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I
IN Cawsand Bay lying, with the Blue Peter flying, | |
| And all hands on deck for the anchor to weigh, | |
| When off came a lady, as fresh as a daisy, | |
| And modestly hailing, the damsel did say: | |
| |
II
‘Ship ahoy! bear a hand there! I wants a young man there, | 5 |
| So heave us a man-rope, or send him to me; | |
| His name’s Henry Grady, and I am a lady, | |
| Arrived to prevent him from going to sea.’ | |
| |
III
Now the captain, his honour, when he looked upon her, | |
| He ran down the side for to hand her on board. | 10 |
| Cried he, with emotion, ‘What son of the ocean | |
| Can thus be looked after by Helena Ford?’ | |
| |
IV
Then the lady made answer, ‘That there is a man, sir, | |
| I’ll make him as free as a Duke or a Lord.’— | |
| ‘Oh no!’ says the capp’en, ‘That can’t very well happen, | 15 |
| I’ve got sailing orders—you, sir, stop on board.’ | |
| |
V
But up spoke the lady, ‘Don’t you mind him, Hal Grady, | |
| He once was your capp’en, but now you’re at large. | |
| You shan’t stop on board her, for all that chap’s order!’ | |
| Then out of her bosom she drew his discharge. | 20 |
| |
VI
Said the captain, ‘I’m hang’d now, you’re cool, and I’m bang’d now!’ | |
| Said Hal, ‘Here, old Weatherface, take all my clothes.’ | |
| And ashore then he steer’d her; the lads they all cheer’d her; | |
| But the captain was jealous, and looked down his nose. | |
| |
VII
Then she got a shore tailor to rig up her sailor | 25 |
| In white nankeen trowsers and long blue-tail’d coat; | |
| And he looked like a squire, for all to admire, | |
| With a dimity handkercher tied round his throat. | |
| |
VIII
They’d a house that was greater than any first-rater, | |
| With footmen in livery handing the drink, | 30 |
| And a garden to go in, where flowers were blowing, | |
| The buttercup, daisy, the lily, the pink. | |
| |
IX
And he got edication befitting his station | |
| (For we all of us know we’re not too old to larn); | |
| And his messmates they found him, his little ones round him, | 35 |
| All chips of the old block from the stem to the starn. | |
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