Author.-John Masefield, an English poet and novelist, born in 1876, was chosen as Poet-Laureate in 1930. He has led an adventurous life, much of it at sea. His sea songs and poems ring true. His published books include Saltwater Ballads, Poems and Ballads, The Everlasting Mercy, Dauber, in verse; and, among prose works, Gallipoli, A Mainsail Haul, A Tarpaulin Muster, Odtaa, and Victorious Troy. He has also written several plays. Dauber is one of the finest of sea-poems.
General Notes.-Is Masefield"s love of the sea genuine? What makes you think so? A " trick" is the helmsman"s spell at the wheel, generally two hours. But the "long trick" is in the morning watch, when the relieving helmsman goes on at a quarter to eight a.m., and remains till 10 a.m., thus lengthening his "trick." Collect some more poems about the sea.
LESSON 11
STAlkED By A lION
[This is a true story. At the end of last century the author arrived in East Africa to take up a position on the staff of the Uganda railway, which was then being built. He was sent to Tsavo, over one hundred miles from the coast, to take charge of the construction of the line at that place. The workmen were mainly coolies from India. Tsavo was in the lion country. And what lions! They entered camps and carried off coolies, they outwitted guards, and before long they had the workmen so terror-stricken that all work on the line was held up. Despite Patterson"s determination to shoot the two man- eaters, they seemed to bear charmed lives. At the time the story opens, one of the lions has been missed at close range.]
After this dismal failure there was, of course, nothing to do but to return to camp. Before doing so, however, I proceeded to view the dead donkey, which I found to have been only slightly devoured at the quarters. It is a curious fact that lions always begin at the tail of their prey and eat upwards towards the head. As their meal had thus been interrupted evidently at the very beginning, I felt sure that one or other of the brutes would return to the carcass at nightfall.
Accordingly, as there was no tree of any kind close at hand, I had a staging erected some ten feet away from thebody. This was about twelve feet high, and was composed of four poles stuck into the ground and inclined towards each other at the top, where a plank was lashed to serve as a seat. Further, as the nights were still pitch dark, I had the donkey"s carcass secured by strong wires to a neighbouring stump, so that the hons might not be able to drag it away before I could get a shot at them.
At sundown, therefore, I took up my position on my airy perch, and much to the disgust of my gun-bearer, Mahina, I decided to go alone. I would gladly have taken him with me indeed, but he had a bad cough, and I was afraid lest he should make any noise or movement which might spoil all. Darkness fell almost immediately, and everything became extraordinarily still. The silence of an African jungle on a dark night needs to he experienced to be realized; it is most impressive, especially when one is absolutely alone and isolated from one"s fellow creatures, as I was then.
Suddenly I was startled by the snapping of a twig: and, straining my ears for a further sound, I fancied I could hear the rustling of a large body forcing its way through the bush. "The man-eater," I thought to myself; "surely to-night my luck will change and I shall bag one of the brutes." Profound silence again succeeded; I sat on my eyrie like a statue, every nerve tense with excitement. Very soon, however, all doubt was dispelled. A deep, long-drawn sigh-sure sign of hunger- came up from the bushes, and the rustling commenced againas he cautiously advanced. In a moment or two a sudden stop, followed by an angry growl, told me that my presence had been noticed; and I began to fear that disappointment awaited me once more.
But no; matters quickly took an unexpected turn. The hunter became the hunted; and, instead of either making off or coming for the bait prepared for him, the lion began stealthily to stalk me! For about two hours he horrified me by slowly creeping round and round my crazy structure, gradually edging his way nearer and nearer. Every moment I expected him to rush it; and the staging had not been constructed with an eye to such a possibility. If one of the rather flimsy poles should break, or if the lion could spring the twelve feet which separated me from the ground … the thought was scarcely a pleasant one. I began to feel distinctly " creepy," and heartily repented my folly in having placed myself in such a dangerous position.
I kept perfectly still, however, hardly daring even to blink my eyes; but the long-continued strain was telling on my nerves. About midnight, suddenly something came flop and struck me on the back of the head. For a moment I was so terrified that I nearly fell off the plank, as I thought that the lion had sprung on me from behind. Regaining my senses in a second or two, I realized that l had been hit by nothing more formidable than an owl, which had doubtless mistaken me for the branch of a tree-not a very alarming thing to happenin ordinary circumstances, I admit, but coming at the time it did, it almost paralyzed me. The start which I could not help giving was immediately answered by a sinister growl from below.
