Off the Horn

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22320, 18 January 1936, Page 5 (Supplement)

Off the Horn

By JOSEPH B. KING, 13 George Street, Newmarket, (Original). A HUNDRED fathoms down beneath the ocean, just off Capo Horn, the figureheads of sunken ships were talking . . They were strewn over tho oceanfloor: some gazed up from tho bows of ships not yet completely conquered by tho ravages of time, sand and water; others had long since fallen from disintegrating, water-logged wrecks on to the dark, rock-strewn sand where, with set wooden stare, but unconquercd soul, they talked in whispers which the ocean currents carried from woodon ear to wooden ear. The fast ships, slow ships, graceful or unwieldy ships, which once rolled so merrily down toward tho Horn, and dipped and rolled and buried their wooden figureheads in tho cold waters of tho Pacific or Atlantic, had long ago disturbed the silenco and grimness of old "Capo Stiff" —and had suffered his vengeance. Down they had plunged, spilling their precious human freight into black, overwhelming depths, to rot, and disappear under tho sand. But strangely, the figureheads alone had remained in the blackness on the ocean-floor; and to each othor told tales of the sea and the men who sailed it long ago. A dainty lady was speaking —" It is so lonely down here, now. No ships seem to pass at all." "True, Lady Jocelyn," growled the figurehead of tho Canadian Bear—"true. Men do not trust old Cape Stiff, nowadays. Besides, there are no sailing ships, now —they went with the good, deep-water sailormen. Men now go through tho canal in iron ships without sails." In a,swift current which swept along over weed-covered rocks and scattered, scarred wrecks, the figureheads nodded agreement. "True, true," thoy said. "Surely men will como again," ventured Jocelyn timidly. "Never!" snapped the Fox, "men of to-day aro cowards! Their tin ships would never weather Cape Horn!" The Fox had been a smart, sleek clipper, with a silver fox for a figurehead. She was on her maiden voyage and was manned by real sailormen of tho old school when she. fouled old Capo Stiff. The soul of the Fox's figurehead was embittered at such a calamity. "No," tho Fox insisted bitterly, "never again will man brave old Cape Stiff." "Oh, I don't know," sighed Mermaid Mary. " Someday, perhaps. . . ." * * * # * Abcvo them Capo Horn reared its black, grim head from tho sullen waters which swirled in the weed at its base —and scowled. Away to tho south, a vessel rode the dark, heaving ocean. It was a. tramp steamer, grey, with cruiser stern, and was bound for Auckland, via Cape Horn, to avoid Canal dues. On her bridge, her uniformed officers tapped barometers anxiously and read the latest weather report. "In for a dirty welcome from old Cape Stiff, I'm afraid," growled the skipper of the New Zealand Star, "not that that's unusual," he added, for he had been brought up in sail and had once weathered Cape Horn. As if in protest at man's further intrusion into his wintry domain, Cape Stiff hurled a terrific storm upon the New Zealand Star. For fifteen hours, the sturdy tramp Clyde built battled against elements suddenly gone mad. She plunged into dense, seething masses of hideous water and rose flinging two wild cataracts from her bows —and then plunged again. She rolled in a dark sea which, torn and whipped by screaming, thundering winds, full of cold sleet, was tumultuous in its fierceness and swept the old tramp foro and aft and shook her and tried to drag hor down, down to where lay tho hushed figureheads. "She will nover weather it!" they said.

But when daylight gave a littlo relief to the scene, the New Zealand Star was still plunging ahead into big seas and cleanly parting the oncoming rollers ivith her sharp stem. Her twin screws still churned the seas and pushed her away from that grisly pile of rock on the horizon.

A hundred fathoms down, and just off Capo Horn, tho figureheads of sunken ships were talking. " She won through," rumbled the Canadian Bear.

''Perhaps," admitted tho Fox, "perhaps tho ships of to-day are just as good as Wo wore."

"They are better!" growled the Canadian Bear.

And even old Capo Stiff scowled his agreement.