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  • Jan. 1, 1878
  • Page 36
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The Masonic Magazine, Jan. 1, 1878: Page 36

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    Article TIME'S FLIGHT. ← Page 3 of 5 →
Page 36

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Time's Flight.

little manoeuvre altered the boat ' s trim , and away we went dashing through theeddyim , tide at the mouth of the river Thames , sailing quite gallantly out into the German Ocean . The gi g ' s crew pulled hard , but we made so much headway that there was no chance of us being overhauled by them . On we sped with the spray dashing over our bows in silvery showers ; the waves became larger , the sails were full , the boat laid to it , and wo ploughed through the curling sea in good style , the white foam occasionall

y , being level with our gunwale . The gig in pursuit soon appeared "beautifully less , and smaller by degrees , " the relative distance between us , to our great satisfaction and joy , rapidly lengthened ; in a short time we could only discern a black line a long way astern , and that apparentl y making for the harbour . We soon made and passed the Nore Light Ship as we sailed away upon the deep green seaand a beautiful green it was . After running for an hour

, , we took bearings ; The iNbre was about four miles behind us , the cliffs of our Island home loomed fur in the distance to the right , and nought but one vast and magnificent expanse of water could be seen a-head . The sun was shining brightly , its golden beams tinting the white crests of the undulating waves , and making the flying spray , which dashed over our bows , sparkle like so many jirecious gems , whilst in our track the pearl y foam floated fast away , and lent beauty to the fascinating scene .

" Ease the sheet , put about , and steer for land . " This order was obeyed , and away we went with a little more spray than before , standing well in for the eastern point of the cliffs , which we neared about mid-day . The sails were lowered , and the boat was allowed to run ashore head on ; wo quickly disembarked , one of us remaining in charge of the boat , while the others climbed the cliffs in all directions in search of fossils and wild flowers , being rewarded by a "find "

of orchids , aud several ornithological and reptilian remains . The ramblers soon returned to the boat , and committed great havoc among the perishable stores . The tide was now ebbing fast , and we knowing that a long flat , composed of Thames mud and sand , run out from the cliffs , soon made all things snug , embarked again , and pushed off . The sails were hauled up , and we coasted it for two or three miles until the entrance to tho River Swale was reached . Then we stood out to sea again , and ran with the tide jollily and pleasantly , no trouble , but all fair sailing .

After two hours of this fun , the wind suddenly dropped , and we became becalmed . A drizzling rain came on , and land was lost to sight . The boat was put about , but she " missed stays , " and spun round and round like a spinning peg-top , anil to make matters worse we discovered , to our great disappointment , that we had come away without an anchor . The sails were useless , so we made them jirotect us from the rain as well as we could , and left the boat to drift with the tide out to sea . The only consolation we had was , that the tide would soon turn and bring us back with it .

It is all very well to bo cheerful under difficulties , and here we were in a fix . We laughed and joked with each other , but I verily believe that all of us were more or less frightened by the look out before us . The drizzling rain ceased , and the sky brig htened , then wo could see a large beacon with black and white perpendicular stripes painted on it . This we know was placed upon some dangerous sands , and soon perceived that we were drifting fast towards them . There was nothing else to be done , but to get out t'lC

oars and pull for it , against the tide ; this was speedily accomplished , but availed us nothing-After a great deal of useless exertion and ordering one way and another , we mocking ly went past the beacon and bumped and grounded upon the sand . How pale all of » s turned ! How enquiringly we looked each other in the face , and then asked what was no * to be done ? We unshipped the rudder and tried to push the boat off , but to no purpose * not one inch would she move

. There was the beacon looking as comfortable as a bird standing upon one leg and fast asleep , while we , poor mortals , were in great trepidation and harassed by many feai ' s > Fear number one—that we were all lost . Fear number two—that being aground oil tW sand , if a change of wind came with the flood tide , the boat would dock and fill , illicl thus be wrecked . Or in nautical parlance— " leave her bones there . "

“The Masonic Magazine: 1878-01-01, Page 36” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 11 June 2025, django:8000/periodicals/mmg/issues/mmg_01011878/page/36/.
  • List
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Title Category Page
Monthly Masonic Summary. Article 1
THE ORIGIN AND REFERENCE OF THE HERMESIAN SPURIOUS FREEMASONRY. Article 2
1877 AND 1878. Article 4
ST. ANDREW'S ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER, BOSTON (U.S.A.) Article 5
THE ADVENTURES OF DON PASQUALE. Article 8
THE LATE PRINCE CONSORT. Article 10
NOT KNOWING. Article 14
THE TRUE HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY IN ENGLAND. Article 15
FORGIVE AND FORGET. Article 18
THE WORK OF NATURE IN THE MONTHS. Article 19
A CHAPTER ON OAKS. Article 25
DIETETICS.* Article 27
WINTER. Article 30
AMABEL VAUGHAN. Article 31
TIME'S FLIGHT. Article 34
A DAY'S PLEASURE. Article 35
JIMMY JACKSON AN' HIS BAD WIFE. Article 38
LOST AND SAVED ; OR NELLIE POWERS THE MISSIONARY'S DAUGHTER. Article 40
NOTES ON LITERATURE, SCIENCE AND ART. Article 46
SHAKSPEARE: SONNETS, XXX. Article 48
IDEM LATINE REDDITUM. Article 48
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Time's Flight.

little manoeuvre altered the boat ' s trim , and away we went dashing through theeddyim , tide at the mouth of the river Thames , sailing quite gallantly out into the German Ocean . The gi g ' s crew pulled hard , but we made so much headway that there was no chance of us being overhauled by them . On we sped with the spray dashing over our bows in silvery showers ; the waves became larger , the sails were full , the boat laid to it , and wo ploughed through the curling sea in good style , the white foam occasionall

y , being level with our gunwale . The gig in pursuit soon appeared "beautifully less , and smaller by degrees , " the relative distance between us , to our great satisfaction and joy , rapidly lengthened ; in a short time we could only discern a black line a long way astern , and that apparentl y making for the harbour . We soon made and passed the Nore Light Ship as we sailed away upon the deep green seaand a beautiful green it was . After running for an hour

, , we took bearings ; The iNbre was about four miles behind us , the cliffs of our Island home loomed fur in the distance to the right , and nought but one vast and magnificent expanse of water could be seen a-head . The sun was shining brightly , its golden beams tinting the white crests of the undulating waves , and making the flying spray , which dashed over our bows , sparkle like so many jirecious gems , whilst in our track the pearl y foam floated fast away , and lent beauty to the fascinating scene .

" Ease the sheet , put about , and steer for land . " This order was obeyed , and away we went with a little more spray than before , standing well in for the eastern point of the cliffs , which we neared about mid-day . The sails were lowered , and the boat was allowed to run ashore head on ; wo quickly disembarked , one of us remaining in charge of the boat , while the others climbed the cliffs in all directions in search of fossils and wild flowers , being rewarded by a "find "

of orchids , aud several ornithological and reptilian remains . The ramblers soon returned to the boat , and committed great havoc among the perishable stores . The tide was now ebbing fast , and we knowing that a long flat , composed of Thames mud and sand , run out from the cliffs , soon made all things snug , embarked again , and pushed off . The sails were hauled up , and we coasted it for two or three miles until the entrance to tho River Swale was reached . Then we stood out to sea again , and ran with the tide jollily and pleasantly , no trouble , but all fair sailing .

After two hours of this fun , the wind suddenly dropped , and we became becalmed . A drizzling rain came on , and land was lost to sight . The boat was put about , but she " missed stays , " and spun round and round like a spinning peg-top , anil to make matters worse we discovered , to our great disappointment , that we had come away without an anchor . The sails were useless , so we made them jirotect us from the rain as well as we could , and left the boat to drift with the tide out to sea . The only consolation we had was , that the tide would soon turn and bring us back with it .

It is all very well to bo cheerful under difficulties , and here we were in a fix . We laughed and joked with each other , but I verily believe that all of us were more or less frightened by the look out before us . The drizzling rain ceased , and the sky brig htened , then wo could see a large beacon with black and white perpendicular stripes painted on it . This we know was placed upon some dangerous sands , and soon perceived that we were drifting fast towards them . There was nothing else to be done , but to get out t'lC

oars and pull for it , against the tide ; this was speedily accomplished , but availed us nothing-After a great deal of useless exertion and ordering one way and another , we mocking ly went past the beacon and bumped and grounded upon the sand . How pale all of » s turned ! How enquiringly we looked each other in the face , and then asked what was no * to be done ? We unshipped the rudder and tried to push the boat off , but to no purpose * not one inch would she move

. There was the beacon looking as comfortable as a bird standing upon one leg and fast asleep , while we , poor mortals , were in great trepidation and harassed by many feai ' s > Fear number one—that we were all lost . Fear number two—that being aground oil tW sand , if a change of wind came with the flood tide , the boat would dock and fill , illicl thus be wrecked . Or in nautical parlance— " leave her bones there . "

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