| |
| THEY were off Cape Hatteras | |
| On a dark night of September,— | |
| Long, ah! long shall we remember! | |
| On the ship were souls six hundred | |
| Ere the God of Tempests thundered. | 5 |
| Long we ’ll mourn the night—alas!— | |
| They were off Cape Hatteras. | |
| |
| O’er the billows came the storm; | |
| On the sea were demons prowling; | |
| O’er the wave came Horror howling; | 10 |
| Looking on the dread commotion | |
| Lay dark spirits of the ocean; | |
| In its terrors multiform | |
| O’er the billows came the storm. | |
| |
| Comes the sound of boding doom.— | 15 |
| Hark! the spars and boom a-creaking! | |
| Hark! the dole of victims shrieking! | |
| Louder comes the tempest’s thunder, | |
| Bursting rope and bar asunder! | |
| From the bellow and the gloom | 20 |
| Comes the sound of boding doom. | |
| |
| With the blare of bellowing storm | |
| Comes the shout of seamen daring: | |
| “Courage, brothers! God us sparing, | |
| We shall conquer, though the thunder | 25 |
| Crushes our good ship asunder!” | |
| Lightning showed each sailor form | |
| Battling with the bellowing storm. | |
| |
| Hark, on high! ’t is God who speaks! | |
| Thunders ruinous are booming; | 30 |
| Storm-cloud in the lightning looming; | |
| Fiercer, louder, wilder, higher, | |
| Howls the darkling blast and nigher…. | |
| From the heaven the thunder breaks— | |
| Hark, on high! ’t is God who speaks! | 35 |
| |
| Now there comes a spirit prone | |
| O’er the deck from prow to rudder, | |
| Making e’en the seamen shudder!… | |
| Now the gallant Herndon ’s speaking | |
| With his trumpet o’er the shrieking: | 40 |
| “Now to God and Him alone!” | |
| Then there came that spirit prone. | |
| |
| Wild the answer: groan and prayer! | |
| Wild the answer: tempest thundered! | |
| Wild the answer of six hundred! | 45 |
| O’er the deck came billows breaking— | |
| Vessel sinking—hope forsaking! | |
| “Look to God—for death prepare!”— | |
| Wild the answer: groan and prayer! | |
| |
| Down in caverns wild and dark | 50 |
| Are the daring victims lying— | |
| Loud the land with wail and sighing. | |
| With the God of Tempests leave them— | |
| Jesus, Saviour, now receive them. | |
| The good ship lies grim and stark | 55 |
| Down in caverns wild and dark; | |
| |
| It is off Cape Hatteras— | |
| Sunk that dark night of September— | |
| Long, ah! long shall we remember. | |
| There were on the ship six hundred | 60 |
| Ere the God of Tempests thundered! | |
| Long we ’ll mourn the night—alas!— | |
| They were off Cape Hatteras! | |
| |
