Page:Poems David.djvu/91

And as he turned to call on Captain Grey
He saw in the distance, some miles away,
A line to the leeward, long and white,
In full relief 'gainst the fading twilight.—
Another mirage it could not be,
As the white line he could plainly see
Unchanged, remaining still upon the deep.
He then roused the captain from his sleep,
And pointed to the strange white line
That lay in the distance, long and fine.
"Ah! Horace, dear boy," cried Captain Grey,
"Yon narrow white line marks the spray
That breaks upon some rock, or coral reef,
Which marks some island of this lonely deep."
Onward drifted the lone "Amphitrite,"
The spray falling in drops of pearly white;—
On to the coral reef the ship was dash'd,
Then there came a loud and fearful crash!—
"Spring, Horace, oh! spring!" cried Captain Grey,
"Our good ship is sinking fast away!"
In an instant, and from the parting wreck,
Poor Horace and the captain quickly leapt.—
Safely by them the shore was reached,
And with heart-felt thanks they knelt on the beach!
"Dear boy, it is time to leave the shore;
And let us try this island to explore."—