Part 19 (2/2)
At this moment the Big Bear uttered an awful roar, Whackinta gave a piercing scream and fled, and Blunderbore hid himself hastily behind the hummock. The next moment the two bears bounded on the stage and began to gambol round it, tossing up their hind legs and roaring and leaping in a manner that drew forth repeated plaudits. At length the Little Bear discovered the baby, and, uttering a frantic roar of delight, took it in its fore paws and held it up. The Big Bear roared also, of course, and rus.h.i.+ng forward caught the baby by the leg, and endeavoured to tear it away from the Little Bear, at which treatment the poor baby again commenced to cry pa.s.sionately. In the struggle the baby's head came off, upon which the Little Bear put the head into its mouth and swallowed it.
The Big Bear immediately did the same with the body; but its mouth was too small, and the body stuck fast and could not be finally disposed of until the Little Bear came to the rescue and pushed it forcibly down its throat. Having finished this delicate little morsel the two bears rose on their hind legs and danced a hornpipe together--Tom Singleton playing the tune for them on a flute behind the scenes. When this was done they danced off the stage, and immediately, as if in the distance, was heard the voice of a man singing. It came gradually nearer, and at last Buzzby, in the character of Ben Bolt, swaggered up to the foot-lights with his hands in his breeches pockets.
”I'm a jolly, jolly tar, Wot has comed from afar, An' it's all for to seek my fortin”--
sang Buzzby. ”But I've not found it yit,” he continued, breaking into prose, ”and there don't seem much prospect o' findin' it here anyhow.
Wot an 'orrible cold place it is, ugh!”
Buzzby was received with enthusiastic cheers, for he was dressed in the old familiar blue jacket, white ducks, pumps, and straw hat set jauntily on one side of his head--a costume which had not been seen for so many months by the crew of the _Dolphin_, that their hearts warmed to it as if it were an old friend.
Buzzby acted with great spirit, and was evidently a prime favourite. He could scarcely recollect a word of his part, but he remembered the general drift of it, and had ready wit enough to extemporize. Having explained that he was the only survivor of a s.h.i.+pwrecked crew, he proceeded to tell some of his adventures in foreign lands, and afterwards described part of his experiences in a song, to which the doctor played an accompaniment behind the scenes. The words were composed by himself, sung to the well-known Scotch air, ”Corn Riggs,”
and ran as follows:--
THE JOLLY TAR.
My comrades, you must know It was many years ago I left my daddy's cottage in the greenwood O!
And I jined a man-o'-war An' became a jolly tar, An' fought for king and country on the high seas O!
Pull, boys, cheerily, our home is on the sea Pull, boys, merrily and lightly O!
Pull, boys, cheerily, the wind is pa.s.sing free An' whirling up the foam an' water sky-high O!
There's been many a n.o.ble fight, But Trafalgar was the sight That beat the Greeks and Romans in their glory O!
For Britain's jolly sons Worked the thunder-blazing guns, And Nelson stood the bravest in the fore-front O!
Pull, boys, etc.
A roaring cannon shot Came an' hit the very spot Where my leg goes click-an'-jumble in the socket O!
And swept it overboard With the precious little h.o.a.rd Of pipe an' tin an' baccy in the pocket O!
Pull, boys, etc.
They took me down below, An' they laid me with a row Of killed and wounded messmates on a table O!
Then up comes Dr. Keg, An' says, Here's a livin' leg I'll sew upon the stump if I am able O!
Pull, boys, etc.
This good and st.u.r.dy limb Had belonged to fightin' Tim, An' scarcely had they sewed it on the socket O!
When up the hatch I flew, An' dashed among the crew, An' sprang on board the Frenchman like a rocket O!
Pull, boys, etc.
'Twas this that gained the day, For that leg it cleared the way-- And the battle raged like fury while it lasted O!
Then ceased the shot and sh.e.l.l To fall upon the swell, And the Union Jack went bravely to the mast-head O!'
Pull, boys, etc.
We need scarcely say that this song was enthusiastically encored, and that the chorus was done full justice to by the audience, who picked it up at once and sang it with l.u.s.ty vehemence. At the last word Ben Bolt nodded familiarly, thrust his hands into his pockets, and swaggered off whistling ”Yankee Doodle.” It was a matter of uncertainty where he had swaggered off to, but it was conjectured that he had gone on his journey to anywhere that might turn up.
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