A Perilous Rescue

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23791, 19 October 1940, Page 3 (Supplement)

A Perilous Rescue

A valiant ship Was sailing Upon ihe Waters dark- ' 7 was an ancient sailing vessel— A mighty English barque. The captain paced the deck with rage For a storm Was brewing nigh And a sailor joins a ship you know To see the world, or die. The crew Were eager, jolly lads And the news meant naught to them. For they Were cheerful, strong and brave. Yes I They'd face that storm like men. Then came a mighty blast of wind [Vhich shook the vessel's sail, The captain pacing in his rage Was thrown against the rail. The storm rose high—A mighty Wave Struck hard against the ship. The captain, thrown against the rail, Could not regain his grip. 'Twos then he saw his peril, But his cries were all in vain— With a lurch he tumbled overboard In the roaring Spanish Main.

A negro slave who scrubbed ihe decks Had seen the captain's plight, And shouting to his mates below Plunged forward in the night. "Man overboard!" the cry Was heard, A lifebelt then was thrown— The negro, near the captain now, Away from him Was blown. But still he strove with gasping breath To reach the captain's side. His striving Was rewarded As he battled with the tide; His aim was now to reach the ship. In this he did succeed. The captain, who had just come {o, His anxious look could read. The negro clutched the lifebelt now; The crew then hauled away, The captain cast a grateful glance To the hero of the day. "My boy, you Were a slave," he said, "But now you shall go fre* And in your honour we'll prepare A celebration tea." —Original poem, by Irene Holland (12).