" At last I reached the source of the trail of smoke. It came from a feeble fire, from a pile of ashes, and was nearly out. All around lay the bodies of dead rotten people, tens of them. I felt sick. The sight terrified me, although I had seen it many times before. All at once I noticed something. One of the bodies moved. That person was still alive!

" I stumbled off towards the person and bent down to see how badly the plague had struck this victim. It was a woman and she seemed nearly dead. The only thing that prevented me from thinking so was that she still breathed faintly. I dragged away the dead bodies, rekindled the fire, and at that very spot began to nurse her back to health. I spent long agonising days and nights by her side. One minute it seemed as though her luck had run out, the next she seemed a little better. Tired after sleepless days and nights, I dropped off, and when I awoke it was to hear the faint sound of her voice. I thanked the Lord for his miracle.

" Together we built ourselves a hut near a river and lived there for some time. We were happy. We considered ourselves as the reincarnation of Adam and Eve and called ourselves by these names. Then you were born; we called you ' Abel' and brought you up with much love and care. We explored the land around us and made an occasional visit to a town to scavenge what we could.

" Alas, we went there once too often. The plague had not worn off, and your Mother caught it again and died. Again I was alone except for you, the rest you know. You know how we lived for ourselves, hoped that life was not yet finished, and that all is not in vain, as it seems. But, remember, my son, never give up. When I die, go on, scour the land. Look for people. Don't give up. Start a new civilization and God bless you."

I closed my eyes to stop the tears. Then the two of us got up and walked along the rail, track into the setting sun. I bent over my staff; my son holding his bow and arrow.

P. SAMSON (5L)


"ARMS AND THE MAN"

A play written against the background of Victorian England could be expected to be a satirical success at the time, because it turned upside down and inside out the prevailing ideas of honour, chivalry and romanticism. In the production by the Whittingehame College Dramatic Society, it was surprising to discover that in spite of -or perhaps because of the modem fashion for satire the play seems entirely contemporary. Although some of the targets for its satire can no longer cause great
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