Saltus Grammar School - Yearbook (Hamilton, Bermuda)

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out trapping. He returned with quite a number of skins, and seemed very pleased with his haul, although his host looked very jeeringly at the skins and told him that the best he could expect for them was a rusty musket fifty years old! That night, the strange trapper, having counted his skins, flung himself on the mattress which served for a bed, as if to enjoy a good sleep. But the strange thing was that he did not try to go to sleep. He had taken off his trapping clothes and was at the moment wrapped in the folds of a cloak. Three hours passed. Twelve o ' clock. The stranger sat on the edge of his bed, fingering something. The door opened, and a man entered. The stranger sprung up and flung off his cloak, revealing himself as Dick Hartly, in the uniform of the ' ' Mounties , while the midnight wanderer found himself looking down the barrel of Dick ' s revolver. With his left hand, Dick drew an electric torch out of hi ' 4 pocket and shone it into the face of the intruder. My skins w ere only worth a rusty musket when you had to trade for them, but they were worth more when you had stolen them! said Dick with a laugh to the proprietor, for he it was, and don ' t start feeling for a gun either, or I ' ll blow your brains out. The rest is soon told. Dick took his prisoner back to Calgary, where he was soon convicted of about fifty fur- robberies. Indeed, Dick had upheld the great tradition of the Mounties — They always get their man. B. TOVEY. ■ o (NOTE: — We have pleasure in including the following two compositions by members of the first form. Both the au- thors are nine years old. — Editor.) AN ADVENTURE IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS In a little log cabin beneath the Rocky Mountains lived a hunter and his wife. One night they heard a bear growl outside the cabin, and the hunter decided to try and kill it. So he took aim and fired, but missed it. The next day the hunter said, Today we will climb the mountain and explore. In an hour ' s time they were all ready. With rope, food and guns they set off. As soon as they reached the foot of the mountain, the hunter made a 18

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To be young has many advantages and disadvantages. When one is young he has good health, and plenty of fresh air and exercise, as well as a large quantity of spare time on his hands. Although he seldom thinks he has a lot of spare time, as he often has, he can do hundreds of things from playing games to earning a little pocket money by doing odd jobs here and there. He has a number of holidays from school, during which he can pursue his pleasures to his heart ' s content. Then, also, the youngsters have lots of pleasures arranged for them by older people. One of the greatest disadvantages about being young is the fact that you have to take orders from grown-ups. Owing to lack of size one is often bullied by older boys, some of whom practically are men. The fact of being young deprives one of doing things that older people do, such as driving a car — nearly every boy would like to drive a car — but he can- not, because he is not permitted to obtain a licence because of his age. So youth and age will always rival one another, youth active, fearless, unthinking, and age, slow, less fearless and thoughtful. NOEL MEYER. 0 The Fur-Thief Dick Hartly, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, stood in Inspector Morrison ' s office. ' ' There have been re- ports lately of fur-stealing in this vicinity. The Inspector tapped a spot on the map. I want you to go and investi- gate. Yes, sir, replied Hartly, and saluting, left the room. About an hour later, a man left the Alberta Headquar- ters of the Mounties. He was wearing the clothes of a trapper. After a few days ' journey by sledge, the man reached a trading station. ' ' Is there any place where I can eat and sleep here? he asked the proprietor of the station. Cer- tainly , was the reply, and in a few minutes, the stranger, who called himself John Bentley, was fitted in the most comfortable room his host could find, if you can call any trading station comfortable. The next day the stranger went 17

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lasso and threw it onto a piece of rock which was jutting out. Then they began to climb. At noon they were half-way up. They sat down to eat their lunch, and, while they were sitting on the ledge, it started to rain. Quickly they gath- ered up their things, and made their way along the ledge. After walking for five minutes they came to a cave. They went inside. Suddenly the hunter whispered to his wife, ' ' Stand still; do not move. He crept forward and looked behind a rock. Bang! Bang! He had killed the bear: the first shot only wounded him, but the second killed him. With the rope they dragged him along the ledge away from the mouth of the cave. After dragging him a little way, they got tired and sat down to rest. The hunter lowered the bear down to the foot of the mountain and tied the end of the rope to a piece of rock. Then they slid down the rope, and got safely to the bottom. The hunter carried the bear to the cabin, skinned it and put it on the floor. They both agreed that they had had a most exciting adventure. HUGH SMITH. BETTY AND BOBBY One Christmas day Betty ' s and Bobby ' s father brought them a sleigh. That night it snowed, and in the morning all around the house the snow was two feet high. Betty and Bobby took their sleighs and went to the top of the hill. They got in and pushed off, and, when they reached the bot- tom they found a baby lamb. It was covered with snow. Oh, look what is here! cried Betty. ' ' What is it? said Bobby. A poor half-frozen lamb. ' What shall we do w ith it? asked Bobby. Let ' s take it home in the sleigh , said Betty. So they pulled the sleigh up the hill to their house and took the lamb indoors, and fed it and looked after it until it was well again. And since that day the lamb has followed them wherever they go. HARLEY GIBBONS. 19