Then I come and write beneath:
Boughton, he deserves the wreath;
He can give us form and hue—
This the Muse can never do!
AUSTIN DOBSON.
THE DISCOVERY OF TOBACCO.
A SAILOR’S VERSION.
They were three jolly sailors bold,
Who sailed across the sea;
They’d braved the storm, and stood
the gale,
And got to Virgin-ee.
THE DISCOVERY OF TOBACCO.
’Twas in the days of good Queen
Bess,—
Or p’raps a bit before,—
And now these here three sailors bold
Went cruising on the shore.
A lurch to starboard, one to port,
Now forrard, boys, go we,
With a haul and a “Ho!” and
a “That’s your sort!”
To find out Tobac-kee.
Says Jack, “This here’s a
rummy land.”
Says Tom, “Well, shiver
me!
The sun shines out as precious hot
As ever I did see.”
Says Dick, “Messmates, since here
we be,”—
And gave his eye a wink,—
“We’ve come to find out Tobac-kee,
Which means a drop to drink.”
Says Jack, says he, “The Injins
think—”
Says Tom, “I’ll
swear as they
Don’t think at all.”
Says Dick, “You’re right;
It ain’t their nat’ral
way.
But I want to find out, my lads,
This stuff of which they tell;
For if as it ain’t meant to drink,
Why, it must be meant to smell.”
Says Tom, says he, “To drink or
smell,
I don’t think this here’s
meant.”
Says Jack, says he, “Blame my old
eyes,
If I’ll believe it’s
scent.”
“Well, then,” says Dick, “if
that ain’t square,
It must be meant for meat;
So come along, my jovial mates,
To find what’s good
to eat.”
They came across a great big plant,
A-growing tall and true.
Says Jack, says he, “I’m precious
dry,”
And picked a leaf to chew.
While Tom takes up a sun-dried bit,
A-lying by the trees;
He rubs it in his hands to dust
And then begins to sneeze.
Another leaf picks nimble Dick,
And dries it in the sun,
And rolls it up all neat and tight.
“My lads,” says
he, in fun,
“I mean to cook this precious weed.”
And then from out his poke
With burning-glass he lights the end,
And quick blows up the smoke.
Says Jack, says he, “Of Paradise
I’ve heerd some people
tell.”
Says Tom, says he, “This here will
do;
Let’s have another smell.”
Says Dick, his face all pleasant smiles,
A-looking through a cloud,
“It strikes me here’s the
cap’en bold,
And now we’ll all be
rowed.”
Up comes brave Hawkins on the beach;
“Shiver my hull!”
he cries,
“What’s these here games,
my merry men?”
And then, “Why, blame
my eyes!
Here’s one as chaws, and one as
snuffs,
And t’ other of the
three
Is smoking like a chimbley-pot—
They’ve found out Tobac-kee!”