TALE OF SEA.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 January 1923, Page 4

TALE OF SEA.

LIOXS AND CHA-MPAGNE. I;KMAKKABLE EXPERIENCES. ( WELLINGTON. .Jan. ■ "Fifteen men on a deml man s. chest, j Yu, 'no ho. and a lint lie (if mini.’ So run tlie lilies or a Invourite sea cliiinty, but there were somewhere in the vicinity of one hundred and twenty men sitting on the sand dunes of the Most Coast of Africa instead of a. | dead man’s chest, while champagne of ( the purest and highest quality took , the--place of the bottle of rum. Of the many strange tales of the ( sea. perhaps the story of the loss of the Star of Japan, which was fold to , a N.Z. - Times” reporter, by one of the crew who is at present in Wellington, will surpass an Arabian Nights dream for vividness. The vessel ran hard ashore on tne reef, and piled at a perilous angle and after the plight of the vessel Imd been communicated to the owners, a volunteer crew stood by to await the snh'.'im* vessel vhieli luul l*oon ulmlKitehed from A dksolatk SPOT. ‘•Xhe actual place where we were wrecked,” he said, "was a desolate spot, miles from water, and abounding with lions, wiii.ii used to c«me out at audit time and rear until we on the vessel used to huddle in our bunks and pray for the rapid arrival of the salvage vessel.” , , ... Owing to tiie angle oi toe vessel it was a practical inipos-ibility to walk the deck, am! we were obliged to have meals in the open air on the. shore "After we had had hcon there some lime.” the narrator continued, "we ran short of water, and a search partv failed to locate any in the immediate vicinity, it was then that we were obliged to fail ba.k upon champagne, which we were eairytng a large eonsignnient of, and it is perhaps’ the first time in the annals of British history, whore officers of a vessel have been silting round m a o-reat circle, 'ijiping champagne as tboiieli it was tiie most usual tiling in the world, with a setting ol cocoa nutpalms, and in the wilds of Africa. A If A PIT) RETRLAi. The following day Ih.e men and officers were having their daily stretch on s t„ and were settling down to luikm. when' one of the officers.stopped who blanched lace and waved ids champax"" 10l tie in the direction ol a small bill. r i'bc eat inordinary behaviour was at. lirst out down to the bent, accelerated I , champagne. but a <|Uick g.anre in the direction of the bill resulted m the biggest retreat ol British seamen in' hi si ir.'. - In all direel ions they ilew. same sought the surf, "'iters tore '.own the l.cacli, while champagne and all were forgotten in the wild stampede for standing there waving a tawny tad V.e's a huge lion. "I'll never forget Die sight " the narrator continued. "lor before the officers could collect themselvus .ml lvnch tor thu’r n!U- tin* | album!, like most ol the nom. had dis 1 it wa.- soon alt.-- "' / • “''/'a' I , ~sSi"l arrived, and tee men am ■ tPvr- were able to pre-vod to L»".; land, ’-.it t!"e sle.e ■ ; the '• -k*. on I la" v. reek ■ 1 1" 11 p" " ’ ’ .... Ibe lonely coast o! Alrn-a, wis n i c alt v know nmu "i !•"rrato I • •