Loyola University Maryland - Evergreen / Green and Gray Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

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THE LOYOLA ANNUAL 13 history of the pirates, (for pirates they were), that dwelt on it, the ships that they plundered and the innocent lives that were lost will never be known save in that world where all secrets are revealed and where life flows along as happily and as joy- ously as a brooklet to the sea. Joseph J. Quinn, H. S. 12 . Ahoy to the brine-covered brig, my boys ! Ahoy to our ocean bride, Where the billow plays in the golden rays That rest on the heaving tide. We’re off to the bright evening skies, my boys! We’re off to the western waves; Think not of the dirge of the restless surge, That rolls upon sailors’ graves. We’ll race with the frolicsome moon, my boys! And list to the screeching gales. We’ll skip o’er the hue of the ocean blue A-spinning our seaman tales. Oh, spurn all these rollicking ripples, boys, That crisp on the silver sands ; And bid an adieu to good friends and true ; We’re off to the western lands. W. F. C.

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12 THE LOYOLA ANNUAL Of what happened after that I remember but little, but I have visions of a fierce struggle taking place, figures darting hither and thither, unearthly groans and deafening shots and streaks of fire that rent the night. When found later by the crew of the “Monarch” I was the lone survivor. My companions lay beside their empty revol- vers, and close to them were four figures crouched in death. The ghastly and terrible look upon their faces showed us that death to them had been an unwelcome enemy. We found them to be ordinary mortals, but shorter in stature, dressed in tight- fitting black oilskin garments. In each one’s hand was a small weapon like a sprinkler in which was carried a small amount of the deadliest poison, a drop of which if it fell on the bare skin of a human being would kill him instantly. After my rescue, and while the crew were inspecting the deck, one of the sailors saw a ray of light coming up from a crack in the hatchway. We forced it open and descended into a room where we stood dumbfounded. It was a magnificent drawing-room, electric lights sparkled from golden chandeliers and glittered upon the diamond-studded decorations of the room. Large, unknown instruments and charts were upon polished desks, and volumes of books, uniformly bound, were standing in magnificent bookcases. The furnishings were never surpassed in the apartments of any palace, and the many strange inventions showed us the inventive genius of the own- ers. Four other rooms, fitted up just as magnificently, com- prised the lower parts of the derelict, while below noiseless en- gines, operated by vapor, were the means of propelling the craft. Such were the secrets of the derelict, that mysterious craft which for many long years had appeared on different waters of the globe ; that had been the subject of many weird, incred- ible tales and the home of the phantoms of the sea. But the

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14 THE LOYOLA ANNUAL ©rutli (A Parable.) ND I listened, for I heard the wind shrieking and howling in its exultation, and I could distinguish the words that it was saying; for it seemed to speak of regions unknown to men. ’ “I sing of the wild, wild sea which tosses and rolls in its agitation; for I am the demon of the winds which ravage thereupon. Far out in that vast ocean of water, which mortal eye hath not beheld, there stands a rock greater than anything which man hath known. It stands glorying in its strength, which is infinite; for here the ocean is thousands of fathoms deep and this rock takes root in its bottom, while its summit is lost in the clouds. And it glints in the sunshine as though it were encased in steely armor and it is bearded with moss ; for it is aged and stood when the first man was an infant.” And when I approached the rock it was dark; for the sun had long since sunk to his rest and the Monarch Night pre- vailed fiendish; howling was the tempest. And, in approaching, the ship encountered great difficulty; battling with the winds and the waves. And, having ap- proached, I was filled with great loathing and disgust; for it was filled with worms and vipers and other creeping and abominable things that feed on human flesh and putrid corpses. And the lightnings revealed to me that the ship was named ‘ Slander,” and I tried to read the legend carved upon the rock, but I could not because it was night. And I became angry and in my rage I ordered the winds to destroy this ship, this reeking thing. And they, blowing with tenfold strength and fury, hurled the ship upon the rock, and