Nail to the mast her holy flag, And give her to the god of storms, conquered (kon'kerd): vanquished ensign (en'sin): flag harpies (här'piz): birds of prey meteor (mē'te er): shooting star OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES. ocean (ō'shn) threadbare (thred'bâr): worn to the bare thread vanquished (van'kwishd) HELPS TO STUDY The old gunboat Constitution, built in 1797, was nicknamed "Old Ironsides." It was used in the naval battles with Great Britain in the War of 1812. In 1833 there was a plan to break up the old ship, because it had grown useless for war. Oliver Wendell Holmes, then only twentyfour years old, wrote this poem. It was printed in newspapers all over the country, and as a result the plan to destroy "Old Ironsides" was given up. L THE STORY OF GRACE DARLING On the evening of Wednesday, the fifth of September, 1838, the steamship Forfarshire left Hull, with a cargo of iron for Dundee. The day had been quite fine, with a light breeze blowing from the 5 south; but on Thursday the weather changed altogether, and at midnight a fearful storm was raging around the whole north coast, the wind having shifted to the northwest. On the morning of Friday, the 7th, a sloop from 10 Montrose, bound for South Shields, sighted a small boat struggling hard with the big waves, which every moment seemed about to swamp her. The sloop went to the rescue; and in spite of the heavy seas, the men in the little boat were 15 at last got on board. They were seven in all; and they believed themselves to be all that were saved of the crew and passengers of the Forfarshire, which was then lying a total wreck on Longstone, one of the 20 Farne Islands. While they were still in the Humber, and not twenty miles from Hull, one of the Forfarshire's boilers was found to be leaking, but the captain would not turn back. He had it patched up as well as he could, and the vessel kept on her way, though very slowly, not passing between the 5 Farne Islands and the mainland till Thursday evening. When the gale came on, the leak grew worse than ever, and very soon the other two boilers were found to have holes in them. Through 10 these the water rushed out almost as fast as it was pumped in, so filling the place with steam and hot water that the stokers could not get to the fires. Still the steamer struggled on, though with great difficulty, for the sea was running very high 15 by this time. At midnight they were off St. Abb's Head, when the engineers reported that the engines had ceased to work. The ship rolled helplessly on the waves, and the rocky coast was not far off. Sails were spread and the vessel was put round 20 so that she might run before the gale and keep off the rocks; and as the tide was flowing southward, she drifted fast with wind and tide. Torrents of rain were falling, and in spite of the wind there was a thick fog. About three o'clock the noise of breakers was heard a little way ahead, and at the same time a 5 light was seen away to the left, shining faintly through the darkness. Then the crew knew that they were being driven on one of the Farne Islands. Now these islands are a group of bare and lonely 10 rocks, off the coast of Northumberland. They are twenty in number, some only uncovered at low tide, and all standing like a rugged iron wall before any unlucky boat that may be driven on them. Even in calm weather and by daylight 15 seamen take care not to go near them. The captain of the Forfarshire tried to head the ship for the channel which runs between the islands and the mainland. It would have been at best a poor chance; it was hopeless here, for the 20 vessel would not answer to her helm. On she drove in the darkness, nearer and nearer came the sound of the breakers, and those on board grew mad with fear and despair. Women wailed and shrieked ; the captain's wife clung to him weeping; the crew lost all order and thought of nothing but their own safety. Between half-past three and four with a grind ing crash the ship was flung heavily against a5 huge rock. In the awful moments which followed, five of the crew managed to lower one of the boats and push off in her. The mate swung The mate swung himself over the side, and reached her; and a passenger, rushing up 10 from the cabin, seeing the boat already three yards from the ship, cleared the space with a bound, and landed safely in her, though he nearly upset her with his weight. She righted however; and the seven men in her were, as already said, picked 15 up by a sloop from Montrose. And the rest of the ship's company what of them? Had they all gone down by that island crag, with never a hand stretched out to help them? Hardly had the boat got away when the Forfarshire was struck by a huge wave which lifted her up bodily, and dashed her back right 20 |