"TIS AN ILL WIND."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20514, 15 March 1930, Page 4 (Supplement)

"TIS AN ILL WIND."

By ROBERT JOHN GILMORH. r.o. Auckland Savings Bank, Newmarket, Auckland (age 15).

The big fishing yacht gave a sudden lurch and the old fisherman fell into thii cockpit, his two sons rushing forward and assisting him to his feet. " Worst summer weather since tjie. war years;" the old fellow muttered. "I ioubt whether we'll reach port alive." "Oh! Cheer up, Dad," called Tony, the younger son, " the old Huntress will ;?ull through all right. What about when . Angus was sailing her over the Tasman :rorn Sydney and the hurricane came up ?" It certainly was terrible weather. . . .. The Bullens had made their living for generations past by fishing, and old John Bullen was carrying on with the trad:. It was the strongest gale that the. beautiful craft had gone through since she had been sailed across from Sydnev to her present home port, Bluff. " I don't know what will happen if vra lose the boat, because less money has come in this year than came in during the first six months, of '22, grunted the old man. The Huntress was now sailing down the coast, homeward bound, and even- time that one of the huge Tasman breakers broke over her she appeared to be drawn closer in to the dark, towering cliffs which seemed to be trying to suck in another victim. As they looked to windward they could see a huge mountain of sea bearing down upon them . . . and they waited with set teeth. The boat nearly capsized . . .- when the spray bad cleared away the grim, dark cliffs were towering up above them and the howling winds seemed to be shrieking " We've won! We've won!" Then a great wave lifted the boat high into the air and hurled it down on to a ledge of rock with a resounding crash. As the three men jumped off the Huntfess, pride of the fishing fleet, slid back into the cruel, green waves and sank down, down, to become, perhaps, a dinir.g tablo for mighty. Neptune. The ocean could not have found a mora desolate place to cast them up. " All the same, I'd rather be here than in the tide,"_ remarked Tony, who was rather an optimist. _ " How do you know we won't die of starvation ?" asked tho father. After climbing as far as possible up the cliffs in a fruitless search for birds' eggs, they realised that some attempt to get out from this place must be made.- The elder son, Ronald, suggested building a raft from some pieces of timber which pad come ashore afte? the Huntress sank.: They all agreed, and immediately set to work constructing the new " ship," which was completed in about four hours. As it was late in the day it was decided to make no attempt to launch the boat until the morrow. The father conceived the idea of drawing lots to see who would attempt to reach port on tho frail craft. Ronald drew the shortest. . . . The morning dawned with hardly a ripple on the sea, but it could be seen that th£ breeze was freshening. As luck would have it the Huntress' sail came ashore, and was fitted up on the raft, . . . As the launching was in progress Tony splashed the " bow " and solemnly said : " I hereby, name_ this boat Huntress 11. ■ So saying, he picked up a piece of bad suet which had washed ashore, and putting it under, the mast said: " Here's a piece of fat for you, Bon.» if you feel hungry on your trip." " Humph." groaned the brother. • And so Eon. Bullen set out upon s hazardous attempt to reach civilisation and bring aid to his father and brother. The trip was uneventful, the raft sailing very well. It was picked up by an American steam yacht, the Lady Elfrida, 40 miles away from where the" lluntres3 was wrecked. ... As the brave fellow was lifted into the lifeboat one of the Americans noticed the white stuff under tho mast. The " food for the trip " had not t» e,,n touched sinco Tony put it there. "My hat!" ho . ejaculated, in typical American fashion. , Say, sonny, you've got a fortune under yer mast there." " What's that about a fortune?" asked Ron., mystified. "Why, the ambergris!" Then it dawned upon Ron. that tne lump of grey " suet " which lonv bad picked up was ambergris—ambergris, for which pounds and pounds per ounce were paid ! The Bullens were no longer poor. With the ambergris locked in the safe the Lady Torfrida sped toward the sceno of the wreck. ... The ambergris was sold in London tor two thousand pounds. An order was also placed for a new boat, bigger and bettec than the old Huntress. _ ■ " I suppose we'll call it Huntress 11.% said Mr. Bullen. "Not on your lil'o!" cried lony.- " You're forgetting the old raft . . . called her Huntress II.!" . . - And so the new boat "sas chnstenoq Huntress ILL