Saba, Crater Treasure of the Indies ITH the dawn came the light and you see the foaming water rise and recede with the light a background to distin- around the rocks. Wguish that cone-shaped speck of land, You think you are going in for a landing, ~aba, standing proudly apart from the other but quickly the key man in the boat swings islands on the long bow of the Caribbean her broadside into the trough of the waves chain (map, page 621). with scant clearance from the right-hand Saba is apart and different. Its sheer, steep rock. At this point the boat surges back and ::-ock walls, lashed by waves from all sides, forth with each succeeding wave, but never discourage casual visitors and limit commerce comes too near the rock, as sure hands steady w providing bare necessities for modern her. Sabans.* Steamers plying two major lanes and planes oi the Pan American Airways and of the U. S. You wonder what to expect next. The ~avy's neutrality patrol pass Saba almost skipper has his hands on the tiller oar and riaily. Their passengers look across sky and his eye on the sea. You think you are there -;-ater and see clusters of doll-like houses for the rest of the day until suddenly he lets janging tenaciously to rocky ledges. forth an excited jabbering which, condensed, The real thrill of navigation comes when, means "Let's go! Now! " aiter you have laid down a course from the Things really begin to happen. The two :nap, followed it for an extended time, you see seamen in the bow pull with powerful strokes .-our goal dead ahead at the figured time. and the skipper himself works his short oar This thrill is heightened when the course has double quick as he swings the nose shore- carried you across a choppy cross sea, fanned ward, bellowing commands to the men at the -nth a stiff northeastern breeze, through the same time. The little boat now has a decided :ong night. tilt forward. There's a big wave crowding We left St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands at close behind it and you are riding the crest. ::Jve in the afternoon aboard the Hardtack, a The crew is still pulling like mad and you :)5-foot ocean-going cruiser owned and cap- are passing the rocks with a narrow margin. :ained by Larry Pond of Norwalk, Connect- Suddenly the boat strikes hard bottom with :cut. a grind. You look up to see what the seamen Saba is 100 miles southeast of the U. S. will do, but they are already waist-deep in '-irgin Islands and we dropped anchor at nine the surf, steadying the boat and tugging away :a the morning off Fort Bay Landing. Within shoreward as thunderous waves break behind "-half hour, the harbor master, customs offIcer, (page 600). Willing hands from the shore :>oatmen, and porters had made their way now join in, and with several synchronized own to the landing to receive us. Attracted "heave ho's" the little boat is high and dry, :0 Saba by an article I had read in the N A- with a big adventure swallowed up in the :10NAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE,t I had come pounding surf just behind. :0 make a documentary film. You are glad to set your feet on solid After clearance formalities are over and ground and glad, too, that you are among 70U have received the official welcome, it's the few outsiders who make this short but ::me to be all set for the dash ashore. adventurous trip each year. Luggage and supplies (in my case 24 boxes * Note: Saba retains its status as a part of the ::: film and equipment) were loaded from the Netherlands West Indies under the Act of Havana, "3ardtack into a sturdy Saba surfboat (Color 1940, which also provides:"That when islands or ?lates. II, III). There is no wharf on Saba- regions in the Americas now under the possession :::Jly a ragged, rock-bound coast that is con- of non-American nations are in danger of becoming the subject of barter of territory or change of sov- ::::nually buffeted by the mighty waves rolling ereignty, the American nations, taking into account _ from the open sea all around. the imperative need of continental security and There is a way in, and only the Saba the desires of the inhabitants of. the said islands ::len know it. They point their bow to a or regions, may set up a regime of provisional ad- ministration." .=a-foot opening between two treacherous t See "Skypaths Through Latin America," NATIONAL :ocks. The ease with which they maneuver GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE, January, 1931, and "South- :jrough the billowing waves allays fears as ward Ho! in the Alice," March, 1938. Photograph by F. S. Lincoln Visitors See Why Saba Is Nicknamed "Napoleon's Cocked Hat" The steep volcanic cone, with its hatJike high crown and cloud plume, seems to offer no landing place. Not until a ship is near shore can a small, half-sheltered cove be seen. Saba was occupied by the Dutch early in the 17th century, but most of its 1,600 inhabitants today speak English. The Lady on Horseback in Saba Is the Schoolteacher Because this instructor has a long ride to class every day, one of the few horses on the island has been as- signed to her.Saba has both government and parochial schools. Classes are conducted in English, but the Dutch language is also taught. In the background rise the houses and a church of Windward Side (Plate VI). Fort Bay Landing is at the mouth of the Through the years that have passed, the mile-long Gap that winds down from Bottom. trail has been improved by the Government Geologists attribute this gap to the overflow from irregular rock steppingstones to well- passage of lava from the crater 1,500 feet made steps which decrease the grade as above. much as possible. One portion in the middle Man has selected this passageway as the is relatively flat and steps are not needed. line of least resistance and built for his con- The upper end has recently been graded and yenience a trail which has remained the main cemented with a hard, smooth, yet steep sur- artery of commerce. Every foot of lumber, face. every pound of nails, every sack of plaster Sabans dream that some day there will be and cement, every piece of furniture, every an automobile road, but that time may be ounce of medicine, every pound of food, every years distant and it will take a good car Yard of cloth that built and sustained Saba fortified with a special low gear to make the has been carried up this Gap to the settlements grade. on the heights above either on a Saban's head When a cheerful porter asks you, "Head or a donkey's back. de bags up de Gap, sir?" you wonder. And you wonder still more after you reach the Donkey an Innovation top almost exhausted, without carrying any Until fifteen years ago there were no don- load yourself. The fortitude of these men "eys. When the first ones were brought to is amazing. One man thinks nothing of Saba, the porters who made their living carry- "headin'" up a load that requires four men ing supplies were almost in the frame of mind to raise up so that he can get under it (Plate o start a revolution as they visualized the VIII) . donkeys eventually depriving them of their With loads on their heads, the men start up livelihood. Now the donkey carries many the trail in twos and fours talking as they go, of the loads. The owners draw the pay and hardly pausing for extra breath until they spend a lot of time and energy packing grass make the top. Most of them carry a stick on their own heads to feed their donkeys. to help steady them across the rough places. A Trim Dutch-style Home Welcomes Visitors to Lofty Bottom Bunker Hill Cottage, with its scrollwork and picket fence, stands at the entrance to Saba's capital. Every Landing at Saba Is a Thrilling Adventure Even on days of comparative calm, such as pictured above at Fort Bay Landing, a dash must be made through the surf between treacherous rocks (page 617). To guide the craft safely, boatmen jump into the water as it nears the shore. Others drag it high and dryas quickly as possible (map, page 621). Crumpled Saba Takes On a Formidable Appearance in an Aerial Close-up The rugged little island is the result of comparatively recent volcanic activity.The steep sides of the 2,887-foot cone are ribbed with old lava flows and dotted with craterlike fissures. The settlement clinging to the brow of the cliff (right center) is called Hells Gate. A porter receives from 25 cents to a dollar ones.There's a forbidding silence along the for a load he carries on his head up the Gap, way, which makes you wonder just how depending on its weight and destination. friendly Saba is. They spent a little time looking over and feel- This doubt is quickly removed when you ing the weight of my lot and made me a price reach the rim of the crater. There you see of $10, compromised on $8, and we were on the houses of Bottom, smiling a friendly the way. greeting from an abundance of trees, bushes, The first 200 feet is just about straight up, and flowers, their freshly painted faces as- with switchbacks to make the going easier; suring you of the pride and contentment that then the way flattens out somewhat.