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SAGA OF THE STORM.
The sun was almost rising
as we cast off from the shore
and we headed out to sea beyond the bay.
We trimmed the sail right nicely
as so many times before,
with the golden morning promise of the day.
Gentle waves were washing
'gainst the black hull of our boat
as we passed the lighthouse standing on the spit.
The land line shrunk behind us
till its form became remote
and very soon we lost all sight of it.
We spent the morning fishing,
Though we didn't catch a lot,
two dolphins swimming near us entertained,
so we sailed a little further
for to try another spot,
hoping for success there to be gained.
Round about twelve hundred hours
the wind swung right around,
blue sky disappeared behind dark cloud.
We dropped the sail and anchored
and we battened hatches down
as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled loud.
We knew we were in trouble
when the wind like banshee screamed.
A boisterous sea began to thrash and roll.
Giant raindrops slashed at us,
all hell broke out, it seemed
to sink us in the deep became its goal.
For hours we rollercoasted
praying hard to stay afloat
through canyons deep and mountainous inclines.
Sam, our captain, struggled,
straining hard to keep the boat
facing wind while angry tempests whined.
That manic wind screeched overhead,
rain stung with drops like hail.
We hung on tightly, fear in every pore.
As the night drew closer
Our brave hearts began to fail
fearing we would never see the shore.
T'was brother, Billy, spotted it
near off the starboard bow,
he shouted in a voice that echoed joy.
I've never heard a sweeter sound
than Billy's voice exclaiming, "Land ahoy!"
We strained our eyes to see it
as we powered up the rise
with fading daylight dampening our view.
Just visible in twilight
it was heaven to our eyes;
we thought that all our dangers now were through.
But the ocean had the last laugh!
As we felt the bottom scrape,
we knew our boat on rocks had met her fate.
A hole torn in the bottom
told us we must now escape;
as she broke apart we jumped before too late.
I don't know how we managed
but we all washed up on shore,
escaping drowning, gratefully on land,
three cold, exhausted seamen
gasping hard, half dead and sore,
crawling hands and knees upon the sand.
Some caves provided shelter,
scrubby brush a mattress made,
a little pool gave pleasant tasting water,
one group of trees, not very tall,
growing in a grassy glade,
but nothing there to eat for us to slaughter.
It was three weeks ere they found us
on that island very small.
They'd spent much time in searching out at sea.
Except for Billy's pocket knife
our clothing was our all.
Hungry as three starving wolves were we.
I am now an old man;
Sam and Bill have passed away.
Still I retain a vivid memory
of the danger in that tempest,
yet we cheated death that day
my brother Billy, Captain Sam and me.
