Greenhill Grammar school, Oldham

Page 19 of 23

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The Story of a Trader

 

It was one month before the typhoon season.  The captain of a schooner had given orders to set sail.
He was trading in the South Seas among the islands.  The captain was anxious to complete his voyage, as his ship was due for an overhaul.  Up to the present he had had a successful trip and was now heading for his last port of call, two hundred miles away.  Sailing easily along he reached his destination in seven days.  When he had finished trading three days later, he loaded with fresh supplies for himself and crew for his voyage to his home port.

For a few days all went well, until without warning the barometer fell and the sea went suddenly calm.  Then the typhoon was upon them.  It had come two weeks before the usual time, and everything was thrown into confusion with the schooner heeling and pitching wildly.  The captain commanded his crew to rig the lifelines.  As he was walking to help, there was a violent shuddering felt in the vessel as she was caught broadside-on to the seas.  She heeled precariously to port and the captain, in attempting to return aft to help his helmsman to bring her head-on, was swept overboard by pounding waves.  He kept on swimming to safety, but the tide was against him.

At last, exhausted with swimming, wading and scrambling from the sea, he rolled on the beach half senseless.

GAIL BURDOCK, 1A.

 

Our Netball Team

Every school has a netball team,
But the one at ours is really a scream.
Some girls are tall and some are small,
But we don't mind, we cheer them all.
And when they're told they have to play
The very following Saturday,
They practice morning, noon and night,
Until the day comes, a breath-taking sight,
As they wait for the whistle, standing quite still.
And then the game starts.    Oh ! what a thrill,
They've begun at last and they jump about.
Then someone or other lets out a shout,
"Good gracious ! What's come over them,
The Greenhill team has scored again".
But though our team with eagerness tried,
The game was won by the opposing side.


A. GOODALL, Form 3B.

 

 

Autumn

 

It was all like a dream in the garden today,
The leaves once so golden had all blown away.
It happened so suddenly no one can tell
How the wind whistled angrily through the dark dell.

The leaves whirled about trying hard to escape
From the great gusts of wind and a horrible fate.
But try as they might it seemed without doubt
That their fate was decided as they all whirled about.

Then quite as suddenly as it had appeared,
The wind took flight over the hills and disappeared,
Leaving the leaves lying quivering on the ground,
To be collected by the gardener on his weary round.

JENNIFER HICKUNG, 3B.