Page 44 - 1965

The Gypsy Encampment Roberta Huchison XF Junior 1st.
While I was strolling along a peaceful country lane,I heard weird sounds. These intrigued me, and following them, I found I had wandered into a gypsy encampment. At first sight, I thought I had entered another world.
The crude canvas-covered wagons were scattered recklessly and appeared to have been freed from their horses where they had first come to rest. The shaggy horses now were grazing placidly amongst the trees.A few skinny dogs were racing madly about, chased by a crowd of rowdy children. The younger women, garbed in long tattered skirts, chattered idly as they worked on their wicker baskets which would be sold in the next village for a few pennies. Wrinkled older women also joined in the conversation.Odds and ends of cloth- ing, presumably washed, hung on near-by bushes and small trees. The men, loud-voiced and rough, were making tin mugs and tubs for domestic use.
As I gazed upon the scene ,I could not but envy their happy-go-lucky lives; yet, I felt glad I was not part of their eternal wanderings.
The Conquest Catherine Smith 9G Junior 3rd.
A young boy stood at the foot of a mountain gazing with awe at its huge out- line.Something stirred within him as he contemplated it. Then he averted his head to view the scene around him. It was a peaceful scene, with only a few people wandering around the hillside.He watched with interest those boarding the small chair-lift to be swung through the air to the top. The boy turned from the peaceful summer scene to look anew at the blank mountain side.
The mountain challenged him, and since he was young, he began to climb toward its tip. At first, the way was easy as he ascended small grassy hills. Then he arrived at the most difficult part of the trek, where he had to make the choice between climbing the wooded side or the seemingly vast strip of barren clay which was blistered and cracked by long exposure to the merciless sun. He decided to choose the latter since it would present a greater challenge.
First, however, he equipped himself with a stout staff which would aid him in his climb.With careful steps he picked his way up the steep slope. He was cautious because he knew that it would be very easy to turn his ankle in those treacherous crevices and fall to the ground below. Now he was really climbing up the crumbling layers of earth over the slippery smooth rocks and detouring the wider crevices. Occasionally he would look down and find that he had to close his eyes because he became dizzy.Once or twice he discovered a small stream trickling down in a streak of muddiness and found himself wanting to bathe his face and neck. At one point, the ground he was standing upon gave away, but with a scrambling of rocks, he managed to reached a surer foothold.
At last he reached the tip, and it was with a great feeling of triumph that he now took the opportunity to look down. The cars appeared as little moving bugs and the people were nothing more than ants. He could see the orchards laid out in their neat little row.
Slowly he raised himself from his reverie. Now the descent lay before him. He contrived a method of sitting down and moving slowly forward in a sliding motion. In this manner he transported himself from the summit to a grassy hill again. It was at the tip of this that he planted his staff. Then he finished by running the rest of the way and collapsed in a triumphant heap at the bottom.
After looking once more at the mountainside in farewell, the boy walked away into the gathering dusk whistling the happy tune of a person content.
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