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William Topaz McGonagall - The Wreck of the `Thomas Dryden` in Pentland Firth
Work rating: Low

As I stood upon the sandy beach
One morn near Pentland Ferry,
I saw a beautiful brigantine,
And all her crew seem`d merry. 

When lo! the wind began to howl,
And the clouds began to frown,
And in the twinkling of an eye
The rain came pouring down. 

Then the sea began to swell,
And seem`d like mountains high,
And the sailors on board that brigantine
To God for help did loudly cry. 

Oh! it was an awful sight
To see them struggling with all their might,
And Imploring God their lives to save
From a merciless watery grave. 

Their cargo consisted of window-glass,
Also coal and linseed-oil,
Which helped to calm the raging sea
That loud and angry did boil. 

Because when the bottoms of the barrels
Were with the raging billows stove in,
The oil spread o`er the water,
And smoothed the stormy billows` din! 

Then she began to duck in the trough of the sea,
Which was fearful to behold;
And her crossyards dipped in the big billows
As from side to side she rolled. 

She was tossed about on the merciless sea,
And received some terrible shocks,
Until at last she ran against
A jagged reef of rocks. 

`Twas then she was rent asunder,
And the water did rush in —
It was most dreadful to hear it,
It made such a terrific din. 

Then the crew jumped into the small boats
While the Storm-fiend did roar,
And were very near being drowned
Before they got ashore. 

Then the coal-dust blackened the water
Around her where she lay,
And the barrels of linseed-oil
They floated far away. 

And when the crew did get ashore,
They were shaking with cold and fright,
And they went away to Huna inn,
And got lodgings for the night!
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