IN TROPIC SEAS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20186, 2 March 1940, Page 3

IN TROPIC SEAS

GORGEOUS NIGHT SKY MORE ARTISTIC THAN ART LIFE ABOARD A TROOPER LUCKY FIRST ECHELON (By a Herald Staff Member Travelling -with tire First Echelon) Somewhere at Sea. To-day the troops of the First Echelon saw their first tropical sunset, and the magnificent spectacle has left a lasting impression with us. On every previous night since the ships left New Zealand heavy banks of clouds have lain upon the horizon, obscuring the last glories of the sun: but this evening the sky was clear, and Old Sol went to bed in all his glory of colour. The show was brief —perhaps a quarter of an hour would cover il from start to finish—but a spellbound audience took no account of time. The glories of the scene were new to 99 per cent of the watchers, and even to the old hands it was breathtaking. The sea was glassy still, and the great liners ploughed their companionable furrows majestically, their wakes streaming out behind. Before us was an unbroken expanse of calm water, and the horizon was as the edge of a plate. The sky was a molten blue as the sun dipped lower.

Then the colours began to develop. First the sky assumed a delicate pastel shade, as though Nature were preparing a back-drop for the magnificent scene to follow. Quickly the sun approached the horizon, seeming like a golden ball of lire throwing on the pastel screen all the colours of the spectrum. Across the sea stole a bright purplish light, not harsh but bright in tone though soft in its effect. The transports and their escort were ploughing through a magnificent purple carpet. Sun Down —And Black-Out The sun sank lower, and then, as though some mighty force had been exerted, it dipped suddenly behind the edge of the world. As a finale to the show, a bright delicate green light filtered upward from the place where last the sun was seen, and momentarily lighted the heavens. Then it was dark, as though a mighty electrician had thrown a switch. There was something immensely moving in the spectacle, and the effect was slow to wear off. The suddenness with which the light disappeared, and night fell, was something seen only in tropic seas, and those who had not witnessed the phenomenon before were astounded. Many beautiful sunsets will yet be seen. The desert, with its sandladen air, will produce for us some artistic illuminations in the evening skies; but it is difficult to imagine anything more impressive than that which we have just seen. The ship is quiet, as though the men were sitting or standing silent, savouring the beauty in retrospect. Few will forget the splendour of their first tropical sunset at sea. Sea Conditions Perfect This convoy has been lucky indeed. All the way across the ocean, the sea has been bay-calm. Hardly a roll has disturbed our ship, and each day there has blown a cooling breeze, tempering the intense heat and ventilating the spaces of the ship which must be sealed at night because of the black-out precautions. The atmosphere in these places becomes almost intolerably hot at night, but daylight brings quick relief. Transport life tends to be monotonous after a week or more of unbroken sea travel. The daily routine of drill, games, lectures, and other periods of instruction, interspersed with breaks lor smoko and meals, lose their novelty, and the interest begins to flag. But we have a new interest in looking forward to our next port of call, and to what is believed to be our immediate destination, on ♦he sands’ of Egypt. Most of the- men in this echelon know something, from their fatheis ar.d uncles and elder brothers, of the story of New Zealand’s desert camps in the Great War. Everything we do is done with a feeling that we must ‘ry to equal the efficiency and good conduct of the old "Silent Division,’ and if we land in Egypt, the ancient sands will sec once again a body of men who typify the line physique and the adaptability of the Dominion population.