Part 21 (2/2)

”My General John! my General John!

My General John!” quoth he, ”This aristocratical sneer upon Your face I blush to see.”

”No truly great or generous cove Deserving of them names Would sneer at a fixed idea that's drove In the mind of a Private James!”

Said General John, ”Upon your claims No need your breath to waste; If this is a joke, Full-Private James, It's a joke of doubtful taste.”

”But being a man of doubtless worth, If you feel certain quite That we were probably changed at birth, I'll venture to say you're right.”

So General John as Private James Fell in, parade upon; And Private James, by change of names, Was Major-General John.

_W.S. Gilbert_

LITTLE BILLEE

There were three sailors of Bristol City Who took a boat and went to sea, But first with beef and captain's biscuits, And pickled pork they loaded she.

There was gorging Jack, and guzzling Jimmy, And the youngest he was little Billee.

Now when they'd got as far as the Equator, They'd nothing left but one split pea.

Says gorging Jack to guzzling Jimmy, ”I am extremely hungaree.”

To gorging Jack says guzzling Jimmy, ”We've nothing left, us must eat we.”

Says gorging Jack to guzzling Jimmy, ”With one another we shouldn't agree!

There's little Bill, he's young and tender, We're old and tough, so let's eat he.”

”O Billy! we're going to kill and eat you, So undo the b.u.t.ton of your chemie.”

When Bill received this information, He used his pocket-handkerchie,

”First let me say my catechism, Which my poor mother taught to me.”

”Make haste! make haste!” says guzzling Jimmy, While Jack pulled out his snicker-snee.

Then Bill went up to the main-top-gallant-mast, And down he fell on his bended knee, He scarce had come to the Twelfth Commandment When up he jumps--”There's land I see!”

”Jerusalem and Madagascar, And North and South Amerikee, There's the British flag a-riding at anchor, With Admiral Napier, K.C.B.”

So when they got aboard of the Admiral's, He hanged fat Jack and flogged Jimmee, But as for little Bill, he made him The captain of a Seventy-three.

_W. M. Thackeray_.

_THE WRECK OF THE ”JULIE PLANTE_”

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