REM IN ISCENCES

OF THE

C R U I S E

OF THE

United States Flag Ship

LANCASTER.

i tten in r/zyme, wi t/z a p/zoto-ezzg raw'

ng of fl u au thor as

DR. I LLS ,S urface P/zysz

'

a’

an to i nk Royal N z

’

bs,N ep tune.

BY ROBERT LINDSAY.Wwd

gfififi‘.

PU B L I S H E D B Y T H E A U T H O R .

NEW YORK.

INTRODUCTORY.

This li ttle book you have before you,

I w rote W hile on the ocean cru i sing ;

I hOpe the con t ents W i l l not bore you ,For they are meant to b e amusing.

Should there be cause to find a fau lt,

Be generou s and overlook ;Remember he is bu t a salt ”

Who undertakes to launch th is book.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

/ont ispiece,Ded icat ion ,

hntroduct ion,

The Surface Phys ician to h is Royal N ibs , Nep tune ,

Lamarees; or, Sat isfac t ion Demanded ,

Change of S tat ions,

M iss Jesse, of S t.Helena,

The Bat t le o f Maldonado,

L ines to E l i zabeth ,5 Su l tan of ! anz ibar

,

Ho t and Co ld,

The F lying Dutchman

Our Bat tal ions ,

Dust 71s. Mud ,

z The Patent Log,

Homeward Bound

In Memo riam ,

Ro ll ing Down to St.Helena

Farewel l to Cap tain Po t ter.

On Leaving Cape Town ,

Break the News Gently,

Grief in Brief,

Farewell to Capetown ,

Yannah,

H omeward Bound on the U. S. S.Trenton ,

Scraps ,

Nau t ical Alphabet ,

T ricks bfTrade,

S craps,

Po rts Vis ited by the Lancaster, in Rhyme ,

Jack Asho re,

The New Navy Rat ion ,

The Land of the F ree,

Parody on My Mo ther,

U nnecessary Orders for Tarring Down ,

The Vo ice o f the Seaman,

The Mu ldo on Picnic,

Sequel to Mo ther,m ay I go out to Sw im ,

On Leaving Montevideo ,

Oh W here is the Au tho r !

Ano ther Co unty Heard From,

B reez e, Breez e, Beaut ifu l Breez e

Mush Mush

Oh , Rahmadam ! Oh, Rahmadam

Obed ience ,I n Q uarant ine ,

C hristmas,

’8 5 ,

On Napo leon’s Tomb,

The Gal lant Fou r Hundred ,

The Homeward-Bound Pennant ,

REM IN ISCENCES.

U.S.F. S.LANCASTER.

THE SURFACE PHYSICIAN TO HIS ROYAL

NIBS NEPTUNE.

I hold the posi tion of Surface PhysicianTo Neptune , the King of the Sea ;

Myvaluable pi l ls are a cure for al l i l ls ,My mixtures su rp as sed cannot be

,

fly tari cum plaster, none known to st i ck faster ,3 A ll those who have tried them agree ,or I hold the posi tion of Surface PhysicianTo Neptune , the King of the Sea.

n a tropical c lim e,my professional time

Free gratis to each one is granted ;11the cases I’ve had , no matter how bad ,My do ughm i t i cus pi l ls have enchanted.

8

No m atter how i ll, I send in no bil l

In fact , don’t accept any fee

,

For I hold the position of Surface Physi cian,

To Neptune,the king o f the Sea.

I reside o n th e Line— from nine unti l n ine,

Any day i n the week I’m at home ;When his Royal Nibs ascend s to v i sit his friends,With my pi lls and my p lasters I roam

,

If you ’ve pains in you r back and you w i sh to getease

,

~

Don ’t send fo r a quack to aggravate your d isease,

Consu lt the physician who hold s a positionUnder Neptune

,th e King of th e Sea.

Fo r medical fame,my magical name

All over the world it i s known ;My seaweed icum pi l l , and my wonderfu l ski ll ,

Is th e talk o f th e tropical zone.Of my marvelou s squ i l ls each dose i s two gills,No trumpet in prais e need be b lown

I am Su rface Physician , I take my positionOn the righ t o f the nau tical throne.

LAMAREES ; OR ,SATISFACTION

DEMANDED.

Oh ! Lamarees , we’ve crossed the seas

To have bu t l i tt le chat ;Our ship i s anchored in the bayTo m ind what you are at.

We have ten VIII.- inch rifles,

And Hotchkiss cannon fourI pity him who trifles

With a Yankee man o f war.

Oh ! Lamarees, remember , please ,Uncle Sam is no t a flat

So tel l the tru th,my dusky youth

Or we’ll revolve o u r gat .We have eight hundred hand s , on board ,Likewise as many feet,

Vud o ur captain i s th e sen iorOf the South Atlantic fleet.

Now,Lam arees ,

’

t i s no t the cheeseWhen vessels they are wrecked ,

To plunder,and do what yo u p lease

Such conduct must be checked.

Sometime ago the barque SurpriseWas run upon a reef

The nam e of the King of the -Sakalavas,

1Q

The Sakalavas d id desp ise ,The crew who sought relief.

Now ,Lamarees, ou r wrath appease ,You must withou t palaver

,

R emember that such acts as theseD isgrace each Sakalava.

Remember ’t is the nationThat d isplays the starry banner

,

That demands an exp lanat ionIn a satisfactory manner.

CHANGE OF STATIONS .

To rep resent the nation on the Sou th AtlanThe Lancaster was ordered in the

eigh ty-five ;

T here were some who did not like it ,W hi lst others it ju st su i ted.In obedience to our orders

,we got

and scooted ;It was after we’d West Coasted

,

And got very nearly roasted,

T hat we crossed the South AtlanticAnd in R io did arrive.

DOCTOR ILLS ,

Su rface Physi ci an to hi s Royal N i bs, Nep tune.

11

The ship was quickly moored ,And the mai l was brought on board ,And I received a letter from Boston’s busy

!And to my consternation ,-:O n the European s tation

,

“

They ’d replaced the warlike LancasterW ith an o ld Pacific tub.

i if i t aint the Pensacola,

May I loose each u seful molarat I u se in my endeavorTo demolish Navy grub.

ere I ’l l briefly state we are in the River Plate,

And steaming w i th our anchors down to keep u sOff the mud

my arms and legs I ’ve pains ,

from the co nstant heavy rainsIt reminds me o f the story in the Bible ’bout

the Flood.

oh, this sudden change o f stations

stopped many Nice fl irtatiou s ,And n ipped our European crui se e’er i t had timeto bud.

i have cruised in the Pacific,in China and Japan

,

7here the typhoons blow terrific as only typhoonscan

But the wild pampero’s gait,

Com ing down the River Plat e,

t

'

ou ld su rpri se the know ing W iggins , the all-wiseweather man.

12

When the wind comes off the Pampas ,Then the river’s in commotion ,

And the sprays they board and damp u s ,Like i t does upon the ocean ;

Cholera morbu s it may cramp us ,Any time i t takes a notion.

So I hope they’l l change ou r station ,Or send the Constel lation

The vote i s put and carried ,And second that same motion.

M ISS JESSIE , OF ST. HELENA.

Miss Jessie , I now take my pen up and writeThese few lines to yo u with th e greatest delight ,Tho ’ I’ve no t had the pleasure of seeing your face

,

I know you’re the handsomest girl i n the p lace.You will say to you rself, he

’s a good one t o guessN ow

,won’t you , Miss Jessie—I know you

’l l say yes :Bu t the writer of these simple lines frankly owns

,

He found i t al l o u t from you r friend , Mr. JonesOh

,yes

,I am certain you are very good looking

,

The on ly thing plain abou t yo u i s your cooking.

I am glad to hear that , for I like a plain cook ,One who doesn’t have to refer to a book ;And I hear yo u are witty—and that sort o f th ingI greatly admire

,and I ’m sure yo u can sing.

13

In conc lusion , al low me to say to you , Jess ,ay you

’l l answer a certain question w ith yes,

some one wil l find that as wel l as good looks,

has go t a good wife a nd enjoys what she cooks.

THE BATTLE OF MALDONADO.

What w il l they say in Washington,

When th e story it i s toldOf the U. S.South Atlantic fleet

,

And the deeds o f th e brave and bold.It was on Maldonado’s shore

,

Ou r gal lant tars d id land,

Amid the III. inch rifles ’ roar,

Up to their necks in sand.

First dashed the Tal lapoosa’s menIn vain they fought

,though well.

Then leading the arti l lery,

The noble Colonel fel l.This gave the enemy a chanceTo fire on our marines,

And though they fought as heroes oughtThey were knocked to sm i thereens.

14

Up came the flagship’

s gallan t menJu st in the n ick o f time

,

With rounds of ammuni tion ten ,Led by the fearless Prim e.Here in the th ickest o f the fight

,

The fo e commenced to totter,

W hen th ey received both left and rightA deadly fi re from Potter.

On came the Third D ivi sion ,Led by Ensign Joseph Beale ;They fi red with great precision

,

And made the foemen squ eal.Here cou ld be seen the valian t Brown

,

With glittering sword o f steelWhat w i l l they say in Washington.Oh will they th ink it real !

The battle rages fierce and strong,

Til l the v i ctory crowns the dayI hope I’ve no t depicted wrong ,

The heroes of the fray.Our Yankee tars they fear no scars ,They know no t of defeat ;What wil l they say in Wash ingtonOf the Sou th Atlanti c Fleet !

1 5 )

LINES TO ELIZABETH.

We have j ust arrived in port,Elizabeth

,

Our spud s and bean s ran short,Elizabeth

,

For nothing cou ld be bought,Elizabeth

,

Except cats and assegai sAnd monkey s , ful l o f sport , Elizabeth ,All kind s of tricks we taught , Elizabeth ,To see them

,that yo u ought , Elizabeth.

Eat Sakalava pies.

I am glad we have arrived ,Elizabeth

So glad we have su rvived,Elizabeth

,

On mysteriou s hash we th rived,Elizabeth

Tho’ strange,

’tis really true.In my mess each day I’ve d ived

,Elizabeth

,

Through thick and thi n I’ve strived,Elizabeth ;

And somehow I’ve contri ved , Elizabeth ,And managed t o pu l l th rough.

We have been to Tu llear Bay,Elizabeth

,

Quite eager fo r the fray,Elizabeth ;

And Lamarees mu st pay , Elizabeth ,Orchil la weed— five ton s.

He may no t , and he may , ElizabethWell

,i f he don’t

,I say

,Elizabeth ,

Upon some futu re day , Elizabeth ,We shall point at h im ou r gun s.

We crossed to Mozam bique , Elizabeth ,Where Portugese they speak , Elizabeth,

And the consu l we did seek , Elizabeth ,And I got your Chri stmas letter.

16

You write of weath er bleak,Elizabeth

,

O f the frozen pond and creek , Elizab ethWith excessive heat I’m weak

,Elizabeth.

Sleigh s and snowbal l s su i t m e better.

To Johanna we have been , Elizabeth ,Such heavy rains we ’ve seen

,Elizabeth

,

Where everything is green , Elizabeth ,Except the natives o f that i sle

,

Who acted very mean , Elizabeth ,Though Yannah

,a laund ry queen

,El izabeth

,

She scrubbed my dud s qu ite c lean,Elizabeth

,

And my rupees made her smi le.

We have been to Sheo lv i lle,Elizabeth

Forget I never wi l l,Elizabeth

,

That some o f u s were i l l,Elizabeth.

So pret ty quick from there we mizzledTo an island cal led St.Marys ;’Tis there the fever’s lai r i s

,

And when it was no t rain ing,The sun ’most had u s s izzled.

The last port , Tamatave , Elizabeth ,Whatever m akes them rave , Elizabeth ,I’m blessed if I can see.

So now I’l l end my rhyme , Elizabeth ,I th ink i t ’s nearly time , Elizabeth ,I remain in any clime , Elizabeth.Yours tru ly

,B.O.B.

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18

Run on the American Plan,

A fortune he ’d make verv soon.

Oh,Su l tan o fZanzibar !

Sul tan Burgash Ben SaidI’ve a girl in th e West afar

,

Whose ice cream bi l ls I’ve pa i d.I grumbled

,I know

,at the time

I w i l l n ever do so any more.I ’d be w il l ing to spend my last d imeFo r ice cream o n Columbia’s shore.

Oh,Su ltan of Zanzibar !With you r numerous concubines

,

To longer stay , th is tarRespectfu l ly decli nes.Before I roasted amI want t o be awayIn the realms o f Uncle Sam ,

W here i ce cream it abounds,

And soda fountains p lay,

And i n winter are heard the soundsOf the mu sic ial bel ls on the sleigh.

‘

O I

HOT AND COLD.

It i s cold in O unalaska ,

It i s hot in Panama ,Hotter sti l l i n Madagascar ,Mozambique and Zanz ibar.

19

Jack,with curios , is laden

Fo r a very pretty maidenOn the other side o fAdenShe i s waiting fo r her tar.

Yes,

’

t is cold up in Alaska ,It is wet in Uruguay.Jack has been to Madagascar ;He has bought an Assegai ,

And the Sakalava maidenIs w ith maccaron i ladenOh

,my Sakalava maiden ,

You must keep your necklace d ry .!

It i s cold in Ounalaska,

I t i s dusty at the Cape ;College gi rls o fMadagascarWear thei r hair i n dizzy shape.

Jack,with them

,he has been trad ing

,

And the money they ’ve been paid in ;By thi s time i t must be fad ing

,

Though it sti l l retains i ts shape.

Jack experiences a ll weath ers,

He’s conten ted ,he i s fat ;

From the Cape he’

s brought some feathersFrom Tullear he ’s b rought a cat.So the proper th ing t o do i sGo home by way o f Suez

,

Where the Red Sea water blue isYes

,we’l l al l agree to that.

THE FLYING DUTCHMAN.

! A D ream).

I am an antiquated whale,I ’ve experienced many a gale

,

I ’ve spun thi s yarn qu ite often,

I wil l spin it once aga in.It was in the South Atlantic ,And the seas they were giganti c

,

With thunder and with lightn i ng,

And the wettest kind o f rain.I was in the Mabel Gray

,

And bound fo r Table bay ;We had left the river Plate

Some six- and - thi rt v days ,W hen a vessel was reported

“ Right ahead , sirs , and in stays.The captain took hi s glasses ,

And gave a knowing winkTo the first luff as he passes ,And he says “ she’s D u tch , I think.

He had gone abou t by thi s time ,And came steering straight fo r u s,

The captain said “he’l l hai l u s,perhaps ;

He’s a rummy looking cuss.”

And su re enough he hailed u s,

But in very feeb le tones ;H i s crew who hovered round the decks,

21

Where nought bu t skin and bones.He asked u s who we were ,And likewise whence we came ;

Where we were bound , and so forth ,And then we asked his name.

This i s the Fly ing Dutchman ;I ’ve been beat ing here fo r years.

I t serves him right,hi s crew exclaim ;

’

Ti s fearfu l how he swears.”

They shook their fists , o r, rather , bones,I plainly heard thei r awfu l groans ;And Vanderdecken glares.

Have yo u any news from Amsterdam PI ’m no t far from the Cape.

I wish to Go d I could recall,

Those words I let escape.‘

I’

m bound t o weather Good Hope,

No matter in what shape.How i s mine vrow

,mine Lena dear ;

Tell do t you seen me here,

And do t she has no cause to fear.I said , in sp i te o fGo d I’d clearThe treacherou s stormy cape.

We have a fair w ind now ,we said

,

So fol low i n o u r wake ;Fo r in less than twenty hoursWe expect the land to make.

He squared h i s yard s and followed u s

Qui t e close he kept that night ;And in the morn , at early dawn ,The land appeared in sight.

. 22

Bu t now - the wind commenced to veerTo forward o f the b eam

,

The captain called the engineer,

And said,Now get up steam .

We coupled o ur propel ler,

Then I heard a fearfu l screamNow rou se out al l the starboard watch ,Which spo i l t my phantom dream .

I dressed myselfand went on deck ,Still wondering at my dream

There was land upon our starboard bow ,

And we were under steam.

I looked around the horizon,

But nowhere cou ld I seeThe phantom Flying DutchmanThat my dream revealed to me.

That very night i n Table B ay,

As snug at anchor we did lay ,

I offered up a fervent prayer ,And said “ let winds b e fou l or fai r ,You’ll never hear this o ld whale swear

,

“ On land , s irs , or on sea.”

2 3

OUR BATTALIONS.

Rou se ou t ! rouse out ! the drum doesThe time i s half past four ;

The combined South Atlantic fleetWil l land this day o n shore.

The Tallapoosa’s dauntless crew ,

With those from o ff the ram,

Will show thi s day what they can doFor dear o ld Uncle Sam .

CHORU S.

So fi l l you r canteens up , my lads ,Yes

,fi l l them up with water ;

Fo r, by the dollars ofou r dads.Prepared are we fo r s laughter.

Brace up,brace up , be not alarmed ,

The combined fleet wi ll showWith modern weapons t hey are armed ,To cru sh the unseen fo e.

And fu ture naval h istoryOf gallant deeds wil l tell ,

Of this Uruguayan mystery ,It wi ll say ’twas but a sell.

CHORUS.

So fi l l your canteens up,my lads

,

Yes , fi l l them up with water;For, by the dollars of our dad s ,Prepared are we fo r slaughter.

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Pull fo r the shore , yo u gallant tars ,Swift through the water glide °

The “ Dolph in ” wi th the strip es and stars,

John Co bro n i n his prid e,

And Solomon Best amongst the rest,

Will b ravely act , I’l l wager ;

That none can squelch brave Jimmy Welch,

Our gallan t sergeant-major.

CHORUS.

SO fi l l you r canteens up,my lads

,

Yes,fi l l them up with water

For,by the dollars o f our dads

,

Prepared are we fo r slaughter.The bugle sound i s heard all ’rou nd

,

The call i s fo r battalionsAnd Signor Savasta he i s foundWith fifteen more Italians

,

Ready t o p lay some mournfu l ai rN o mortal fo e can stand.

They say in war that al l i s fa irThat’s why we use o u r band.

CHORUS.

So fi l l your canteens u p , _my lads

,

Yes , fi ll them up with water ;For

,by the dol lars o f o ur dads ,Prepared are we fo r slaughter.

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26

When a Sou theaster blowsAnd the weather is d ry ,Wherever one goesH e gets dust in h is eyes.

The rain i s essential ,We all mu st admit ;

The farmers , you know ,

Cannot do wi thout it.

Don ’t th ink fo r a momentI wish fo r a flood ;Don ’t th ink for a momentI am partial to mud.

Though I say with surprise ,They ’re a lot o f galootsWho prefer dust in their eyesTo mud on t heir boots.

THE PATENT LOG.

We read thee every hour ,Oh , preciou s patent log ;

T hy truthful face portraysThe distance as we j og.We read thee oh

,we read thee !

Every hour we read thee ;N avigators need thee

,

Preciou s patent log.

27

HOMEWARD BOUND.

Homeward bound ! homeward bound !Isn ’t it a joyfu l sound

,

Clear away the j ib and spanker,

Call al l hands and get up anchor,

Wheel and headsmen at their stations,

And crews o f ships o f foreign nations,

Cheer us as we steam around,

Cheer u s, we are homeward bound.

After years of constant cru i sing ,

In waters not of our own choosing,

From Baltic Sea t o Dardanelles ,Our log book o f each vis it tel ls.

Egypt and the Holy Land,

Greece,Italy

,Austria

,Germany and

Portugal,Spa in and France

,

Russia,Eng land , Sicily ,

Malta,

And on the Rock o fGibraltar ,And at its guns we glance.

To all these countries we have been ,Some o f thei r rulers we have seen ; !

’em.

For kings and queens o uryards we’ve manned

I’m su re I cannot understand ’em.‘residents are good enough fo r me ,‘lain M r.i s all I w ish to see.At last we hear that j oyfu l soundOf homeward bound , of homeward bound.

28

Our orders on the West Coast took us,

Hot enough almost to cook us ;Then we crossed to St.HelenaNothing cou ld be more serener.

Again the wind o u r canvas fi lls ,And wafts , u s where the fever ki lls ;

Where o u r dollars change to m illerR io harbor in Brazils.

Next we visit Uruguay,

Often raining,seldom dry ;

Pamperos every other day,

So glad we were to get away.To Cape Town now we shape o ur cou rse ,Once more the South Atlantic cross ;

And to the dock we quicklyw

moored ,When hundreds visit u s o n board .

Orders come— we must away ;We ’d like to , but we cannot stay ;So we for Madagascar m ake ,To protect o u r in terests there at stake.

The natives wondered at o u r guns,

They never saw such heavy ones ;We fined King Lamarees and sons ,Orchi lla weed

,am ount five tons

Fo r putting up that li ttle job ,A shipwrecked crew to insu l t and rob.

29

N ext to Mozambique we sai l,

And here from home we get our mai l.To Zanzi bar and then JohannaIt rained there i n the wettest manner ;

And now to Hellvi lle we have go t ,As it’s name suggests ,

’

twas awfu l ho t.

St.Mary ’s next and Tamatave,

Where many a Frenchman fo und a graveThinking of graves I

’l l now record,

We lost a sh ipmate overboard ;Henry Knights , that was his name ,The following lines tel l o f the same

IN MEMORI AM.

A stately ship on Indian Ocean ,With the wind upon the beam ,

Gliding on,with gracefu l motion ,

In the tw ilight’s mel low gleam.

Officers and crew collec ted ,And the evening prayers are said ,

Prayers that we may be protectedBy our Maker overhead.

And the ship,with rol ling mot ion

,

In the twil igh t’s mellow gleam ,

Gl ides upon the Ind ian Ocean ,Under sai l and under steam.

3 0

Heave the log , th e word i s given ,Qu i ck the order i s obeyed

,

To see how fast she’s being drivenHow many knots an hour made.Overboard

,

” they cry,a man s i S °

Instant ly the lifeboat’s dropped,

Lifeboat lowered,reversed the fan i s

,

Speed o f vessel qu i ckly stopped.

And the ship with backward motion,

In the twi l ight’s fitful gleam,

Presents a scene o f wi ld commotionWith sai ls aback and under steam.

See those men in yonder boat,How they pu l l w ith m ight and mainDo they see him ! Does h e float !W i l l they bring him back again !Shades o f even closing o’er us

,

And the nightlights brightly bu rnWe know no t o f the fate before usTil l the l ifeboat does return.

And the sh ip,with rolling motion

,

In the twilight’s fl i ckering gleam ,

Labors in the Indian Ocean.Her sails are furled

,bu t sh e has steam.

Have yo u got h im !” shouts the captain.

W ith eager eyes the boat we scan ;Silence now each one i s wrapt in ,We found his cap

,si r

,but no t the man.

3 1

Oh,mammoth grave ! Oh , briny ocean !

In sadness we thy victory sing.Grim v isaged death in deep emotion ,We ask ,

Oh,where , where i s thy sting !

And so th e ship , with onward motionOn her road from Tamatave ,Leaves behind in Indian Ocean ,A shipmate in a watery grave.

Algoa Bay i s our next port ,But o u r vi si t i t was very shortWe very soon go t under way ,And arrived once more in Table Bay.We soon made fast unto the j etty ,

When down comes Susan,Jane and Betty ;

And everybody else came downTo bid u s welcome to the town.

Our boilers now they need repair,

For lots o f tubes are leaking thereWe scrape

,and paint

,and refi t ship ,

Then lightly on the shore we skip.And Madame Horse Shoe’s s ip.Returned on board— now we’ve done coaling

,

And down to St.Helena rolling

3 2

R OLLING DOWN TO ST. HELENA.

Roll ing down to St. Helena,

In a Yankee man-o f—war.Copper o n her bottom cleanerThan i t was when here before.

’Tis the Lancaster,I mean her

W i th her heavy e ight- inch guns.C an anyth ing be more serener

,

For she i s manned by Neptune’s sons !

W hen we get t o St.HelenaWelcome we shall su re ly be.

M ary,Jane

,and Emelina ,

I have often thought of thee.A S your praises I’m exto l ling ,Soon o u r good ship yo u will see

Down to St.Helena ro ll ing ,Both sheets aft ’, the wind i s free.

Down to St.Helena ro lling ,

And the motion o f this craftN early sets the bel l fl

a- toll ing.

Gentle South -east trade winds waftW aft us o ’er the trackless oceanTo that sea-girt i sland shore.We don’t mind the rolling motionWe ’ve been through the mill before.

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3 4

You never from yo u r duty sw erved ;Though winds blew high or lowAs all you r shipmates have observed

,

Of course they ought to know.

Why do I write in doleful strainThe reason why is very plainThe best of friends must part

Fo r soon you ’ll h ear that j oyful sound ,Of homeward bound , o f homeward bound ,

Then glad you ’l l be at h eart,

Cal l up the band , the guard tu rn out ,And every man and boy will shout ,And cheer give after cheer.Oh

,hear your sh ipmates’ praise o f you ,

’Twould to be hard to find you r peer.

Amongst the best yo u take you r s tand ,And when yo u reach your native land ,Then , dearer friends , you

’l l meet.And I shall pi ctu re in my mindThe happy home you’re sure to find

,

With your domesti c fleet ;And everyone on board this craft ,No matter

,whether fore o r aft ,

When some one else has got her,

W i l l often say,though miles away ,

Good luck to Captain Potter.The combined Sou th Atlantic forceSouthward now they shape their courseAnd now in Maldonado Bay

3 5

We pass th ree months o f the cruise away.Base bal l and fish ing , and other sportA bloodless battle was here fought.On Geraughty

’

s Island sand ,Here the combined forces land.Once more we anchor o ff the Mount ,’

Tisnot months but d ays we count ;For this is Apri l

,and in May

We hope fo r home to start away.But May has come and August past ,September brings reli ef at last.

Now we leave fo r Ilha GrandMosquitoes shake u s by the hand ;Our battal ions here d o land.Off the Isle o f Ilha Grand ,Lay the South Atlanti c fleet ,With l ightning speed the boats are mannedSoon we tread the burning sandTo the drummer’s measured beat.Brazi lians and Ital iansCame to witness o u r

'

bat tali ons ,

And the band played music sweetHome Sweet Home and Yankee Doodle.Flagsh i p ’s men have qui te a bood le ;Trenton’s coming

,what a treat.

August ’

87 has past,September brings reli ef at last ;What’s why we clear away the j ib and spanker

,.

And call al l hand s to get up anchor.

3 6

Wheel and leadsmen at their stations,

Crews o fsh ips o f foreign nationsCheer u s as we steam around

,

Cheer u s , we are homeward bound.O u t o f Rio we are steaming

,

Fo r astern the pennan t stream ing,

Though ts o f home now ban i sh sadness,W e have cause fo r joy and gladness ;For Highland Lights and Sandy HookWith anxious eyes we soon shall look ;Eno ugh , I think , this cr ew has roamed ,I t

’

s t im e, I’m su re , they home , sweet horned.

ON LEAVING CAPE TOWN.

When the Lancaster leaves,will you please make it

knownTo the people of Cape Town fo r the kindness

they ’ve shown.That the crew o f this vessel , from the stem to the

stern,

Thank them sincerely , shou ld we not return.We one and al l say that we hope t hat we may ;For you ’ve made it so p leasant i t

’

s a shame wecan ’t stay.

Yes,soon we’l l be leav ing and some

'

w ill be griev ing ,

We have shared o f you r good things, your mudand your du st

,

O f you r trams , o fyour’busses,

O fyou r d rinks , nothing wu ss ’ i s ,

3 7

I speak from experience , I’ve been on a bu st.

You ’l l excuse the reflectionWe all have our fau l ts ,Don ’t look for perfectionAmong us o ld salt s

,

Or amongst any class fo r the matter of thatI fyou look in the glass you ’l l find it a fact.Bu t Cape ,

Town , no matter ,Be o u r fau lts what they wi l l ,

We don ’t forget kindness,We remember you sti ll.

And shou ld we in future to Cape Town return ,We wil l welcome yo u al l from the stem to

stern.

BREAK THE NEWS GENTLY.

Break the news gently,poor Tom ’i‘ he i s dead ;

We have laid him away in his grave.His troubles are over

,his spirit has fled ,

He wi ll battle no more with the wave.

In a quiet li ttle churchyard he ’s sleeping ,

Far away from his own native shore ,And fond , lov ing ones will be weeping ,They w i l l ne ’er see poor Tom any more.

8 0 break the news gently.poor Tom he is gone ;A good sh ipmate

,a man and a brother.

Ou r sorrow we send to his widow forlorn,

To his friends,his father and mother.

! Thomas W ells, Captain of themain top .

3 8

GRIEF IN BRIEF.

A falling spar,a warning shou t

O f “ stand from under and look ou t,

A crash,a thud

,and all is hushed ;

A pool of blood ; a sh ipmatecrushed.A tenanted coffin

,a union -jack ,

On the quarter deck,on a halliyard rack.

A funeral serv ice said and sang,

Nearer,my God , to thee , quivering rang.

Theyard and stay,the si lent mo t ion ,

“ho ist away ,

”

So very solemn ;A line o fboats in single column.

A lonely isle,a sandy beach ;

i

The funeral cortege soon does reach.

The grave.Ashes to ashes

,dust to dust ;

A soul at rest we hope and tru stW i th H im who alone can save.

On the death and burial of a sh i pmate, Maldonado , Uruguay, 8.A.

3 9

FAREWELL TO CAPE TOWN.

Farewell to Cape Town,farewell

,I say ,

Duty has called u s,we must obey ;

Steam it i s ready,starboard now steady ,

The anchor is fished and the ship under way.What mean those flashes ! see

,there is one

Done by the aid o f a glass and the sun.They are giving u s tafly with heliography

‘

,

I’d l ike to be with them to j o in in the fun.

Farewell to Cape Town,leave yo u we must ;

Our optics near c losed with the confounded dust.Can ’t catch al l t he flashes

,the dots and the dashes ,

Nor see where o u r mash is , sti l l we do trustSoon to be back again ,

well,perhaps then to have

some rain,

Nimbus the cloud s and Nor’west each gust ;Oh, fo r a sniff o f the sal t sea breeze ,Unaccompanied by sand

,I shall then feel at ease.

Farewell to Cape Town ; Cape Town , ta- ta ,We are bound fo r the Island o fMadagascarAn American bark on the reef there she lies ,When we make our appearance

’twil l be a Surpr1se.”

We wi l l do what is right ; we’l l demand satisfaction ;

Our guns wil l be manned ti ll we get every fraction ;A sum we will levy and come down on them heavy ,I f we find that the natives have done a base action.

40

Farewell to Cape Town , and here let me say ,

We hOpe to be back by themiddle ofMay;

And the people wi ll flock to th e Alfred DockTo visi t the sh ip and t o hear the band p layWait ’ti l l the dust rolls by —a popular tuneThe solo performed by the gentle bassoon.And when we pass nigh in the sweet by and by ,We’l l heliograph t here ’s no dust in our eye.

YANNAH.

There was a young lady named Yannah,

She lived on the Isle of Johanna,

She d ressed very p lainOn account of the rain ,Whi ch came down in a business- like mann er.

On the beautiful Isle of Johanna ,There never had been a pianner,So the natives they strumOn the tom - tom

,and drum ,

When they serenade bonnetless Yannah.

Oh,the beau t ifu l

,du t ifu l Yanmah

However the sun it did tan he rIs a mystery to me ,For no sun did I seeThrough the rain that came down Johanna.

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42

We pass by the Frenchman upon our way ou t ,They at once man thei r rigging and lusti ly shou tYes

,th ey cheered in a seamanlike manner.

O ur band played the French National anthem,

And theirs played the Star-Spangled Banner.

W e are bound to the northward , the trade w inds arefree

,

And in less than two weeks we are crossing thel ine ;

The West Indies i s lands are now on our lea,

And the Trenton i s going at the rate of eight-n ine.

W e cal l at St.Thomas and take in more coal ,No need fo r a pi lot

,we know every shoal ;

O ur homeward -bound pennant once more we display ,

For th e Co b Dock at Brooklyn we are under way ;

We pass Sandy Hook,we the East River p lough ,

And thousands they look from the Bridge atnow ;

Handkerchiefs wav ing,the ferryboats whistle ,

We hear o f the race , Volunteer vs.Thistle.

We are fast to the Dock , we shal l soon be on shore ,And forget al l ou r troubles and trial s ;And think of the Trenton t hat brought u s safe o’er

A distance of five thou sand miles.

43

SCRAPS.

Little Tommy was an awful scam p ,And fond o f apples green ;He ate them ti l l he got the cramp ,

And now he can’t b e seen.That li ttle boy to heaven has goneIn an undertaker ’s suit ,To join hi s brother angels ,A juveni le recru it ;

And farmer J i les he smokes and sm i les,

And the little boys fo r many mi lesKeep clear of hi s green fru i t.

MORAL.

Now , l i ttl e boys , remember ,Green apples always gripe ;

SO g et even i n September ,When o ld J i les ’ fru i t i s ripe.

Jack and Bi llThemselves d id fi l l

,

And bu sted both thei r collarsW i th apples green

,ti l l they were 11]

And the doctor he sent in hi s bill :I t came to forty dollars.

44

The vi llain stil l pursued her,

And his vi ctim d id advanceTowards the other fel lowShe had promised the next dance.She soon was i n th e mazy waltz

,

When above the mu sic ’s noiseThe v i llian PeteSaid tw i g her feet

,

She comes from Il lino is.

4 5

NAUTICAL ALPHABET.

A Stands fo r Admiral,After-guard and Anchor

,

B Stands fo r Boom on which is set the Spanker ,C Stands fo r Capstan with which we heave in Cable ,D Stands fo r Duff to eat we all are able ,E Stands fo r Elevation by which the guns are laid ,F Stands fo r Forecastle where funny things are said ,

G Stands fo r Guard , the Soldi ers o f the deep ,

H Stands fo r Hammock in wh ich th e Seamen sleep ,I Stands fo r Id lers , such as painters , tai lors andSnobs. They are are a sundry lot o f chapsand do a sund ry lo t o f j obs.

J Stands fo r J ib,which i s set upon a s t ay ,

K It stands fo r Kelson— every word i s true I say,

L Stands fo r Lower Lanyard s,likewi se Lookout

and Land,

M Stands fo r Marlinesp ike,which is used to tuck

each strand.N Stand s fo r Navigation

,o ur guid e upon the sea,

O Stands ou t fo r Ordnance,likewise fo r Orderly

,

P Stands fo r Pea soup,made w ith pork as well as

bacon,

Q Stand s fo r Quadrant by w hich the sun i s taken ,R Stands fo r Repub lic

,

S fo r Stripes and Stars ,T Stands fo r Trenton and Uncle Sam ’s brave Tars,U Stands fo r Union we in o ur banner Show

,

V Stands for Vane to tel l which way the wind doesblow

,

b ent o n ,

Z Stands fo r Zeal we shou ld at al l times d isp lay,

You can now read the alphabet from Z un to A.

I O :

TRICKS OF TRADE.

Give me one big dollar,Sakalava man he cry

,

American man he loud does hu l loa,

Suppose you give me assegaiI’l l give yo u these precious gems,Real Italian d iadems ;

They ’l l make the mis su s look qu i te tony,

This necklace is pure Maccaron i.”

The necklace passed among th e group,

Was handed back as fit fo r soup ;American man good money tried ,Sakalava s t i l l un sati sfied

“Me no want your B land dollar,Sakalava does lo ud lv hulloa.

We knew our dollar was not good ,But never thought he understood ;Though dressed as a Sakalava dude ,Expressed in other words was nud e.

At length th e man with tape on collarGo t the assegai fo r one big do llar.

3! Big d o llar, a Po rtugese dump ,a large copper co in , value 4 cents , po li shed up

W lth m ercurial o intm ent to g ive i t the a p earance of silver. Preferred by thenat ives of Madagascar to the genu ine do ar.

47

SCRAPS

In su l try summer sun th e farmer makesThe college girl , with gum - stu ck curl ,

faint away ,And runs a bil l up fo r i ce creamFor Augustu s George to pay.

To gaze upon the oceanWhen ’ti s tranqu i l , smooth and calm ,

The greenhorn has a notionThat it can do no harm .

But take him o u t upon it,

When ’tis boisterous and rough ,And I ’ll bet he ’ll say dol -gone- i t ,It can do harm enough.

When the W ind ’s before the rain ,

Put your oi lskin on againAnd do no t fret.

I f the rain’s before the wind ,And your o i l skins yo u can

’t find ,Use a greenhorn ’s— he won

’

t m indGetting wet.

0

We left the Isle o f St .Helena upon the oth o f Ju ne,

Bound fo r the Brazi ls,where the yellow -fever ki lls

,

And the su ltry sun is stifl ing on a w intry afternoon ,We arrived in R io Harbor after a twenty- two days.trip

,

48

And I spoke to Bob , the barber, a marine on boardour ship.

S ays I to Bob , I says as how , to this place you’re no

new comer,The sun i s hot enough just now ,

what must it be insummer.

Old Bob was there b efore , I knew ,in the U. S.S.

Galena ,I heard him say the same o ne day ,

ashore in St.Helena.

O ld Bob ’s a cute old fellow , so he told me what to do

S hou ld the enemy in yellow appear among our crew.

He said don ’t go around the decks with face as

long as kite,

The fever isn’t half so bad , what ki lls the most i sfright ;

You can go ashore in daytime , but sleep on boardat night.

N ow, we all took Bob

’s advice , except some membersof the band ,

Who went ashore n ight after night , wet th roughthey’d sometim es land ,

And sure enough th e Yellow Jack , always on av i ctim ’s track

,

H e gently laid one on his back , the leader o f theband.

I’m qu i te conv inced by Bob s assertions,because

what he said was right ;The doctor said the fever was only very slight ,

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5 0

A nation o fOliver Tw ist ’s t o be su re.The ship i s docked and made m uch cleanerIn the next port which i s Mess ina.

Now to Trieste,Venice

, Catarro and Pat rass,W hi lst lots ofminor ports we pass.We anchor next where beauty sm i lesAt Corfu one o f the Ionian Isles.

Fo r awhi le I’l l shift t o other seas ,North and Balti c if yo u please ;Here we are at Copen hagen

,

By Nelson once they sav ’twas taken °

Through field s o f floating i ce we plough,

And damage copper on o u r b ow ;

We fraternize w i th Russian tarIn honor o f thei r new - crowned CzarNext a veritable garden o f Eden

,

Stockholm seaport,that i s in Sweden

NOW we V i sit Chri st iana ,Now I ’ll wedge in Cuxhaven and Johannah

,

Hamburgh,Plymouth , Southampton and Grave

send ,

To all these p laces o u r way did wend ;Havre

,Antwerp and Marseilles

Antwerp famou s fo r i ts bell s.Villefranche , Capetown , Zanzibar ,Sierra Leone , Goree , Congo , Gaboon and DakarPiraeu s , Smyrna and St. PaulsI n this reg ion lots o f squalls ,Corunna

,Malaga and Beyro u t ,

In every port o ur guns salu te ;

5 1

Rio de Janeiro and TamataveAre far apart across the wav e.Port Elizabeth

,Mozambique

I now o fAlexandria speakWe thought it was very hardWhen we saw the English fleet bombard.

Brave Arabi had to retreat ,Only to Suffer worse defeat.A few more p laces I w i ll m entionA ll I can think o f i s my intention.

’Tw i l l give an idea to those at homeHo w ships o f war they have to roam.

Monte Vid eo and St.Marys ,Cronstadt

,whe re the Ru ssian bear is.

Maldonado,Carthagena ,

lhla Grand e and St.Helena.I th ink I ’ve m en tioned every port

,

S o now I’l l cu t this doggerel short ;And in days to come think o f each nati on

,

And that home,sweet home

,i s the better station.

JACK ASHORE.

Jack,ashore , goes o n a racket

,

And he se ll s hi s monkey j acket,

Never thinking of the stormNow he’

s o u t upon the ocean,

And beg lns to have a notion

north 1t i sn’

t warm

hi s last r 3 016”

5 3

And all the nice things the new ration brings,

It all helps to make a new Navy.

Yes,the new Navy ration’s immense ,

Uncle Sam doesn’t mind the expenseAs I says to my chum , says I ;

“ Davy ,N o matter who hol loas , Uncle Sam has the dollars.He has started to bui ld a new Navy ;

He’

s commencing o n us , so don’t make a fu ss

For as sure as the seas they are wavy , !muscle,With whoever we tu ssle

,they ’l l find we

’

ve theInd ispen sable fo r a new Navy.

CHORUS.

Then th ree cheers fo r kind Uncle Sam ,

Likewise fo r the co rn’

d -beef and barn ,

The duck and green peas a-la-gravyAnd all the n ice things the new ration brings

,

It al l helps to make a new Navy.

Be qu ick,Uncle Sam

,w i th the cruisers ,

We are eager to get all the snoozers,

”

I wil l stake ’

my own affidav i,

We ’l l not stick at trifles , we’l l have dynamite rifles

Served out to each man in the navy.And then

,Sir

,the fun w i l l commence

,we will show

in o u r country ’s defence,

The effects o f the ham .j am and gravy ;With ou r

'

dynam i te gun , we will conquer each o neThat has boasted so long of hi s Navy.

CHO RUS.

Then three cheers fo r kind Uncle Sam,

Likewise fo r the co rn’

d -beef and barn ,

The duck and green peas a- la-gravy,

And all the nice things , th e new ration brings ,It all helps to make a new Navy.

With o ur steel sh ips o f requisi te tonsWell armed with large dynam i te guns

,

One bu i lt by each State,fo r the Navy

T he rest o f the world wil l get their hair curled .Whenever at them o u r proj ecti les are hurled

,

And you bet they wil l soon c ry peccaviAnd naval brigades we wi ll rai se , and then , sir the

country wil l prai seThe exploits o f each o ne in the Navy.And none wil l repent the money that’s spentTo prov ide u s with roast beef and gravy ,

The corned beef and ham , th e string bean s and jam ;

Yo u hit the right nai l on the head , Uncle Sam ,

When you started to bui ld you r new Navy.

CHORUS.

Then three cheers fo r kind Uncle Sam ,

I am fond o f him ,yes

,that I am

I am fond o f his roast beef and gravyIn my new Navy hat

,I shal l smi le and grow fat ;

Uncle Sam,he i s cute

,and he knows what he’s at ,

And so do the men in his Navy.

5 5

THE LAND OF THE FREE.

You can s ing a song o f armies ;Yo u can sing a song o f naviesI s ing o f a coun t ry where no more the slave i sI sing a song o f freedom beneath the starry banner °

Sing a song o f t ruthfulness in the following manner

There’

s a land that stretches from ocean to ocean,

It’s exten t in area i s vast , I’ve a notion

Where the people are free,and no monarch to ru le

themNeither princes nor kings dare attemp t to befoolthem .

They have all the resources that man can des ire ,And with most o f th e world are connected with wire.From down East in Maine

,to the West’s golden gates ,

The land bears th e name o f the United States.

CHORUS.

Then hurrah fo r the land where the poor manis free

,

Whose son , if a native-born , i t’s President can be

F rom South California t o the backwoods o f MaineOver m ill ions of subjects p lain M r. can re ign.

There is no standing army to drain people’s purses ,No titled snobs to invoke people

’s curses.Withou t any doubt

,it s the land of the free

A working man’s son i t’s ru ler can be.

5 6

He will not be bothered in wearing a crownHe can wear his own name

,be it Jones

,Smith or

Brown.From ocean‘

to ocean transported by train,

The ruler ofmillions p lain Mister can reign.

CHORU S— Then hu rrah fo r the land where thepoor man is free

,etc.

A staunch Navy we’re bu i ld ing,I know i t is t rUe

,

And that i s,I th ink

,the least we shou ld do

,

For our commerce will soon be i ncreas ingFo r when , Sir , the cu t in the Isthmus i s through ,The traffic will never be ceasing.I hOpe that De Lesseps won

’t suffer defeatIn his great undertaking ; then we

’l l competeFor the wealth o f the Indies , Japan and China,With o ur swift ocean steamers— none wil l be finerAll over the North seas— the Sou th seas as well.The once Pagan savage

,in futu re

,wil l tel l

How he used to go naked , but now acts the swell.

CHORU S -Then hurrah fo r the land , etc.

I O :

PARODY ON MY MOTHER.

Who puts me in my little bed ,And spanked me unti l I was red ,For naug hty things he said I said !

My Father.

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5 8

MNNECESSARY ORDERS FOR rARR INGDOWN.

Spri nkle,sprinkle lots o f tar ,

When aloft at work you are,

Up above the deck so h igh ,W ingless angel near the sky.When you’re rid ing down a stay ,Rub it well into the lay.Capsize your pot and view the spray

,

Oh ! I tel l you i t i s gay.Smother pa int-work near and far

,

Sprinkle , sprinkle lots of tar.

Sprinkle,sprinkle lots o f tar ,

I f you want the decks to mar,

Rub it wel l into the back- stays,

Manage t o get some on the j ack- stays.Let i t d rip in al l the boats

,

Don ’t forget the o fficers’ coats ;Smother yourself and every spar

,

Sprinkle,Sprinkle lots o f tar.

Sprinkle,sp rinkle lots o f tar ,

You need not be particu lar ;Chew tobacco , squirt the ju i ceOver every thing in u se.

Thus my U. S.Naval tarThough many miles from fond mammaAnd the rod o f stern papa ,Y ou ’l l learn the wrinkle in a twinkle ,How to sprinkle lots of tar.

5 9

THE VOICE OF THE SEAMAN.

’Tis the voice o f th e seaman,I hear him complain

,

As he stands at the wheel in the co ld wind andrain ;

He is dripp ing wet through,like a half-drowned dog

,

Oh , why— tel l me why , did they stop old Jack’s

grog

As the ship she is sai l ing, so he in hi s head ,

The course tries to keep,whilst the man at the lead

,

With a th ree fathom Scope,swings it high over

head ;And the Old quartermaster holds the glass fo r the

log ,

But the glass that he takes doesn ’t hold any grog.

I don’t hold with drinking,I don’t that ’s the truth ,

Altho ’ I’ve drank hard since the days o fmy youth ;Kept so long wi thout i t I drink like a hogWhen I go on shore , where there

’s p lenty o f grog.

The voice of your seaman , Uncle Sam , don t forgetTo provide h im with someth ing to keep out the wet ;Since the year ’

6 2 he has had a hard struggleTo resi st the temptation bad li quor to smuggle.Remember the tars in the rain and the fog ,

They fo r twenty- three years have been wi thout grog.

I n Washington City,i t would be a pity ,

Where gents,sir

,in broadcloth they tog ,

60

I f they can ’t pass a bil l to give Jack a gil lEvery day of the best kind o f grog.

Uncle Sam,you are cute

,and you know. a tricks

,

I f the politi cal wheels do no t clog ;We hope in the year of our Lord

,

’

86 ,

We shal l get our legitimate grog

THE MULDOON PIC-NlC.

Saxy Fish er gave aparty,and his friends he d id invite ;

There was Elli s and McCarthy,and

,if I remember

right,

A host o f comic talent, su ch

'

as Falls and Jakey Weiss.It wou ld do yo u good to see them sco rf

” th eturkeys and the pies.

I never’

ate so hearty in the course of all my life ,As at that Thanksgiv ing d inner of Muldoon and hi swife.

There was Mr.Byran Mu rphy—he sat in front o f me ,How he wrestled with the turkey

,i t was wonderful

to see !And Go rgy Buster Bu l las round the tables hedid lurk

,

And , at every opportunity ,got in hi s fiendish work.

And the coxswain o f the Dolphin , a gentleman fromCork

,

He almost “ j abbed his eye ou t,th e way he used

his fork.

61

With the roast beef and the chickens,smoking hot

upon each dish,

Y o u would bust you r sides with laughing to seeO ld Saxy Fish.

Talk about your gas- house tarriers,why

,the comical

o ld rogue ,He had his Galway S luggers o n

,and didn ’t he sling

the brogue ;Just then the band struck up a tune —an appropriate

o ne , Kil larney ,

”

And Humpy Carroll , he go t up and commenced abit of blarn ey.

Dan Stevens struck,he was

,w ith Mrs. Muldoon ’s

charms,

Although we call him “ J immy Legs,he is our

Master-at -Arms.Old Saxony

,he go t jealou s with the attentions paid

h i s w ife ,And made a slash at J immyfixen , with a great , bigcarving kn ife ,

And swore he would get even with a roasted turkey ’slife.

SEQUEL TO “ MOTHER , MAY I GO OUT TOSWIM ! ”

It is sa id a young lady asked her mammaI f she could go out to swim

62

With a few admoni tions she gained her consent,

A ‘nd j oyfu l ly down to the river she went,

And she hu ng al l her clothes on a limb ;Fo r she was a dutiful daughter , and d id as her motherhad taught her,

’But to her dismay , a man came that way ,And she had to j ump into th e water.

N ow we know what her mother had told her,

And I don ’t thi nk it right sh e shou ld scold her ;I f she did , i t

’s a shame ; the girl wasn’t to blame

In no t wanting a m an to behold her.But he only came there fo r to angle

,

Unaware Of the maid a- la- bangleHe didn’t get a bite

,sti l l he stayed there all n igh t

,

And the clothes o n the line they did dangle.

And just before dawn,o n that bright summer’s morn

The lone fisherman fell in a dozeWhen

,o u t o f the ~river, the girl in a sh iver,

She ru shed and put on Her clothes.SO

,girl s , in the futu re , when yo u go to swim

Before you disrobe,be su re the re’s no h im

Loafing around,pretending t o fish.

W hen you ’re certain o f that,you can bathe all , yo u

wish.Don’t think fo r a moment the man saw the daughterIt was her seeing him

,made her j ump in the water.

6 3

ON LEAVING MONTEV IDEO.

I f I rightly remember , in th e month o f December ,In the year o f our Lord ’

8 5 ,

We left Montevideo,bound fo r the Cape ,

And,t o tel l yo u the truth , we were glad to escape ,

Fo r those horrid pamperos knocked u s all o u tshape

,

I t’s a wonder,sir , how we survive.

We steamed down the river to the deep,rolling sea,

And th en we made sail , the wind being free ,Such n ice

,p leasant weather

,I’m so glad I’m al ive.

Oh aint we lucky such a beautifu l breeze ,At this tim e o f year

,in New York

,peop le freeze ,

And the leaves are al l withered o n the Central Parktree s

,

Whilst we go barefooted ,w ith o u r pants to o ur knees ,

When to wash down the decks we contrive.

The sh ip I am in,I won ’t ment ion her name

,

I hope , sir, in this I am no t much t o blameI f i t don ’t make a diffe rence

,i t

’

s , o f course , all thesame.

I f the secret to keep , I d o strive.When the wind is ahead ,

she won’t steam worth acen t

,

It’s a shame,Uncle Sam

,fo r the money y ou

’ve spent ;That most o f the sai ls m ight as wel l b e unbent

,

She comes up in the wind ju st to d ive.

64

I shall never forget the day of th e week,

As long as I’ve a tongue in my head that can speak 3It was Tuesday , in the morning

,

I sat in my mess , with my plate and my bowl ,When

,al l o f a sudden

,Great Scot she did roll

W i t hout,si r

,the least bi t of warning.

I picked myself up amongst the marines,

With my head in a kettle o f pork and baked beansI was struck in the back with the band sm en

’

s sardines,

A n ice packet to go’round the horn in.

A m an in my mess,an old gunner ’s mate

,

He was busi ly engaged shovelling hash Off his p lateThe bell , it struck seven when she gave the b ig lu rch ,W e fou nd him stretched ou t after two hours’ search

;

H i s hai r,i t was fu ll Ofmolasses and flour ,

Coffee and sugar,and dough that was sour

To descri be hi s cond i tion,

’twou ld require MarkTwain ’s power

,

He was in such a horrible state .

We lifted him up,near d ead with affright ,

The molasses and flour stuck around himAs long as I live

,I ’ll remember the sigh t

Of th e p laces we searched ti ll we found him.

We hand led him gently with the greatest o f care ,We washed all the groceri es

_

o u t of hi s hair ,For the most of ou r coffee and sugar was there.

W e spoke to him softly in sweet , tender tonesW e thought he was hurt by the sound o f his groansI t

’

s a wonder to me he didn’t b reak all hi s bones ,

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For the way he ’s been extollingThe Beau t ifu l S ea Oh

,show him to me !

Just while the sh ip she is rolling.I constantly rave , that he

’s no t i n hi s grave ;Oh , where is th e author o f Life o n the wave !

ANOTHER COUNTY HEARD FROM.

Just show me the manOh

, do ,if you can

,

That wrote “ Life o n the Ocean Wave !And give me a kn ife

,I’ll d epri ve him o f l ife

,

And over hi s corpse wil l triumphantly waveThe last pocket handkerchief my sweethear t she

gave ;And cons idered I ’d done

,s ir, an act that i s brave ,

Oh fetch o u t the author o f Life on the Wave.”

BREEZE,BREEZE

,BEAUTIFUL BREEZE.

Breeze,breeze

,beautifu l breeze

,

Walking us over the dark blue seas.Down with the smoke stack as qu i ck as yo u please,Bend the square main - sai l

,scoup in the breeze.

67

Breeze,breeze

,beau tifu l breeze

,

Prayers every even ing,bu t not o n ou r knees ;

N o provocation to u se the big D’

s,

Oh let u s be j oyfu l , beauti ful breeze.Breeze

,breeze

,beautifu l breeze

,

Now i s the time fo r the ham and green peas ,With nice macaroni al l smothered with cheese ,Oh it’s del ightful , beautifu l breeze.Breeze

,breeze

,beautifu l breeze ,

Glid ing along with the greatest o f ease ,The Lancaster’s crew are as busy as bees ,We are all unky dory ,

” beautifu l breeze.Breeze

,breeze

,beaut ifu l breeze

,

Forty - two days before we get ease ;At night in ou r hammocks no t troubled with fleas

,

It i s “ut terly utter ” th is beautifu l breeze,

Breeze,breeze , beau tiful breeze ,

The greenhorn ’s the tar from the rigging theysqueeze ;

N o wonder,I’m sure

,th e way the shrouds they do

seize,

W hen they g o aloft in a reef- topsai l breeze ,Breeze

,breeze

,beau tifu l breeze

,

I t’

s given me a cold which has cau sed me to sneeze ;Monte Video Kate with a b i l l fo r some V’s

,

Was paid by th is crew in a beaut iful breeze.

Breeze,breeze , beautiful breeze ,

At night in the gangway by two and by threes,

We converse together o f o ur Uruguay sprees ,Stuck ashore fo r a week in a Pampero breeze

68

Breeze , breeze , beau t iful breeze ,I’ve sung comic songs and assi sted In glees

,

The Scotti sh Chi efs ,”

- the Comet,

the Café'

Berlin °

These are the p laces that got all my tin.I am thinking o f those and I’m thinking o f theseBeautifu l times in the beautifu l breeze.B reeze , b reeze , beautifu l breeze ;We

’

re bound for the Eastward,I know we shan’t

freeze ;At the Cape o f Good Hope , ’

neath the si lver leaftrees

,

We wi ll bask in the sunshine and beau tiful b reeze.

MUSH ! MUSH !

M ush,mush

,beau tiful mush

,

Into my mess every even ing I rush ;The benches are cush ioned with red velvet p lush ;With the new navy ration

,there’s two kinds of

mush.Mush

,mush

,bone - making mush

,

It i s better than spud ” hash all smothered in slu sh ;When it’s pipe to supper-“ oh , my ,

what a cru s hI back up my pan several times fo r my mu sh.Mush

,mu sh , good o atm eal

‘

mu sh,

At night in my hammock they tel l m e to hush ;I can ’t hard ly sleep

,I am chock full Ofgu sh,

T hen I talk in my dream s ofthe Swiss m ilk and mush.

69

Mush , mush , I’m so fond o f mush

,

I pity the enemy when we have a bru sh ;You can sing a song o f baked beans

,but give to

Me TushThree men’s allowances o f two kinds o f mu sh.Mush , mush , sweet toothsome mush ,I smile , I grow fat , I titter : I blush ;My cheeks

,once so pale

,have a good healthy flush

,

I can weather each gale with a good pan o f mush.

OH ,RAHMADAM ! OH RAHMADAM.

Oh,Rahm adam ; Oh , Rahmadam ,

He took me to Jerusalem ;The bil l was paid by Uncle Sam ,

To the guide , old Rahmadam ,

Who took m e to Jerusalem.

Oh,Rahmadam ; oh,

Rahmadam,

I went with yo u j ust like a lamb.When I get home I ’ll tel l my ma’mAll abou t Jerusalem

,

Oh,Rahmadam ; oh,

Rahmadam .

Oh,Rahmadam ; oh , Rahmadam

,

Yo u prom i sed me beefsteaks and ham ;Y ou promised me the Arab steedThat cou ld not be su rpassed fo r speed

70

_You furnished me with an o ld hackThat jolted so i t broke my back ,Y o u thought i t good enough fo r Jack

,

Oh , Rahmadam,take heed !

Oh , Rahm adam ; oh Rahmadam ,

As I said before,j ust like a lamb

,

I left the ship both gay and hearty,

A ttached to the Jeru salem party.I saw a lot o f Turks and Jews

,

S ome with sandals , some with shoes ;I mean to go again next cruise

,

U nto Jeru salem.

Oh, Rahmadam ; o b ,Rahmadam

,

Whilst we were gone from o ff th e ram ,

They had a most disastrous galeThe anchor swallowed by a whale.You m ight think it I S a W hopper

,

It. happened while we lay in Joppa,

I’

ll say no more,fo r I must stop her ;

S o I’l l go home and tell my ma

’

m

That you ’re a fraud and I’m a clam,

Oh , Rahmadam ; oh , Rahmadam .

O

OBEDIENCE.

Is i t right that we shall chooseWhen and where ou r ship shall cruise !

I n this respect the capta in he is fixed sameas Jack

71

Orders they mu st be obey ed,

Fo r we are getting paidTo sai l our ship , no matter whether port or starboard tack.

I hate this choosing and th is picking,

Thi s growling and this kicking ;Times have altered greatly since 18 5 4 ,

We had to go where we were sentYes

,you bet your life

,we went

,

And we never bothered anyone ; with a lot o f

useless chaw.

On insanity it bordersTo d isobev the lawful orders

Of vour superior officer no matter who youare

,

And to say it i s not rightTo keep you out all n ight

,

When yo u ought to be at home with your fondand lov ing ma.

It i s wrong of yo u to sayThat you ought to have your way ,And not be cru i sing out on the ocean after dark ;

And that y ou ’d like to set your spanker ,And let go your starboard anchorIn the ornamental waters o f New York CentralPark.

Pshaw ! What matters where she sai lsn calm s prepare fo r gales

,

Remember there ’s .a cherub always s i tting upaloft

,

Guard ing those who’ve a hard time,

Poor Jack has a hard time,

Well,i t’s never “What never ! Well

,hardly

ever soft.Don’t forget t hat where yo u roam ,

The mi ll ions left at homeDepend upon your courage fo r thei r si lks, fursiand teas;

And wha t a lot o f Sarah Gamps,

You have saved from having cramps,

With that favori te decoct ion you’ve broughtacross the seas.

Then the M i sses Jones a nd Harr i s,

You’ve b rought their dresses straight from ParisWomen did without them when they first ap

peared o n earth ;Bu t now they wear a bonnetW i th a flower garden on it ,And th e upper ten they patron i ze the celebratedWorth.

Yes,there ’s no mistake abou t I t ; to a very great degree

The fate o f nations does depend on those who go tosea

So when yo u get an order obey it with a will ,Masthead your sai ls

,

Reef down in gales ,

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74

A gentleman there as passenger, I saw him there

myself,

Whom I afterwards d iscovered was the Officer o f

Health .

He came to the starboard gangway,

’

alo oking ratherblue

,

And pretty soon at the fore- royal tru ck we showedthe letter Q.

It made u s feel down-hearted ; to us i t was a boreY o u see i t stopped ou r liberty—we cou ld not go on

shore

N ext morning we were at it , bright and early , youcan bet ,

And the rubb ing and scrubbing of that day I shan’tforget ;

First we washed our blankets,our hammocks and

our clothesAnd we even scrubbed the monkey

,I m ean the

monkey “ Mose.”

And after all the rubbing and scrubbing it was done,

We were waiting then fo r one man , yes , and on lyone ;

That man he was a doctor, yo u know the one I mean ,

We were waiting fo r his visi t , to haul down ou rQuarantine.

The afternoon o f Friday we heard a j oyful shou t ,The li ttle steam launch from Hong Kong was ju st a

pu t t in’ out

,

75

And quickly from the cabin the Captain he comesout ;

Give me a glass,be eager calls “ that’s him , with

ou t a doubt.

The steam launch alongside came in such a dashingstyle ,

The doctor he then stepped on board,his face it

bore a sm i le ;He then handed to the Captain a letter rather big ,The con t ents were read , and the Captain said please

call away my gig.”

The Captain thank ed the doctor,and ou r su rgeon

Mr.AyresHad some talk with him just then about sa nitary

affairs ;He said he ’d used carboli c acid , with lime he

’d hadit mixed ,

And had it sprinkled everywhere,and other things

he'

d fixed.

Yes,doctor , you have acted right ; you

’re sh ip isnice and clean

,

Just hau l down the letter Q ,you ’re out of Quaran

tine.”

He said the words ou t loudly , so’s everyone cou ld

hear,

And as he left the vessel he got a hearty cheer.

76

CHRISTMAS ,’

8 5 .

Christmas m o rning ,.Chri stm as morning ,

W ith our vessel near Cape Horn inReefed o u r topsa i l s , weather rough ;Shake th e leeches

,let her luff

,

And braced the yards in,j u st enough.

Christmas morn ing,Chr i stmas morning

,

Blessed day that Christ was born in,

I on topsai l yard d id perch,

i

Weather no t perm i tting church ;Barney Buntline

,Bil ly Bowline

Sea- legs shipped— fo r heavy rolling ,Turned their qu id s at every lurch.

Christmas morning,Christmas morning

,

Sun obscure , no need fo r awning ;I miss the m istletoe and hol ly

,

Joyfu l shouts o f J im and Polly ,The loving glance of sw eetheart Dolly ;N ow I see my youthfu l folly.

Christmas morning,Christmas morning ,

Beeffo r d inner,ten years

’ corn ing ;Chr istmas ’

8 5 was tough ,No roast beefand no plum duff ;None OfMadam Dewdrop’s stuff

,

Hear,oh

,hear

,my plaintive guff.

77

Chri stmas day , Chri stmas day ,We

,from home so far away

,

In visions see the ‘

vacant chai r,

My mother placed with thoughtful careAltho ’ the wanderer was no t there.All the hardsh ips I can bearIf those at home have Christmas there.

Christmas day , Chri stmas day ,I felt anything but gay

,

With the South Atlantic Naval ForceAppetite I had of horse ;In vain wi th bo ok and line did wo rkey,

To catch the albatross,Jack’s Christmas turkey.

Fo r so sure as guns rest o n their trunions,

Th i s bi rd is good with sage and onions ;But

,in the words o f Harry Bluff,

Who wears white tape upon his cuff:Oh

,what i s Christmas without duff!

ON NAPOLEON’S TOMB.

ver the mountain s,down in the valley

,

The sky shed an aspect o fglo om ;“i s from Jamestown one morn I forthwith did sally

,

To vi s i t the once famed Napoleon ’s tomb.

78

I thought o f the hero as I d id advance,

I thought o f him when as the ruler o f France,

N ow no single nation with h im stood a chance ;Unti l England with Prussia as ally

,

Defeated the hero of numerou s fights,

And sen t him to di e in this val ley.

I though t o f hi s terrible march in the snow,

The t im e when he started to conquer Moscow ;That c i ty the Russians through strategy burnt ,Ofthe awful setback ’twas to him when h e learnt

,

And the word s he s aid ,what a pity !

Moscow destroyed,the loss of div i s ions ,

Could no t cripp le h im more than his lack o fprovi sionsHe reluc tantly then commenced hi s retreatFo r hunger’s an enemy hard t o defeat ;Stil l he did no t despa ir ti l l the W aterloo rally ,

When they sent h im to d ie in S lane ’s beautifu l val ley.

I thought o f the past and the present ,Ofhi s fights against Turks and the Crescent ,And o f recent events— thoughts unp leasantThe Prussians again crossed my m ind .

I thought o fNapoleon the Third ,How to England

,as swift as a b ird ,

He managed to leave France behindHe d ied soon on A lbion’s shores

,and England , I

know , keeps the tally

79

I think of these things as I pause at the tomb inSlane ’s beautifu l valley.

I thought o fthat time , and at intervals sinceOf the untimely death o fNapoleon the PrinceFo r England he fought ,

’twas o n her accountHe was ki lled by the Zulus before he cou ld

mount.The Empress she mourned fo r her darl ing ’s sad fateHer heart o ft recalled him ,

tho’

to o late, yes , t o o late.

I returned t hen t o Jamestown , and o n board o f mysh i p

,

Rather tired w ith the walk,tho

’ well p leased withthe trip ;

And I spoke to some shipmates who stood by thegal ley

,

O f the histor ical tomb I had seen in Slane ’s Valley.

THE GALLANT FOUR HUNDRED.

We steamed into Tab le Bay,

The natives all wondered,

What i s her name ! they sayA salute then we thundered.

80

W i th anchor and cable layS nugly in Table Bay

,

Each hear t was l ight and gayO f the gal lant Fou r Hundred.”

What wi l l dear Mabel sayW hen she hears we’ve not blundered

I’

ll bet fifty dollars—aye ,I ’l l make i t a hundred.

Into the gin-mills,

Those qualified sin-mills,

The ge t-all- Our- tin m ills,

We’ll dash , say— three hundred.

And sit at a table,say

When “ tight ” they are p lundered,

All ofthei r hard- earned payFrom them i s sundered

I nto o u r j aws ” they saith ,

Whiskey we’l l pou r ti ll deathTakes wi t h it many’s the hundred.

T hen are we not ab le , pray ,Whilst here in a Table BayTo use moderation , say !

To'

boast we’ve no t blu ndered !You bet your sweet life we are !

”

!Voice from an old Jack Tar)

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82

THE HOMEWARD -BOUND PENNANT.

It wou ld take a better pen than mine to adequatelydescribe o ur homeward -bound pennant. How longi t was made , and how long i t took to make , and whati t was made o f could easi ly be written

,bu t the

accompanying feeling of happiness during the making , and again when hoisted , needs to be added tomake the description complete.

However,the pennant was made according to

regulation , the un ion being o ne- th ird the length o fthe whole. It was treble- sti tched throughout thetotal length of 5 0 6 feet , and was made in the indescribab le short space o f tim e o f five hou rs. The

men at the sewing m ach ines must have thought that

L ife’s joy had no t ended , i ts p leasures no t done ,Al though lo st for three years, again ’

two uld be won.W hatever abundance of heat we had met

,

Co o l air wou ld return to us so o th ingly‘

yet.

The first 1 5 0 feet tapered one- tenth of an inch tothe foot

,the next 1 5 0 feet tapered one -twentieth of

an inch to the foot,th e remaining 1 3 0 feet o f bunt

ing tapered from eight to two inches. In add itionto the above there were seventy - six feet o f si lk ribbon tapering from two inch es to one-half inch at theend where a gi lt bladder was su spended bearing theinscription o f “New York or Bust.”

8 3

Upon getting under way the pennant was hoistedat the main

,and as i t flew clear the band struck up

“Home,sweet Home , and when passing the good old

ship Lancaster , amid three rou sing cheers , “Hai l tothe Chief

,

”

was rendered as a compliment to th eAdmiral. As we steamed slow ly around , each manof war lying in the harbor honored u s with a similarcomp l iment. It was a magnificent send -o ff

,and made

us feel that we were homeward bound,for:

Our fate d id incite us to murmu r and groan ;Bu t soon will all darkness now vanish away,Succeeded by l igh t and mo st beau teous day,

We have reserved a bladder with “Trenton,1887,

printed on i t for our entry into New York.