THE DAYS OF SAIL

Evening Star, Issue 20346, 30 November 1929, Page 25

THE DAYS OF SAIL

Much of the romance of the sea went when sail was replaced by steam. Some people will say that there never was any romance in the sailor’s life, especially those who had served before the mast in the days. when the food was appalling, the life one of toil, danger, and hardship, and the pay negligible. Yet these very things provide abundant opportunities for the pen of the ready writer, and tales of tho sea are among the finest in our literature. Tho worst phases of the sea life are seen dimly as through a haze, while its mystery, its call, and its charms appear in a light that places it in a setting that is often far from the reality. But, in any case, a good story of the sea is always welcome, and ‘ A Gipsy of the Horn, by Roy Clements (Jonathan Cape s Travellers’ Library), will be appreciated. It is an eminently readable book, which is a tribute to the author’s literary powers, for the experiences recorded only go hack about twenty-five years, when the sailing ship was fast disappearing from the seas, and the 'customs and traditions of earlier days were going with it. The cruise described was a very ordinary one, being from England to Australia, thence across to South _ American ports, i through Cook Strait, and round the Horn and Home. It is the first voyage of an eager youth, quick to observe and record his impressions. The result, embodied in ‘A Gipsy of the Horn,’ is a lively tale of tho sea, written with a pleasant literary style, that is full of interest.