“THE SEA LION,”

Shannon News, 28 August 1923, Page 3

“THE SEA LION,”

A PRIZE ESSAY. Numerous essays came to , hand at the 'Maorilafid Theatre on Saturday on Wednesday’s programme, “The Sea Lion.” The first prize was award-, ed to Rita Terry, which entitles her to one month’s, free pictures. The second award goes to Edna- Murray, who gets two weeks’ free pictures. The essays, speaking generally, were of a high order and reveals the fact that the children of Shannon are not lacking in intelligence. , ' Following is the essay of the prize winner;—.

ESSAY ON “THE SEA LION.” (By Rita Terry.) } At the well-known Maoiiland Thea-• tre, where all the- best pictures are , shown, one of the many good pictures | called “The Sea Lion,” was screened on August 22nd. - John Nelson, captain of' the boat, called “The Liar,” was known and dreaded all over the seven seas as “The Sea -Lion.” One day when they- were.heafihfg fh^lSlm-Frtandisco,. thoughts came to the “Sea Lion” of’ hia wife and baby for which he had made a cradle in his spare time whilst on bis voyage. Full of excitement he returned to his home, only to be greatly disappointed by finding a letter to- say that his wife had found the man she really loyed and had gone away with him. In his anger ;hie set fire to the cradle and his home. * * * # #

. In due time he. y returned to San but, scarcely had he landed, did he want to be storting off again. One of the men of the crew was looking for men, when a gentleman’s son who had been turned away from home overheard him and volunteered to go, but the captain only laughed at him, but any way he eventually got the job at which he proved a very willing worker.

While on board for several weeks they found a leak in the boat and after they had been, pumping for several hours they found that they; had been pumping the drinking water away. The “Sea Lion,” on discovering what had happened, ordered all the waiter: to be,taken,to his*ealriri; which he kept' fb'r his own' rise, while his crew was famishing, for a, drink. One of the. crew 'approached him for water, which he. ' refused.*' A- mutiny ithen started and-they, seized trie barrel. The “Sea Lion”; was determined for them not to have trie watery so he.shot two holes In, the barrel.- ; While the mutiny was going on, the volunteer,, who was up in the crow’s nest, sighted land and seeing nobody at trier wheel came down. He went to the captain was in charge )oi the water expedition. On' reaching the lonely island they found a girl and her uncle, who had been, saved from ’•a wreck sixteen years ago. The crew then took her to the ship. The “Sea Lion” was cruel to her and locked her up in her cabin. While he had her locked up in her cabin, the first ' mate came and .rescued her through the porthole of her cabin. While out in the small boat a storm came up and the “Sea iLion” deft them to their doom. He discovered a Bible that the girl’hud left and in the front was a letter to him from his wife telling him that an old sweetheart-of hers had come with an old letter that she had‘ written to him and had left it there arid he had dragged her away with him,. So ,y#ien he discovered that it was Iris daughter he returned back to fibril her at the risk of his own life. The “Sea Lion’ * ■ found her and so saved her from the terrible ocean. The girl on returning to the ship learnt that the ?‘Sea Lion” was her father /arid forgave him for all his cruelty towards her arid was overjoyed at learning that at last she had found'her father.