New-York tribune., 1893-12-27
KIPLING'S POOR BALLAD.
THE RHYME OF THE THREE SEALERS.

Away by the lands Of the Japanee
When the paper lanterns glow ,.
Aha IN the the house of f' Blood in Street joe
Brings up the harbor noise
And ebb of Yokohama Bay
Swiss thatterng through the buoys'
They tell the tale anew
When the Baltic ran from the Northern Light
And the Stralsund fought the two
Now this is the law of the Muscovte. that he
proves with shot and steel A.. Su,o,,. Co, "a
must not take the seal. .,
Where the gray goes nakedly between the weed
And little blue fox he is bred for his skin and
the seal they breed for themselves; .,,
For when the matkas seek the shore 70 drop 'heir
- pups aland oroar,,o
And when the first September gales have slaked
their ruttng wrath.
The great man seals go back to the sea and no man
Then dark they lie and stark they lie-rookery'
And the Northern Lights come down o nights 70
But since our women must walk gay and money
The sealing boats they fitch that at hazard year
English they be and Japanee that hang on the
And some be- Scot but the worst God wot, and the
bodest thieves be Yank.
1t was the seaer Northern Light to the Smoky
with stoveppe stuck from her starboard port
and The Russian S as at nSber9 nsr 1Gre ehtoh. they
we're birds OF feather .,,..
slippng away the Smoky Seas, three seal-thieve'
And at last she came to sandy cove and the
Eui her men were up with the herdng seal to drive
and club and skin. ,. oo, ,,o,,
There fifteen hundred SKINS aoeach coo' p'''
When the Northern Light drove into the bay and
the scamist drove with her. ,a
rrbe Raltic called her men and weighed-she could
not choose but run . .A Glazing mist II
For a stove-pipe seen through the cosii'e iT "
shows like four-inoh gun - . ,. 18th trim
tAnd loss il is tha. is sad death to lose both trp
rS ahi e SFi sar rottng contraband vladivostock
slip.
She turned and dived in the sea-smother as raDo'
n,d th4 Northern Light sent up her boats to steal
.rnsy e had not Brought load side or slid their
vvbnn they wSre aware of a soop-ofwar' ghost
er aag she showed and her guns she showed three
OF them. black. abeam, ., uo,. bu, never
,rbere Was not time to man the bars, they knocked
II me bs %HrIhern Light stood again. goose
winged to open sea
or life IT is that is worse than death. by force OF
ITO work in the mines of mercury that loose 'he
,rhey had ~ not run mile from shore-they heard no
bsn ne Skipper smote his hand on his thigh and
threw her up in the wind :. ..,s ba "for -
.Pluned-raised out a blun. sald Ne ioi !"
my names Tom han .o, . ,bief-and a thief
v nss every BUTT in Oregon and spar in Maine
The hand that spilled the eU, wnd from "e' ''''
He has rieged and trigged her WITH WIN paint anu Spa"
ut ia Know the Strasunds deckhouse yet from
here to the booms o He'll a .,,oa y,
Rut the Sick st day for you. Reuben Paine, was the
bs aay dav iu that YOU came here my lad to scare US
with Vour funnel made O. your painted CLOTH and
Your guns o. rotten deal, , ,o.d ,e-
Ring and blow FOR the Raltc now and head ner
For oSvS Wen &c come into the game again with double
hand to play
They rang and blew the sealers' caii-the poachihs
And ihev % raised the Baltic of the mist, and an
angry boat was she .,-,,. .,,,,a
And blind they groped through aSs5 the WHITING "'''
m ann tSey heard % the swing Of the srasunds BOOM
rnH and M the sha sand down Si n by b and boat he pistols
And n Wil 7yi You You agh, for it, Reuben Paine or will
you share the pelts?'
"A dog-toothed laugh laughed Reuben Paine. and
barred his fienching knife. ..,,,
eYea skin for skin. and all that he hath man Will
But I've six thousand skins below. and Yeddo Port
And there's never a law of God or man runs north
And iii be good to your seal this catch. many as
Get out Of this before you foul-the fos's as blind
And fog or clear you'll not come here to hold the
Straisund up
mnsyered the snap Of closing lock and the jar Of
tRut the tender fog shut fold on fold to hide the
LTbe" weeping fog rolled fold fold the wrath Of
sAnd the fiame-spurts pale down the rail as the
1.-THE bullets dru,nrned bend and butt the splinter
little they trust to sparrow that stop the seal
,nhe thick smoke hung and would not shift leaden
t1,ut three We're down on the Batic's deck and two
Of the 3 snS oversize the banked fog
,And as they heard or groan word they fired at
For one cried out on the name of God. and one to
have him cease -, 49,, 49,. ,,, a,a .o.o
And the questing volley found them Do'h ana pade
And in the waiting siences the rudder whined
land each man drew his watchful breath slow taken
lrrger and ear and eye a-cock. knit brow and hard
;Braciag his feet by chock and cleat for the rolling
Till u they s heard the cough of wounded that
Uill they heard the torment Of Reuben Paine that
walled upon his death;
,'The tides they'll go through Fundy race. but I'll
And see the hogs from ebb-tide mark turn scamper-
ing back 20 shore. ~,
No more III see the trawlers drift below the Bass
Rock ground ,. 49,. ,,,
And watch the tall Fall steamer hShtS tear piaZhs
Sorrow is me in lonely and sinful fight l
But IL there's law of God or man you'll swing for
II yet. Tom Ha!l!'
Tom Hall stood UP by the quarter-rail. Your
words in your teeth, said he
'Theres never law Of God or man runs north Of
Fifty Three -,
So go in grace with Him to face. and an ill-spent
life behind,
And TN take care Of your widows. Rube. many
as | shall find.
For one You have left at Kennebunk and one on
VitC Beach,
And a yellow girl at Tomok'; but III De good 10