OUTWARD BOUND

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 628, 3 April 1929, Page 6

OUTWARD BOUND

Calm, secure in her strength and pride. When into the blue the dawn-stars slip, And out she moves on the crest of the tide: The gallant ghost of a clipper-ship! By her sovereign grace, proclaimed a queen— By' the light of the morning, newlycrowned — Spurning the years, she sails serene: Ghost of a clipper—outward bound! Sprung from the dream of a master heart, And wrought by the skill of master hands, When the dim, gray mists of night depart She has cleared for the ports of alien lands. Radiant now is the sun that leaps Like a golden flame to the clean white sails— Borne by the wind and the sea, she sweeps Out to the unforgotten trails! Beauty of clouds . , . and the infinite sky . . . The perfect peace when a twilight fades ... And palm-rimmed islands ... a gull's shrill cry ... Then into the lift of the northeast trades! Down past Rio, and ’round to the Horn, With a laugh at the mad gale’s icy breath, With halyards broken and canvas torn, She flings her challenge to storm and death! Now warm brown eyes on a magic shore, And the lotus scent by a soft breeze blown— Batavia—Hong-Kong—Singapore— What is the haven she calls her own . . . Down to the sea—the sea—in ships . . Oh, love that a million hearts have found! She yields herself to the sea’s cool lips: Ghost of a clipper—outward bound! A STRANGE FIND A quaint and surprising find has been made by Mr. S. E. Winbolt while digging on a mound on Lynwick estate in Surrey. At first he thought the mound had been raised over a prehistoric burial but ho is now sure it is the site of a Norman watch-tower. lie has found floor tiles, pottery, charcoal, and— : part of a garment! Breaking up a lump of clay some four feet down in case it should contain a potsherd, he found instead a piece of blue fabric "Will it wear?” we can imagine the Norman maiden asking rather suspiciously; and the merchant would vow that it would last a lifetime. He was right. Eight centuries have not faded it.