Treasure of the Bell

 

If you want to find the treasure of Sir George Henry Nichols,

Then you must keep in mind that woman is fickle.

Ole Captain Outrageous likes his lunch a-la-carte.

So the Cadillac Café seems a fine place to start.

Travel on northward, to the land left to farming.

Across from a place some say was charming.

You will fine famous names written all on the walls.

But you won’t find any in any of the halls.

Here you will find islands with no sea to surround them,

Perhaps you will find ponds with no fish to abound them.

Look to the one northwest of the horse,

Some say it lunar, but that’s just a farce.

Look to the bottom and look to the top.

If first you don’t see it, there’s no reason to stop.

Look at it again and look at it well,

For Sir George Henry Nichols marked it clear as a bell. ©

Happy hunting Mates

Captain Outrageous

Opportunity

 

This I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream:-

There spread a cloud across a plain;

And underneath the cloud, or in it, raged

A furious battle, and men yelled, and swords

Shocked upon swords and shields. A prince’s banner

Wavered, then staggered backwards, hemmed by foes.

A craven hung along the battles edge,

And thought, “Had I a sword of keener steel-

That Blue Blade that the king’s son bears-but this

Blunt thing!”-he snapped and flung it from his hand.

And lowering crept away and left the field.

Then came the king’s son, wounded sore bestead,

And Weaponless, and saw the broken sword,

Hilt-buried in the dry trodden sand,

And ran and snatched it, and with battle-shout

Lifted afresh he hewed his enemy down,

And saved a great cause that heroic day.

Edward R. Sill

1841 - 1887