Malvern Collegiate Institute - Muse Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

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i THE ,lll'SE Rowing .l.tt'iQ til'lCS'1' llvlillllfl' of Iiittmtnztl Nt-ulls, 1930 V U tht- ay't-rag't- ti'anatlian a mystt-rions pastimt- in whit-h only mt-n oyt-1-six t't-t-t in ht-ight antl wt-igliing' at lt-ast 200 pountls hayt- any t-hant-t- whatt-yt-1' ot ht-t-oming' sut-t-t-ssfnl oarsmt-n. ln a hazy sort of way tht-sv itlt-as art- t-orrt-vt. hnt as tht- oltl sailor saitl wht-n t-xplaining' tht- rt-ason for his ht-t-ry nost-, tht-ru is mort- in it than mt-t-ts tht- t-yt-.U t'hit-lly ht-t-ausv Vanatlian oarsmt-n hayt- ht-t-n going' oyt-r to ltlnglantl antl tht- t'ontint-nt striving' for, antl, in somt- t-ast-s, winning. honors for tht- llomin- ion rowing' in t'anatla st-t-ms to hayt- rt-t't-iyt-tl a gootl tlt-al of puhlit- intt-rt-st tlnring' tht- past ft-w yt-ars. ,Xml it wonltl st-t-m an opportnnt- timt- to givt- to tht- t anat,lian youth somt- itlt-a of tht- lanrt-ls that await thost- who art- willing to giyt- tht-ir timt- antl t-nt-rgy in mastt-ring' tht- tint- points whit-h go to makt- a young' man a gootl st-ullt-r aml oarsman. As tht- tt-nnis t-nthnsiast looks to XYimhlt-tlon as tht- ht-ight of his amhitions. antl tht- golft-r yt-arns for a t'hant-t- to try for tht- British tlpt-n Holf tfhampionship, so tlot-s tht- st'-nllt-r or oarsman turn to tht- Ilt-nlt-y Royal Ht-gatta. tht- hlnt- rihhon ot' tht- rowing' worltl, for tht- opportunity to win a t1'ophy whivh will plat-t- his namt- on tht- rt-t-ortls whit-h alrt-atly t-arry tht- history ot' almost a ct-ntury. NVht-n tht- lantlt-tl gt-ntry antl tht- print-ipal townspt-oplt- ot' Ht-nlt-y- tm-Tliamt-s mt-t in tht- Town llall of that historir- oltl town on Marc-h 26th. 1839, to tlist-nss tht- ft-asihility ot' forming' tht- rt-Qatta whit-h latt-r lvt-t'amt- known as tht- Ht-nlt-y Royal Ht-gatta, tht-y littlt- tlrt-amt-tl that tht-ir lot-al animal woultl t-yt-ntnally lmt-c-omt- ont- of tht- ht-st known t-vt-nts in tht- row- ing' worltl. How ot'tt-n tlo wt- rt-atl of tht-st- important t-yt-nts whit-h had small ht-ginningsf' The- Ht-nlt-y Rt-gatta fllt'I't'l'lll'l' ht-t'-amo an t-stahlisht-tl t'at't in 1839 with two rat-t-s on its 1bl'tl2I'2lIHlll0Yfll'Sf. tht- tlrantl t'hallt-nge tfnp for t-igllt-oart-tl t-rt-ws and, st-t-ontl, tht- Town t'hallt-ngt- trophy for t'onr-oart-d t-rt-ws. Tht- Rt-Qatta soon mt-t with tht- snt-t'-t-ss that was tlt-stint-tl to makt- it tht- prt-mit-r rowing t,-Vt-nt in linglantl, it' not tht- worltl, antl it was not long ht-forc atltlitional rat'-t-s wt-ru atltlt-tl to tht- progrannnt-. So in 1H-1,-1 -223i l . . t-ollt-gt youth rowing' IS t-onsitlt-rt-tl somt-what of

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THE .ll USE surroinnlings-sln'edded, hlaekened stumps, seorehed and burned by shells and tire, were all around. liaping, sodden shell-holes, and twisted barhed wire fronted him. llere and there a khaki form lay, often twisted oddly. .lust hehind him were the shattered seetions of a gun earriage, and beyond these. a horse lay in a reddish puddle. Isle shuddered and glaneed at his wateh. Two minutes to tive. llad it stopped? It must he later than that! lle held it to his ear. and as it' from a great distanee he heard its reassuring' tiek. The sudden dull thud ot a gas shell galvanized him into aetion. ln a moment he was'a grotesque taeeless figure. Confound these masks, one eould hardly hreathe in theml The elip eut his nose already, and his ears liunimed. Unly one minute nowl XYhy didn't they stop that shelling? llis ears rang, and his head throhhed with eaeh sueeessive erash-his pulses raeed, and in a moment he was on the parapet waving his men on. l'ome on men, here we golnfa long line of figures eame from the treneh at his hidding. Ile was running. a gray figure reared up in his path, and he shot, hlindly. The figure disappeared-funny, how it lived one minute and was dead the nextl Ahead ot him, the round muzzle ot' a maehine gun llamed in his faee. A tlash ot' pain shot through his right shoulder and he dove for a shell-hole. NVhere are those grenades J? .Xhl llere they arel lle hit the pin from one, and hurled it. A deafen- ing detonation, and the maehine gun was no more. Ile struggled in vain to rise. Panie seized him, and he elawed t'rantieally at the mud with his hare hands. lle eouldn't moyel lle was paralysedl Terror tore at his heart and he struggled. What was that hurning him? He looked and saw little yellow streams eorrugating the hlaek mud. lt was that mus- tard stutt. he guessed. lle had heard that the enemy were using it. He tried again to rise. Why eouldn't he get up? The stuff was torturing him! lle was home, sailing' on the lake. The warm, hlue water gurgled and foamed past the sides ot' the hoat. The sun shone t'ull upon him, and it stung a little, The wind was fresh, and the little hoat heeled at a perilous angle. Ile laughed as it plunged from wave to wave. flinging silyerv spray from the sharp how. The sheets were taut in his hand, and the tiller felt alive. Suddenly the hlue sky turned to gray, the sun slid hehind a eloud. and the waves were huge. llis hoat was suddenly swamp- ed. and he was drowningl NVhat was that on his tiaee? lt was ehoking him 2-lle sei-eamed and tore it from his mouth-tore oft' his gas mask.- lle eauglit a last reeling' glimpse of a tortured, llashing sky, as his soul slid silently into eternity. Ol

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