254 



THE OPAL SEA 



The tragedy 

 of the sea. 



The un- 

 thinking 

 sea not 

 ' 'rapa- 

 cious." 



The grim 

 tea tales 

 furnished 

 by men. 



tery " and the " tragedy " of the sea. The de- 

 struction of the sea life that goes on beneath 

 the surface day in and day out, the killing and 

 devouring, the slaughter of untold millions for 

 food, are accepted as matters of course, things 

 of no great moment; but when the destruction 

 extends to man, when two hundred men die in 

 the sea instead of in the air, the event is a 

 " horror " and the sea is referred to as " rapa- 

 cious " or as a " remorseless monster." 



But the unthinking sea is it so much more 

 " remorseless " than the other elements or more 

 " rapacious " than the personified deities of 

 men? Did not the gods at Ilios spin the web 

 of death for some that others in the time to 

 come might have a song? And do not all the 

 elements — all great Nature's self at times — 

 turn "red in tooth and claw" and spread de- 

 struction up and down the world? The sea by 

 itself considered is neither " mysterious " nor 

 " tragic " nor " rapacious " ; it is simply the 

 sea. 



And whatsoever of evil may be found upon 

 the waters has it not followed upon the foot- 

 steps of man? The wars of maritime states, 

 the oi)pression of conquerors, the atrocities 

 of the slavers, the ravages of the buccaneers, 

 have always furnished forth the grim sea 



