PART IV: The Horn of the Beast
No sooner did he hear these words,
Gilliat away did turn
To fit his sloop and set his sails,
His lady’s love to earn.
He set his course along Les Banques
And through the rocks steered true;
At Kidormur aghast he saw
A man admired the view!
For there the waves had worn some steps
Up to a polished seat –
But not for little was that throne
Known as ‘the Horn of the Beast’.
The breakers there burst like banshees
Upon the water’s rise:
At times the ocean is as fatal
As a woman’s eyes.
He waved, he wailed, then close he sailed
As up the tide did creep,
And at the rock his fears confirmed:
The man was fast asleep!
He took the stranger’s foot then shook
And woke him with the shock,
“Now climb aboard,” cried Gilliat,
“Or perish on this rock!”
Aboard the sloop, the black-clad man
Explained he was a priest
But new arrived, who had not known
The dangers of ‘the Beast’.
At dock he said, “You saved my life!”
Handing over a bible;
They bid farewell not in the least
Suspecting they were rivals.
No sooner did he hear these words,
Gilliat away did turn
To fit his sloop and set his sails,
His lady’s love to earn.
He set his course along Les Banques
And through the rocks steered true;
At Kidormur aghast he saw
A man admired the view!
For there the waves had worn some steps
Up to a polished seat –
But not for little was that throne
Known as ‘the Horn of the Beast’.
The breakers there burst like banshees
Upon the water’s rise:
At times the ocean is as fatal
As a woman’s eyes.
He waved, he wailed, then close he sailed
As up the tide did creep,
And at the rock his fears confirmed:
The man was fast asleep!
He took the stranger’s foot then shook
And woke him with the shock,
“Now climb aboard,” cried Gilliat,
“Or perish on this rock!”
Aboard the sloop, the black-clad man
Explained he was a priest
But new arrived, who had not known
The dangers of ‘the Beast’.
At dock he said, “You saved my life!”
Handing over a bible;
They bid farewell not in the least
Suspecting they were rivals.
-------------------------------------
The plot thickens! With the introduction of a new character in the shape of a priest, Hugo's tale takes another twist here. Likewise, with its silhouette and shadows, Charlie's illustration has a wonderful sense of mystery about it...
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