NIGHTMARE TRIP

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 138, 14 June 1938, Page 5

NIGHTMARE TRIP

"BIG BLACK ROCK."

WEARY SAILOR DREAMS. APPLES FROM TASMANIA. Seven lonely days ont from Westport, seven days ploughing an unnoticed way into head winds and high seas, the humble freighter slowly steams into the shelter of Tasmania's lee shore, turns northwards to the Bass Strait and Melbourne. His watch over, the sailor, yawning, takes a last glance ar the dim coastline and, half asleep already, goes below. Twelve hours later be is writing to his New Zealand home:—

It was night time and it was raining very hard and the wind was blowing very strong, and I was at the wheel

when the Third Mate, he came up to me and he said, "Keep your eyes open for a hip black rock 300 ft high.*'" And lo and behold 1 had my eyes open for about five minutes and right in front of us 300 ft high was a big black rock, so I said, "Mister Third, there is the big black rock right in front of us."

So he rang the engine room telegraph lull speed astern and the doggone thing jammed and we kept on going astern) and we picked the apples off the trees in Tasmania as we passed, and they were very nice.

And then the Engineer said to the Old I Man, "Why don't you turn the ship round and go astern to. Melbourne," and the Old Man he said, "That's a * good idea, Why didn't you: think of that before." •

So he turned the ship round and kept! on going astern, and we were just inside! Port Phillip when somebody touched me on the shoulder and said, "Seven o'clock, it's time to get up, 1 think you were dreaming."