The men tipped their hats to us as we approached, and the two uniformed officials brusquely demanded we ac- company them to the Customs Office. We were introduced to the chief of police, who very cordially questioned us about our boat which he'd apparently been watching as we approached the island. We were gixen innumerable papers to sign declaring the weight, strength, type of boat and also our individual ranks on board. We were politely informed that we were presently in the town of Bottom which was really at the top of the volcano Saba or rather inside of the volcano Saba, that we might Hnd VVindward, the town up over the hill, more pleasant for usg that we were welcome but must remember that it was Easter Sunday and that everyone was in church. The chief hastily added that he would be there alsog that he had summoned up our arrival but would return momentarily. He asked if we would please try to preserve the peace and serenity of Saba. We bid him goodbye somewhat reluctantly as we realized individually we'd have to walk up to the other town of Windward if we hoped to see it, for the entire population of the island was in church. After assuring ourselves nothing could be so bad as the ladder we'd just climbed, we started off. I entered a trance-like state as the sun poured down on me, and the persons singing in the various churches seemed to melt together. When we reached the brow of the hill, which was in reality the side of the volcano, I looked down at Bottom just as the doors of several of the Churches were being Hung Qpen, The People burst Out into the sunlight. I WHS amazed at their

Page 7 text:

Ecstasy Ecstasy is defined as an overpowering emotion or exaltation, a sudden access of intense feeling, or the frenzy of poetic inspiration. Ecstasy may be felt and expressed in many ways. A small child, taking his first halting step, ,expresses his ecstasy in the quick smile that crosses his face before he loses his balance and topples into his mothers arms. Little children experience ecstasy the first time they ride a tricycle, get up in the morning of their first day at school, go to a zoo, or blow out the candles on their birthday cakes. As these children grow, both in mind and body, the ways in which they experi- ence ecstasy also change. A girl may experience this feeling as she proudly carries her first home-made cake to the table, totters along on her first pair of heels, goes out on her first date, receives her first kiss. A boy experiences ecstasy when he finishes his first model airplane, hits his first home run, first feels the power of a car under his control, and finally receives his driver's license. Parents experience ecstasy when they first see the child they have created, when they see this child rake his first step and hear him speak his first word. Ecstasy may be expressed when anything occurs for the first time. It is the novelty of the act that creates the feeling of rapture. What a wonderful feeling it is when one's heart beats a little faster, when one's skin quivers with intense excite- ment, when one experiences the overpowering exaltation of ecstasy. IUDITH G. ANDERSON '64 The Coming Stop not and rest When you hear the singing bird, For there is an even more beautiful song In the distance. CORNELIA BRYER '64 The Prisoner Behind the brick wall The little boy Contemplates the coming years Of life. LAURIE CANEY '66

Page 9 text:

blackness, which seemed almost unreal against their starched white dresses and shirts. Windward was somewhat down the side of the hill, and I sighed thinking longingly of finally descending. How- ever, I was rudely awakened as the muscles in my legs, tightened for the climbing up, suddenly con- stricted as I listlessly walked down the hill. ' From the distance, Windward had a different air to it. As we got closer, the disparity between the two towns became apparent. Tiny houses looked doll-like in their perfection. The blue sea, now visible far below, made the whole town take on the appearance of a picture drawn by a small child, for children always seem to have a tendency to depict any blue background as though the sky and the sea were one. ' We walked into the town finding it deserted and strange. I somehow felt eyes upon me, and turning abruptly, I caught sight of several people peeking from behind buildings and doors. I had seen them long enough to observe that they were all white. The contrast between the two types of people in the two towns immediately struck me. Gradually, one by one, people began to appear. All of them were white, so unbelievably blanched. Their whiteness stood out strikingly. l couldn't believe that these people could actually live in the blazing sun of a Caribbean islandfand not be tanned by its penetrating rays. We sat down in the center square again, takinv out our thermoses of cold drinks. At first a brigade of small children, perfectly dressed and' spotlessfv clean, marched bv us, headed by their mother whose obvious self-consciousness made them all hasten away with only momentary backward glances. At this point we all wanted to go in different directions and so separated, planning to meet again in an hour to start back to the boat. I went towards an old woman who sat sewing outside her doll-like house. I approached her, and it wasn't until I'd sat down beside her that she seemed aware of my presence. She was ecstatic. .She began a tirade of questions, andl knew her inquisitive eyes would not miss a thing as they studied my somewhat flushed face. At long last she seemed to be satisfied enough to allow me to question her. She informed me that the people of Windward were of a Dutch descent and that they were, for the most part, women because the men were away at sea. Then I asked what the economic basis of the island is, and she replied that the men came home every three or four years and brought money back from the United States Merchant Marine. I assumed this must be the case because I hadn't seen any fields, animals, or any semblance of industry of any kind. VVhen I questioned her about the other town, she said nothing except that Bottom was down inside the volcano and the Windward people were up here and never the twain could meet. A small milk chocolate colored boy passed, assuring me, as nothing else could, that the twain did indeed meet. I saw my companions gathering in the square, and I thanked the woman. She smiled knowingly as I said I'd return someday, for she knew, as l did, that I would never return to this wierd island. ' Others in our party reported equally interesting experiences. The most welcome news of all was that someone had unearthed the only taxi cab on the island. It was badly marked tourist trans- port in faded lettering. What bliss to be driven rather than having to walk all the way back. Eventually the skipper in the boat'had been relieved to bring the boat around to a special harbor that only the islanders knew of. Some natives had volunteered to row us out to the boat. VVe found out later that several natives had gone down those endless steps and rowed our dinghy back to the Sequero and then directed her around to the new harbor. VVe drove back up the side and then down to Bottom. We stopped outside a church and tooted the horn. Two men came running out and went off to their houses to change their clothes. While we waited, the driver told us that the men were Gods followers and had to go to church for all of Easter Sunday. They apparently were never allowed to drink, smoke, or dance. I wondered what they did do on this island where they all awaited returning sailors and weren't allowed to dance. The giggles of the driver told us that he was not of the latter religious belief. Finally the two pious men returned. VVe drove down a road that ran back and forth in the same criss-cross manner as the ladder which we had climbed in our approach. When at last we stopped at the bottom near the water's edge, we could see the boat bobbing furiously in the hostile sea. The natives scrambled out of the car and over to their fishing boats, one of which they lifted across the white beach and made ready to jump into, as they lowered it into the pounding surf. VVe were motioned over to a stone jetty at the end of the beach. From there the men could really take two of us out at a time. As we were rowed out, I looked up at the tall native whose deep black skin and agile body glistened in the sun against the tourquoise sea and white beach, and the mysterious island looming high above us. I looked over my shoulder and felt warmth for the first time since early morning, as l could distinguish Sequro through the foaming spray. ALEXANDRA CANFIELD '64