THE PHANTOM LAND. 285 



I could not but obey so sweet, so bland, 



From lips angelic were the words he spoke. 



We took our seats; then motioning with his hand 



His comrade, he again the silence broke ; 



But what he said I could not understand ; 



But instantly the old man pushed from land, 



And bore away with many a sturdy stroke, 



' 



Rapidly rapidly we left the shore, 

 Bounding along the billows like a steed 

 With flashing hoofs. The old man plied each oar 

 With fearful diligence, yet took no heed 

 Of any thing nor of the sea before, 

 Nor of the land behind but forward bore, 

 Plunging through fiery foam with reckless speech 



How fast we went ! Faster and faster still ! 

 With tenfold speed our little fragile boat 

 Sprang on from watery hill to watery hill, 

 Just skimming o'er their tops. Deep terror smote 

 My aching breast, and perspiration chill 

 Suffused my limbs, that shook against my will ; 

 My heart rose up and pressed against my throat. 



And now the shore was sunk and now the sun 

 Was dwindled to a little glimmering star ; 

 And now the stars were vanished, all but one 

 And now that one we quickly left afar 

 Behind us out of sight, while midnight dun 

 Wrapt the dark mantle round us which she spun 

 Ere light left heaven upon her silver ear- 



But suddenly the darkness died away, 



And yellow twilight overspread the deep ; 



A sunless, starless twilight neither day 



Nor actual night such as we see in sleep. 



Gladly I gazed around me to survey 



The visible firmament and ocean grey ; 



Land, too, I saw, whose shore was dim and steep. 



A barren, bleak, inhospitable shore 



No verdure, not a tree nothing but sand, 



Sand, sand ! and dark precipitous rocks, which bore 



Marks of the fury of a fiery hand. 



A misty twilight wrapt the region o'er, 



That died away into the hue of gore ; 



I seemed to know it was the Phantom Land. 



Thither we steered, and on the blasted beach 



Soon landed. Glad I was once more to tread 



In safety where the billows could not reach, 



Although on shores infernal. Over head 



Birds flapped their wings with many a piercing screech, 



While the dark waves boomed mournfully, as each 



Came tumbling over on its sandy bed. 



M.M. No. 105. P 



