The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1879-09-06
THE YARN OF THE NANCY
BELL"

BY W. s. GILBERT, AUTHOR OF PINAFoRE.
-pTsas ON the shores that round our coast
From Deal to Samsgate span,
That found alone on piece of stone
An elderly naval man.
His hair was weedy his beard was long
And weedy and long was he
And heard this wight on the shore recite,
In singular minor key:
"0h, am cook and a captain bold
And the mate OF the Nancy brig,
And bo'sun tight, and q midshipmite
And the crew of the captains gig"
And he shook his asts and he tore his hair.
Till l really felt afraid
For l couldn't help thinking the man had beor
drinking,
AMI SO simply said:
@1Oh elderly man, it's little know
OF the duties OF men of the sea-
And I'll eat my hand if 1 understand
However you can be
80 At once a cook and captain hold
and the mate OF the Nancy brig,
And o'suR tight, and midshiDmite
And the crew OF the captain gig"
Then he gavea hitch to his trousers, which
Is a trick all seamen larn,
And having got rid of a humping ouid
He spun this painful yarn:
80 Twas in the gocd shin Nancy Rau,
That we saleI to the Indian sea,
And there OF reef we came to grief
Hhich f.as often occurred to me.
ID pretty nigh all the crew was drowned
There was seventy-seven o. souD
And only ten of the Nancy's' men
SAID Herei TO the muster-roll.
~'There was me and the cook and the captain bold,
And the mate Of the Nancy brig,
And the bo'sun tight, and midshipmite,
And the crew OF the captains gig.
(" For a month we'd neither whites nor drink.
Till a-hungry did feel
30 We drawd a lot, and, accordin' shot
The captain for our meal,
" The next lot fell to the Nancy's, mate.
And a delicate dish he made;
Then our appetite with the midshipmite
We seven survivors stayed.
g Ard the1 murdered the bo'sun tight,
And he much resem bled pig;
LIEN we wittled free, did the cook and me,
On the crew of the captains gig.
q Then only the cook and me was left
And the delicate question, Which
or US two goes to the kettIe2' arose
And we argued 1t out as SIGH.
For loved that cook a brother, did,
And the cook he worshiped me;
But we'd both be blowed if we'd either be slowed
In the other chaps hold, you see.
"'rn be eat if you dimes off me- says Tom;
Yes, that says l, you'll be
m boiled II die, my friend quoth |;
ana Exactly So, quoth he;
Says he: Dear James to murder me
Were foolish thing to do,
FOR don you see that you cane cook me,
While can-and WILCOX yo,st'
" 30 he boils the water, ana takes the salt
And the pepper in por Cions true
(Whleh ne never torg Jtl. and some chopped shalot
And some sage anra parsley too,
" Come here 50 Us he with proper pride
" men MS Shilling features tell,
Twill soetb ing be if [ let you see
ROW e4' remely nice you'll SMELL
" ANA ne stirred it round and round and round
a Ld he shifted at the foaming froth;
W men L ups with his heels, and smothers his
squeals
In the scum of the boiling broth.
" And eat that cook in week or less,
And-as | eating be
The last of his chops, why, l almost drops
For vessel in sight seel
And never larf and | never smile,
And never lark nor play,
But sit and croak, and single Joke
have-which is to say:
Oh. am cook and captain bold,
And the mate of the Nancy brig,
And DO sun tight and midshipmite
And the crew of the captains gigl'"
- Babu RnlLadS