[from Collected Works, T.E.Brown]

III

CAPTAIN TOM AND CAPTAIN HUGH

YOU'RE wantin' to hear about them two,
Captain Tom and Captain Hugh,
Very well! Very well!
But it isn' much of a story to tell ;
But-horvever-it's lek you know who you've got-
Middlin' willin' whether or not.

Now these two Captains they were all allowin'
Was the best that was sailin' out of Castletown ;
And the two of them went to school together,
And never no relations either-
But up the Claddagh ¹ agate o' buck-kyones,2
And ticklin' troutses under the stones,
Or down at the Race, or out at the Mull,
Or over plaguin' Lukish's bull,
Or any fun that was goin', ye see,
Where the one was, the other would be ;
And stickin' mortal close, and backin'
One another up, whatever was actin' 3-
Backin' one another still,
And reared though very respectable,
Lek accordin' to their station ;
And goin' a teachin' navigation,

1 Marsh. 2 A kind of fish. 3 Going on.

At t Mastbar Cowin that was general known
For the grandest masther that was goin',
A one-armed man-aw, I'll be bound
You had to look Slippy 2 if you went to Cowin ;
That's the man that could trite a scholar ;
Only wink, and the hook in your collar,
And wouldn' listen to no excuse,
And workin' the kiddhag 3, like the deuce.

So these two lads got on though, aye
Got on, I tell ye, and passin' by
Ouldher men, and very much lek'd,4
And studdier tills you'd expect.
So from one thing to another they came
To be skippers of smacks, the two of them-
Masther Corteen's-you'll have heard of him-
No ? Well, raely ! but that's the way,
And every dog must have his day.

So when they got married, they wouldn' be beat,
But it was two sisthers they were schamin' to get,
And got them, by the name of Sayle,
And a nice bit of money to their tail ;
And right enough, and not felt on the farm-
Aw, a little money'll do no harm,
Not it, but only just to take care
You'll have it on the land, d'ye hear?
Aye, that's your sort-aw, very nice,
And the bigger the loaf, the bigger the slice ;
But still there's some'll take the huff,
And grab will never have enough
But what with the lean, and what with the fat,
Maybe a hundherd pound or that ;
And a little inthress 6 in the will,
Aye-bless ye ! very comfible.
Good wives they were, let alone the tin,
And chrizzenin' 7 for chrizzenin',
And as handsome a breed as ever you'd see,
And very nice and orderly.

1 By. 2 Sharp. 3 Left hand. 4 Liked.
Steadier than. 6 Interest. 7 Christening.

For the sisthers was livin' next door to each other,
And civil to all, but cautious rather ;
And wouldn' have their childher tearin'
Out on the sthreet, and cussin', and swearin',
And raggin' their clothes. And Ned Ballachrink,
The uncle, that was mostly in dhrink,
Wasn' never suffered to come nigh them,
As if his very look would desthroy them.
And still they might have been his own,
He was that fond of them ; and you'll never be knowin'
What the lek is feelin' ; but either woman-
No matter-let her see the uncle comin'
And it was up the stair with the childher straight ;
And longin' shockin', but not a sight
To be seen of the one of them : and maybe he'd catch
A sound like little birds under the thatch,
Or the way they stir themselves in bushes
Of a moonlight night-you'll hear these thrushes-
And the Ballachrink, he'd look and he'd listen,
And them knowin' parfec' 1 what was he missin',
But he darn' say a word, or if he did,
It was-some chickens they'd got on the laff,2 they said ;
And no lie for all, just a way to spake-

Aw, exlen' 3 women, and no mistake.
Now it wasn' often the husbands would chance
To be at home together, maybe once
On the summer, ye know ; and you'd see the whole crew o' them
Out in the garden that was doin' for the two o' them.
They were looking fuss-rate was yandhar chaps,
And the women wearin' their Sunday caps,
And all the little things as nate, ye know-
'Deed it was worth your while to go
Of an everin' there, and look over the wall,
And as nice and as happy though, for all ; 4
And every one with his little bason
Under the trammon,5 aw, putty amazin' ! 6

1 Perfectly. 2 Loft. 3 Excellent. However. 5 Elder tree. 6 Amazingly pretty.

And even the poor Ballachrink'd be gettin'
Admission them times, and the way he'd be sittin'
And eyein' the childher, and axin' to taste,

Half tight, you know, but the love in his face-
The Bowl-and well, it's a pity too

Of the lek, and puzzlin' what to do-

A good-nathured craythur, and would allis be hevvin' l
His pockets stuffed with knobs to be gevvin' 2

To the youngsters ; and watchin', you know, and'd try
To pop them in their porridge on the sly.

But big at the talk, aw, very big;
And disputin' there about the rig
Of a vessel, and reefin', and lee shores,

And this and that, and to work their course-

Aw, it's him that 'd larn them-and " Look! " he'd say,
" D'ye see the thing ? "-and-" Here's the bay"
And-such ca wind, and how he'd contrive her-

" Up peak, my lads, down jib, and jive 3 her!
"
Chut ! of all the foolishness !

And Captain Tom with the chin on the bress,4
And smookin' studdy all the while,

And maybe just a little smile.

But that's the when 5 you'd see, mind you 1
The difference of Captain Hugh,

That'd turn very sharp, and walk a bit,
And rux 6 the shouldhers, and blow the spit,
Lek contemptible lek, and growl

Like a savage dog, and couldn' hould 7

To hear such stuff aw, that was the man-
Impatient mostly, you'll understand-

Hot, very hot, in general-
That was Captain Hugh, for all.

So the years went by, and the childher grew,
And the ouldest boy of Captain Hugh

Fell in love with the ouldest gel
Of Captain Tom-aw, terrible!

" Love again ? " now steady ! steady !

1 Having. 2 Giving. 3 Jibe. 4 Breast.
Time. s Shrug. ' Bear.

Fell in love though did this laddie.
And the nither of them knew a bit
How they ever come to think of it-
Bein' reared like a sisther with a brother,
And used, you know, of one another.

Well, this Hughie though was a reg'lar bould chap-
They were callin' him Hughie after the ould chap-
Hughie, not Hugh, for a differ' lelc-

Aw, a plucky lad and no mistake;
A splendid hand aboord of a boat
Aw, he'd stick to anything that'd float-
Would Hughie-aye-and none of your sauce
Nor brag ; and the proud the father was

To see him when he was only a little mossel
With his two reefs tied, and his jib and fo'sail-
Stole 2 of coorse ; and the sea tha'd 3 be there !
And the owner shoutin' on the pier-

And my lad with the taffystick 4 in his fist,
And strainin' his back against the list ~-
Aw, into the rail ! into the rail!

And as sollum as if he was carryin' the mail-
And all the sheets trained aft to his hand-
And to see him lie to was raelly grand,
Waitin' his chance to come over the bar,

And the father would call, and the owner would swear;
And the little rascal would keek 6 like a gull

Under his boom, and wait for a lull,

And humoured the boat, and pacified her,
Feelin' everything like a spider,

Till he saw the nick,7 and afore you'd be knowin',
His helm was up, his jib was drawin',

And a lift and a leap and a jerk and a joult,
And he sent her in like a thunderboult.

Then of coorse he'd have to make the best of it,
Jawin' and lickin' and all the rest of it,

And done him no harm, the little midge,

Distinction. 2 Stolen. 3 That would.

4 Tiller, lit. stick of toffy. 5 Leaning over of the boat.

6 Peep. 7 Of time.

And the Captain sthooin' 1 him over the bridge-
But aisy to see, whatever he clone,

It's proud enough he was of the son.

He was rather silent lek was the Captain,
And not the sort of a man to be rapt in

A son or a gun-but he said one day

To the ould High-Bailiff down on the quay
That Hughie'd take a boat through the Sound
With any man in Castletown.

So the High-Bailiff gave a little laugh,

And " What! " he says, " through the Sound of the Calf!
I doubt it, Captain ! " he says, " I doubt it "

And the people was tellin' they had words about it.
But that may be-but still, dear heart !

There's no doubt at all the lad was smart.

I've seen him myself coming under our quarter,
And the skiff at 2 him there nearly full of water ;
And he'd lay alongside for a bit to bail her,
And then he'd cast off, and talte and sail her,
And just a little latteen with a hook at 3 it,

And he'd make the harbour when we couldn' look at it.
Smart he was, but silent very,

Like the father, you know, and never merry
Nor frisky lek, but thoughtful still-

For the skipper could talk when he had the will;
Aw, it's himself that had the bitter tongue,
Partikler when he was a little sprung,

And terrible standin' on his right ;
But as for the boy he was allis quite.¢
And if the father loved the lad,

He wasn' showin' it much, bedad-
Short and sharp and hard to plaze-
Aw, he wasn' a lovin' man in his ways
At all-no! no! But the lad was lovin' ;
Even when he was a little thing he'd be shovin'
Hisself betwixt the father's legs,

The way a little puppy begs;

And the Captain's hand on the little mop 5

1 Driving. 2 With. 3 To. 4 Quiet. 5 Of hair.

Just absent-lek, and wouldn' stop
Whatever he was doin', or maybe
Doin' nottein' at all ; and the little baby
Rubbin' and rubbin' and feelin' him,
And the Captain sittin' very grim-
And never a kiss for the little sowl,

Nor nottein', the craythur ! so I'm tould.

But there's pessons like that though, isn' there, John ?
Starin' out at the horTzon !

Some people's allis up the mast
Cockin' their eye to a spyin'-glass.
It's well to look a little nearer,

And- -bits of infants-what's more dearer ?
But the son was lovin' the father greatly-
Aw, took up in him complately ;

And grew to be the very prent 1

Of the skipper-he did-lek took and bent

To the shape of him-and the face and the walk,
And the turn and the look, and the nose like a hawk,
And the chin like an egg, and the throat like a bell---
Grew lek, grew; and of coorse you will;

Not thinkin', you know, but lookin'-aye !
Lookin', lookin', and takin' joy-

There's childher that doesn', and childher that does-
A surt of comedher,22 I wouldn' thrus' ; 3

But still a father you know-that way-
And the fond and all, but it's hard to say-
There's men that's charmin' other men,
And hardly knowin' the lek is in ¢-

Hard men too, and gove 5 to be close-
Some power that's at them, I suppose,
Like rubbed with somethin'-what's it's name ?
Loadstun-aye ; and women the same.
Hapes-that you wouldn' be givin' two screws for,
And gettin' more love till they've got any use for,
And others aequal goin' without,

And still a dale of it about.

1 Print. Fascination.

a 1 would not trust, I rather think. 4 That they exist.
Given.

Now this lad was a very gentle sort,
And hadn' none of the fiery spir't

That was in the father-it's faithful he was,
Faithful, and houldin' terrible fast

To them he liked, and perseverin'
Uncommon-Look at the either steerin',
And you'd know the odds; 1 for Hughie was all
For humourin', but the skipper would haul

On a wind no matter how it was blow'n',
just like a dog would be peelin' a bone,
Greedy, you know, like a hungry dog,
Greedy, suckin' his luff like grog.
That's the way, and Hughie would look
On the sea like a man would read in a book,
Spellin' big spells, and gettin' them right,

But the Captain would stand like sniff n' a fight
Far off he would-like challengin',
Suspicious lek, like sayin'-" Now then

You're at it ! are ye ? Who'll strike first ?
Come on, ould shockin' ! do your worst! "
Like the sea and himself was swore in their teeth
To fight it out to the bitter death-

Half in anger, half in scorn,
Defyin' it, as if he was born
A purpose to triumph and have the rule of it,
Or draw its cork,2 and make a fool of it.
Chut ! there's no luck with yandhar kind,
But never mind ! never mind!

Lookin' so proud-but the lek will get lave ! 3
Rather like lookin' for a grave-

Seemin' to me-but-very well!
And-maybe a notion-but time will tell.
And just the same ashore as afloat,

Allis restless, and fadin' to't,

Like doubtin' if he turned his back
The sea'd be takin' advantage lek.
Do you see the men ?-well-does or doesn',
Annie they were callin' the cousin-

1 Difference. 2 Get the better of it.

Such people will get leave= may do what they like . . . yet, etc.

A shockin' nice gel, but slandhar though,
Slandhar, and very soople, you know;
And the hair she had, aw, bless my sowl,
Cables and cables, and'd take and rowl
And yowl them there, and stick a pin,
And the nice and the smooth astonishin'.
She was a terr'ble modest gel was that,
And clane uncommon, and the little brat,'
And the little strings, and altogether-
Not azackly handsome either-

No, she wasn' ; but to see her smile-

Aw 'deed! 2 I'd have walked a hunderd mile-
I would-the sudden it come to be sure,

The sudden and the sweet and pure,
And spreadin' out like some lovely rose,
And fadin' away like the sunset goes,
When you'd think it wasn' willin' to die,
And it's fit to make a body cry.

So they fell in love like birds in the spring,
And the mothers began to see the thing-

And lookin' and signin', and hemmin' and hemmin',
And terrible plased-the way with women.

Aw, then the colloguin' 3 that was done,

And her with the daughter, and her with the son,
And took a opportunity,

And had it out as nice as could be-
Hughie's mother that was spakin'-
And-whatever capers 4 were they talon'
And-" Why don't you laugh, and why don't you talk ?
And why don't you hev a little walk?"

And-" Come, man ! give your cousin a kiss!
"
And-" Bless my heart! what foolishness!"
Aw, if Hughie didn' make for the door

Like a shot, and Annie on the floor;

But made her tell, and aised her shockin'
The way her heart was goin' a knockin'-
Aw, yis !-and people should be kind

To the lek, and get them to clear their mind.
So she tould them though, and then they went
Apron. 2 Indeed. 3 Consulting. n Absurd ideas.

And looked for Hughie, and found him lent 1
Against the trammon ; 2 and ~~ Why, man, why?
"
And- Nonsense, Hughie ! " and "Try, man, try!"
And got him in, you'll understand,

And put them sittin' hand in hand,
Aw, beautiful, and left them there,
And the dark, you know, he could hardly see her.
Then the two women took a sthroull

Along the shore, and the nither 3 ould ;
But still it's lek there'd be a little sigh,
And I wouldn' trust but a little cry,

Lek happy, you know, but middlin' plain
Their time would never come again.

And I was toull there was some that seen them too,
And they were sayin' that Annie's mother threw
Her arms very lovin' around the sister,

And hung to her a dale, and kissed her-
And so they went together linkin',4

And very peaceful lek, and thinkin'.
And tears is tears, no matter the from ; 5
But he was a fuss-rate husband was Captain Tom.
Fuss-rate he was-and gennaler s

There couldn' be, nor heartier.

Aw, happy was the people that bred him,
And happy was the woman that had him.
But 'deed the happiest of the lot

Was the man himself the way he got
To make other people happy; his face
Was reglar bustin' with happiness--

My sakes! the laugh! you never heard!
It was allis snugglin' in his beard
Somewhere, you know, bein' curly very;
But when he gave way, a blast in a quarry
Was just a fool to it-Nebuchadnessar !
Rattlin' the very plates on the dresser.
And the same man was terrible wise,

And givin' people good advice-

Leaned. 2 Elder tree. 3 Neither of them.

4 Arm-in-arm. 5 Source. s Kindlier.

About business lek-there's some will remember-
But of coorse-dear heart ! the judge of timber,
And gardens and that-aw, every craft!

But he'd have his laugh, he'd have his laugh
But the first these women had to do
Was to tell their story to Captain Hugh-
Mad-did ye say ? God bless ye ! mad
No, not him-the mad or the glad,

Nor the yes or the no, nor the good or the bad,
Nor the nothin' arrim ; t just a spit,

And a puff o' the pipe to see was he lit,

And his head on his chin and his eye on the say;
So the women had to go away.

" Well ! " says Annie's mother, " he's tould ! "
Yes ! " says the sisther, but cryin', the sowl !
And it's allis the same-aw, very nice,

And raisonable to rejoice

When two young things is comin' together=
But there's sure to be a bit of bother

About it someway-aw, by George!
There's lumps in every body's porr'dge ;
Like ould Jemmy the Red that drove to the packet,
One hoss would go forrit,2 and the other backit 3-
"Dear me!" the people said;

"There's nothin' puffeck,"4 says Jemmy the Red.
Now Captain Tom was in Ireland over;

But the very minute they saw the Rover

(The smack he was skipper of) makin' the Mull,
Aw, then the women took heart to the full
'Deed if they were smellin' Captain Tom in the offin'
The whole of Castletown would be laugbin'
Mostly-the liked,5 you'll understand-

Aw, a terrible man, a terrible man!

So somebody tould him, and he slapped the thigh,
And come ashore in a blaze of joy-

In a blaze-and " Where is she ? where is she, then ?
The little rascal ! " and-how, and when ?

1 At him, on his part. 2 Forwards. 3 Backwards.
4 Perfect. 5 Because he was so much liked.

And-bless his sovl! and-to think the deed !
And " Come here ! come here ! you little sweep ! "
And-" Hughie ! Hughie ! Tyre and Sidon ! "
And-" Annie ! Annie! " but Annie was hidin'.
But caught at 1 the mother somewhere in the yard,
" Ha! ha ! " he says, "ha ! ba! my bird !
What! " he says, " you don't know me, maybe ! "
And took her off her feet like a baby;

And clasped her to his besom 2 there,
And kissed her eyes, and kissed her hair,
And kissed and kissed her everywhere-
Shockin' for kissin' ! noted for it

Was Captain Tom. There's people horrit
That way with their slimin' and slobberin',
But Captain Tom was differin'-

But still-Well, in come Hughie, though,
And he dropt the gel, and he gave a crow
Out of him like a cock, very clear-

Like a cock that way-very pleasant to hear,
Hearty-eh ? and gript him straigbt,3

And stood him off against the light ;

And-" the sakes!" 4 and-"'Deed on 5 Hughie, for all! 6
Capital! Capital!"

And his face like the sun. And-" Hould up! " says he,
" Hould up for all ! I want to see-

(And Hughie lookin' rather simple
The polished corners of the temple
What's this ould David is sayin' in the Psalm ?
Bless my heart ! the stupid I am !

The corners, it's sayin', the polished corners,
And-splendid sheep, it's sayin', and the garners
Full of stare.-I like you, my lad!

I like you! you'll do ! you'll do! " be said.

And-" Where's your father ?" he said to him then ;
"Dear me ! he ise' half a man!"

And a passil of women outside gave a shout-

" You've got it ! " they said ; and he turned about-
" Hulloah ! " says he, and a sort of a roar ;

1 By. 2 Bosom. 3 Immediately.

For all the sakes ! an interjection. 5 Only to think of.
After all.

"You're right!" says the women at the door.

" He's against the match!" says the women, "he is!"
" Come now ! I tell ye ! be off out of this ! "

Says Captain Tom's wife-Well, dear heart !

And-it was only the truth they were tellin'. " Start!
"
Says Captain Tom's wife ; so the women cut,

And tossin' the head, and-A saucy slut!
And, " Says is says, and thinks is thinks ! "
And--They were allis high, them Ballachrinks

And the talk was soon all over the town
That the one Captain knocked the other down,
And-a desperate fight! but of coorse they hadn',
And-the evil eye that was on the weddin'

At 1 Captain Hugh, and-Careless! chat! 2
tbõ use o' talkie'-He was a black man that!
But-Captain Tom ! and-" Did ye see- him there ? "
And-that was the man! aw dear! aw dear!

Aw, splendid!-the hearty and the kind!
Somethin' like a father! aw, no fault to find,
But only them women !-a pair of slinks,
They hadn' no Patience with them Ballachrinks !

And it's lek there'd be words ; but-bless their stuff !
Captain Hugh was willin' enough!

It wasn' that. There's pessins that bright,
The whole of their body is full of light;

Lek it's sayin in the Bible-" Take care ! " it's sayin',
" If the light that is in thee turn dark again

(Lek some devil's runnet 3 thick'nin' it),

Bless me ! " it's sayin', " the dark you'll get ! '
But it wasn' that. And still no doubt
There's people that turns theirselves inside out,
And others that turns theirselves outside in-
Was that the sort ? you'll be wonderin'.

No! I don't think it-or was he haunted

At 4 some dirt of a sperrit ? or was it wanted
Elsewhere he was ? or a crick in his heart

' On the part of. 2 Tut. 3 Rennet. 4 By.

That he had to look another airt ? I

Or well, ye see, what you're knowin', you're knowin' ;
But I'll tell ye what, I'll lave it alone.

Well-this Masther Corteen I was tellin' you of
Wouldn' take no rest,2 but it's a schooner he must have-
Aw, smacks wouldn' do for him at all-

Schooners ! schooners ! that's the call.
Foolish-you're sayin' ? Uplifted just-
Aw, uplifted scandalous !

For what is a schooner, if you come to that ?
A slink of a thing with a side like a latt,3
And bearin's-eh ? and stowage? my gough !
A bilge like a plane, and a hould like a trough-
That's your schooners-idikkilis ! 4

Give me the little gel that'll kiss

Ould Bags 5 in his teeth, and spin on her heel
Like a top, like your sweetheart dancin' a reel
In the harvest moon-aw, a smack for ever!
Chut ! you can twis' her tail like a heifer !
But-of course !-and them Douglas chaps 'd be talkin'
And quiverin' 6 there-aw, big though, shockin' '-
Collister's ones, and Skillicorn,

And Moores, that was sailin' a vessel for'n,8
And the lek of that-aw, brigs and barks
And galliotts, and Noah's arks !

Aw, you couldn' touch the Douglas fellows-
No! and feelin' middlin' jealous-

And " I'll have a schooner, up or down ! "
And-all for the honour of the town.
And built at Boyds', and no mistake,
And goin' a launchin' up the Lake,

Or the Claddagh-is it ? aye ! and the scholars
Let out of the school, and terrible colours ;
And a cannon there, and would have a try,
And fired, and bust the bellman's eye-

Juan Jem-a squinty man he was,

And bust in bits-and-not much of a loss
At all-I've heard the women say;

1 Way. 2 Be satisfied. 3 Lath. 4 Ridiculous.

The wind. 6 Bragging. 7 Very. 8 To foreign parts.

But useful is useful any day.

And a beautiful launch, you may depend,
And off the ways as smooth as a swan ;
And Jacks, and Blue Peters, and stars-and-stripes,
And the name they gave her was the Clyls 1-
Or the Clops, or the Cheps-what is it-eh ?
Well, it's the Clyhs they were callin' her anyway.

So then the talk was how would he man her,
And who'd be goin' for a captain on her;

Aw, terrible talk-but of coorse they knew
It was either Captain Tom or Captain Hugh.
And a pazil 2 of fellows down at the Crow
Was shoutin' for Captain Hugh to go ;

But the company over at the Crown,

That was general countin' 3 the best in town,
Ould Mollachreest, and Corkish the baker,
Was all for Captain Tom to take her.

So you see the people was mortal divided,
And a bit of a row, and reglar enjoyed it
And-Wait then! wait!-and All serene!
He wasn' no fool, wasn' oulrl Corteen
No! And who was the head man, d'ye think?
Who of coorse but the Ballachrink ?

Down at the Crow there every night,
And glasses round, and as tight as tight ;
And-Healths apiece ! and-What 11 ye take ?
Bless me, the mischief them dunkies'll make !

He got a notion that time, you see,
A notion arrim 4 how would it be

If he could just sundher the captains a lill5
That they wouldn' be lek that agreeable

Lek they were used to be, on the one hand lek,
That the poor chap hadn' the smallest speck
Of a chance, you see, to get his foot in

The either house ; for he didn' care a button
About the sisthers, but just he was Gravin'
For the childher-aye ! aw, reglar ravin' !

1 Cyclõps. 2 Parcel. Accounted.
4 At him, in his head. Little.

But how would it be now how would it be !
" They'll have to give me more libbity ! "
He says; and then he begun to think,
And he seen there wasn' the smallest chink
Betwix' Tom and the wife; and-" The smoother the wall
The harder to climb," says Ned, for all '-

Aw, Ned was sharp enough in his way-
He could tell was there shuggar in his tay,
Could Ned ; he knew where to hammer a tack in,
So it's Captain Hugh that he was backin'.
Backin' uncommon ; and terrible truck 2
Betwix' them two, like an aigle took 3

To be friends with a pay-cock-that was about it-

And he puffed and he blowed, and he rooted and he shoutit,
And he quivered the fist; and " What! " lie said,

" Captain Tom to walk over the head

Of Captain Hugh; What sense! " be was sayin' ;
And-God bless his Bowl ! and wasn' it plain ?
Captain Tom ! of coorse ! of coarse
But-Captain Hugh, they were on diff rin floors
Altogether-Was it blind they were?

Did they know who they had? Was there any compare ?
And-"The two of them," be says, "is relations

Of mine," he says; " but, look here ! my patience ! "
And snaps the fingers, and taps the stick,

And gives a nod, and around as quick,
And faces up against one of the men
Behind him there; and at it again
And over the Craves,4 and all down New Street,
And up Kirk Arbory and Kirk Malew Street,

And the Green, and Cowles, and the Flukin' pool,
Everywhere you'd hear this fool-

But special at the Crow-Aw, there

He was all in his glory, and took the chair,
And wondherful, consider'n' the gin-

You'd have thought it was the High-Bailiff himself that was
in-

Prooosed and seconded-and-Them

However. 2 Communication, intimacy. 3 Who had taken.
4 A street in Castletown.

That's in favour-you know-aw, bless ye ! it came
As natheral-amazin' though

The way the lek can work the jaw-

And he stuck to Captain Hugh like a leech,
And grips the arm, and over the beach,
And past the quay, and down the pier,
Showin' him off lek walkie' there,

And the nose on the cock, like snuffin' a smell,
Lek-Clear the road! lek something to sell.
But howsomedever-Peter or Paul,

Captain Tom was the captain for all-
Aye, he was--Of a Saturday night
The orders were out, and a reglar fight

At the Countin'-house door-and-" Who then? who?
Is it Captain Tom? Is it Captain Hugh?"

And-" Hip hoorah ! " and over the town,

And away to the Crow, and away to the Crown-
And the Ballachrink though, sittin' as grand,

And the pipe in his mouth, and the glass in his hand-
Aw, a terrible big man at the Crow,

A sort of a gentleman, you know-

The way with these farmers-and his Sunday hat,
And a frill on his shirt, and all to that.'

And-" Well!" he says, "There's no mistake
Who's goin' for Captain ; it's all correct,"

He says, " it's settled," he says, "my hearties";
And-Of coorse! and-The influential parties
That was at Corteen, and not once nor twice;
But the man knew where to go for advice;

Aye ! aye! and got it; and what for wouldn' he?
A brother-in-law! and what for shouldn' he ?
But wait! but still-aw, dear! to think!

" I'll lave it to you then, Ballachrink."

In the parlour--aye ! "But mind ye ! my men,
You'll never be mentionin' this again!"

Aw, all in his glory-and the chaps goin' nudgin'
And winkin' there, the way you'd be judgin'
He'd see they were laughin' ; and did and didn' ;
Lek you'll see a cock upon a midden,

1 So forth.
n

Scratchin'-lek he was sayin' to the hens-

" Look out ! " he says, " my gough ! there's grains !
There's grains ! " he says ; and the dirt goin' flyin' ;
And he'll scratch and scratch, and the hens'll be eyein'
One another, and smilin' lek,

And may be bitendin' 1 to give a little peck,
For manners, you know, lek knowin' his way,
But just the same lek meanin' to say-

For all he thinks hisself that clever-

" The ould chap's gettin' wuss till ever ! "
Well, there he was, so in comes a lad,

And-" It's Captain Tom that's got her," he said-
Aw, the poor Ballachrink ! " You sniffikin falla ! " 2
(You could ha' heard him up at Ballasalla)

"You blockit ! " he says ; "how dar' ye ! " he says ;
" Ger urro that ! " 3 and quivers the fist-

Aw, the chap made tracks-And-" I must, I must!
"
Says the Ballachrink, "or else I'll bust."

And he laughed and he laughed-and " Keep her so!
"
And-" Certainly ! but knowin', you know!

"

And the laugh-But it wasn' long before

The whole mob-beg 4 was outside of the door,
And no mistake, and " Hip Hooraa !

It's Captain Tom-where's ould Dadaa ? " s
Meanin' the Ballachrink-the fond

He was of the ehildher ; and-" Where was he gone ? "
And-" Hurroose ! " Aw, bless ye ! no respeck

At 6 these lumps of boys, aw, that's a fack !
But the Ballachrink begun to look queer,
And he gave a start, and he gave a stare ;
And Corteen's head clerk come in through the row,
And no mistake about it now-

And the Ballachrink gave a leap and a cry,
Aw, dear! but he made the pint-joughs 7 fly,
And his hair all on end, and his mouth all frothin'--
" Hugh ! " he said; but Hugh said nothin'-

" I'll go myself," he says, " this minute ;

r Pretending. 2 Insignificant fellow. 3 Get out of that.

4 Little mob; mob of boys. s Dad.

6 On the part of. 7 Ale mugs.

I'll know what raison is there in it ;
What right, what dacency, what sense !
Clear the road ! I'll go at once ! "

"Aw, stay where you are ! " says the clerk when a bone
Is picked, it's better to lave it alone" ;

He says, says the clerk-Aw, then the fury-
You never-Herod, King of Jewry,

With all his tantrims, couldn' touch him!

"Ruth ! I is he ? the dirty ould fool ! I'll ruck him ! "
And out in the lobby, but he didn' get no furdher-
" Here's ould Dadaa comin' ! murdher ! murdher ! "
The people began ; and he strooghed 2 his clothes
And studdied hisself agin the post,

And gave them a speech-aw, didn' he though ?
And this and that-and-He'd have them to know;
And-who was he ? and-a black disgrace,

And a shame and a scandal to the place;

And-" justice! " he says ; and-" We'll have it bynby ! '' 3
And-Captain Ton a ! he wouldn' deny-

But him to be captain of a schooner!
Did they thank he ever worked a lunar
f In his life, or heard of the lek ? not ham
And Captain Hugh that knew the trim
Of every craft that ever floated

And could work his distance; and noted, noted!
Noted! he said, for the navigation-

God bless me ! let every man keep to his station !
" Hooraa ! " says the people, " that's the stick !
Give it to them ! give it to them, Dick ! "

And a hiss in his ear-" That'll do! that'll do ! "
And turns-and there was Captain Hugh-
Like the thunder itself-and-" Draw these men
Some liquor! " he said to the woman; and then-
" Come ! " he says, and just like a stone-

The poor Ballachrink ! and liquor goin' !

But it wasn' no use-like a stone ! like a flint !
" Stand back the lot ! " and away they went.
And--"The childher ! aw, the childher though!
Aw, Hugh, good soul! " and-whither¢ or no

r Rich. 11 Stroked, straightened. 3 By and by. 4 Whether.

And-it wasn' his fault-now was it? was it?
"Aw, the childher ! aw, the little closet !

Aw, Hugh!" and-" You promised! yes 1 you did!
Aw, let me see the craythurs in bed! "

And cryin'-bless ye ! Wasn' Billy Fauldher
Sheltrin' behind a yawl there ?

And didn' he hear ? and fit to split-
But I'd be thinkin' it was rather a bit
Sorrowful lek-but all depandin' 1
And he wouldn' go on; and he kept him standin'
Agin the boat-and-" Do la ! 2 do ! "

"You're far too drunk to-night," says Hugh.
" No! no ! " he says ; "just look at me then
The sober I am is astonishin' ! "

And coaxed and coaxed, and--the careful he'd be !
Till at last the Captain said he'd see.

" In bed! in bed! aw, honour bright!"

Says the Ballachrink ; "All right! all right,"

Says Captain Hugh ; And you'll get theta to say
Their little prayers though anyway-

Yes ! yes ! aw, Hughie ! the little prayers !
Aw, whose is God list'nin' to, if it isn' theirs ?
Bless father and mother (the little birds!)
And Uncle Edward! isn' them the words?
Eh ? Hughie, eh ? - aw, the lovely things!
Like angels, lek tuckin' their little wings
Under their shirts, and the hands it's lekly 3
Goin' claspin' 4 there ! Aw, let's start directly
Come, Hughie ! " " The dhrunk ye are to be sure ! "
Says Hugh; and so they come to the door.

And they axed for a light, and it's up they'd go ;
But the mistress didn' half like it, ye know,
'Deed she didn'-and What sort of a state

Was that to be cousin', and couldn' they wait
Till the mornid-and the childherfast-
And it was reglar out of all order it was-
Yes ! And she did objeck, she did,

And they'd better take and be off to bed
Theirselves. And-" As for that sot," says she ;

1 Depending (on circumstances). 2 Interjection,

3 Likely. 4 Clasping,

"Aye, woman? Is it erluding to me

You are ? " says the Ballachrink, " now is it ?
Because, if a gentleman pays a visit

To his brother-in-law," he says, "he's expectin'
Quite a diffeiin' way of actin'-

Now look here!" he says, " I'll tell you what!
It's just the dirty temper you've got-

That's it ! the dirty temper-aye!
Aw, ye needn' begin to cry
You're the talk o' the town," he says, " with your tongue !
Capers ! " 1 he says ; " and you're not so young

But you might have some sense," he says, " with it too!

"

" Hould your jaw! " says Captain Hugh-

" The light! " he says ; " I mean to have it!
The light! the light ! " and the woman gave it ;
And the brat 2 to her face, and followed them there,
And sobbin' lek, and up the stair-

And freckened 3 of fire, and stood outside
The door--the soul ! and cried, and cried,
So these two divils in to the childher-
And a little boy, and a little gel there-
Aw, beautiful! as white as snow-

The very best of calico !

Bless ye ! there wasn' no houldin' 4 them chaps
And the little frills around their caps

And all-aw, they'd have it! aw, 'deed they would
They'd have it, and they'd have it good.

And three bedrooms there, and all with ceilin's !
Money! bless ye ! like priddba 5 peelin's !

Aw, square was square, and round was round,
And Castletown was Castletown

Them times-aw, it's there the money was made-
Hapes ! man ; hapes ! my word! the trade!

So the Ballachrink made a run and a dart,
And the little things wakened with a start-
And the big man there ! and his face as red!
And the hair goin' flyin' about his head!

1 Nonsense. 2 Apron. 3 Afraid.

4 They couldn't be held, or restrained. 5 Potato.

And slobberin', you know-but seein' the father-
Aw, he was for atin' them altogether,

Clane devourin'-" Aw, dear! the soft!

The lovely ! " he says-,, Hands off ! hands off ! "
Says Captain Hugh-" Aw, just a touch!

Aw, one little foot! aw, it isn' much! "

"No ! no ! " says Hugh; "Keep against that wall!"
The women, ye see, was tellin' all-

Knowt'n' ! God bless ye ! Peggy Shimmin !
What ar'n' they knowin' ? catch the women!

So the Ballachrink got quite,' they were sayin',
Humble lek, and didn' complain,

Nor nothin'-but " The little prayer," he says,
And the little hymn, and the little vess 2-
Blessed Jesus ! strong to save!"

Aye! but he promised he'd behave.
So then these little things was riss,3
And put on their knees agin the chiss ; 4
And " Our Father" they said though, very nice,
But rather trimblin' with their little vice ;

And then they rose the hymn-aw, dear!
Like little robin-redbreasts there-

Aw, the Ballachrink was done complate,
And he cried and cried most desperate,
Puttin' them out, you'll understand ;
And then these little mossels began,

And cried treminjus ; and the mother couldn' hould
Any longer, and she come in, poor soul!

And there was Ned, and the tears goin' splatch,
Like the rain is drippin' off the thatch

But Hugh was turned away, and he stood,
And his face was fixed on the risin' flood;
And a scran 5 of a moon hung dead in the south,
But never a word from either man's mouth,
But-" Jean myghin orrin, peccee hrie " 6-
The Ballachrink was groanin'-aye !

Lek you'd be know'n', if you could understand him,
' Quiet. 2 verse. s Raised.

4 Chest. ' Scrap (properly of a cheese).
6 Lord have mercy upon us, miserable sinners.-Litany.

For the Lord to have mercy lek upon him-

Just so-And " It's not much nzyghin 1 you'll get,
Says the sisther, and hushed the childher a bit-
" Myghin indeed!" But then she thought

He was her brother, and the ould spot,

And the times, you see, when they were young;
And she checked the anger on her tongue,

And she went and put her hand on his shouldher,
And she saw the man the way he looked ouldher
And broken lek, and " Look up! " she said,

" Look up man, Edward! be comforted!
And come down stairs with me, man, come!
And warm, and then you'll be goin' home!

"

" Aw, no! " he says, " I like this place-
There's a dale of pace,2 a dale of pace
Here," he says ; but she coaxed him though,
And coaxed, and got him persuaded to go,
And sat a bit, but didn' spake;

And then the woman got him to take
A basin of milk to steady him,

And took and led him across the strame,
And into the town and very quite,

And got the hoss, and home with him straight.
So you'll be thinkin' ? not a bit of it !

Bad blood ! bad blood ! and they couldn' get quit of it.
For whatever you might do or say,

You know what was Hugh, so that's the way.
Bad blood ! 1 tell you. And you'll aisy suppose
Whenever the Clyhs was showin' her nose-
Why, bless ye ! the very first trip that was arrer 3
Captain Hugh was waitin' for her

Aback o' Langlish ; 4 and the two of them,
The smack and the schooner in ballast trim ;
Aw, he gave her a dustin'-and raison he would,'
Just a dead beat at them all the road-

Aw, she could have given the schooner 'crase,6
Mortal slippy in her stays

Was yandhar smack-the Mona's Pride

I Mercy. 2 Peace. % At her, she had.

4 Langness. ' Good reason he should. '% Increase, start.

They were callin' her, and built at Boyd

The same as the Cly~s, but a dale more spring,
With the worked,r you know, and everything
Like shuttles runnin' ; but new or ould,

A smack with a schooner! bless my soul!
So it was allis racin' after that,

Racin', racin', for he wouldn' be beat

Blow high, blow low; come fire, come thunder,
Everything she could shiver under-
Sky-rakers, moon-scrapers-

And talk about them in the papers.

And he'd be hidin' there with his topsail low'rt 2
In Dreshwick somewhere, or under the Fort;
And Captain Tom'd be lyin' to,

To see would he go ahead, you know;
But the fo'sil'd be over like a shot,

And he'd wait; and it's wuss and wuss he got,
Stickin' to Captain Tom like a leech,

And they never come to no manner of speech
About it at all-Captain Tom would have lekt,3
But Hugh-well, now, you could hardly expect.

Then the Ballachrink got a notion, you see,
It was his duty to look after the family
When Hugh was away-aw, terrible big

And he'd come and he'd sit outside in the gig,

And call to the sisther ; and-for her to look smart-
And-this and that-and-" Bless my heart! "
And-" Look here!" and-did she understand
And-mind she wasn' extravagan'

And-" hould this hoss ! " and he'd have a look;
And-was she Pullin' everythin' in a book?
And in with him there; and piffin' and puffin',
And op'nin' the cupboard, and sniffin' and snuffin' ;
And-" Very well! " he'd say, '1 but you see

Of coorse your husband is lookin' to me ! "
And up the stair, and eyein' about him.
It's a wonder to me she didn' clout him ;

On account of having been worked so much.
Logs erect. 4 3 Liked.

But no ! she didn', but held the boss--
A patient craythur if ever there was.

One day he come, and spades and picks,

And the man-servant with him, and-They were goin' to fix
The garden, he said; and-what did they do

But took and divided the garden in two

With a lump of r a hedge ? so the women said-
Whatever ! " " I'll tell ye whatever," says Ned
The whatever-it's a sundherin',"

He said, "a separationin' !

Come now ! that's the whatever! " says he.
Says the women-" Where's your 'torrity ? " 2
'"Torrity ! " says Ned, 11 aw, dear !

Is it 'torrity ? " he says, 11 look here !

Whose writin' is that-eh ? Chapter and vess !
I think you'd better go in," he says.

And sure enough he had the letter

From Captain Hugh: so says he, "You'd better
Go in," says the Ballachrink, "and mind

Your business," he says ; and the women cryin',
But went; and the hedge was finished grand-
Seharatz'onin' ! bless the man !

So that's what Captain Hugh wanted,
And a fuss-rate job, and quicksets planted
By the time he come home-and the Ballachrink
To show him all; and-" See that sink!

"

He says, °' and the barrel there agen 3 it !
See the splendid brass tap that's in it

This side ! " he says, ~~ to share the water !

Aw, dear! " he says, `~ look at yandhar daughter
Of Captain Tom's," he says, "she's smilin' !
Imprince ! " he says ; but Hugh was silen'.

But the Ballachrink was cock of the walk,

And swellin' the breast, and workin' the talk-
And wheelin' the pipe, and pintin' to this,
And pintin' to that-and- It isn' amiss ! "
And-" Take that handle ! turn that tap !
Sherwood's best ! I wouldn' give a rap

r Good-sized. 2 Authority. 3 Against.

For your rubbidge," he says ; "just feel that movemen ! "
He says, "chut! a terrible improvemen'

Altogether, you know! aw, dear!"
And in to get a drop of beer.

And sure enough it was Annie they seen.
That was standin' there with Bella Corteen.
A grand-daughter of the owner's-aye !
Aw, a reglar lady ! but noways high--
Very gennal,1 aw, reglar frens ! 2

She's married to a pazon since-
Yes-and indeed it's smilin' she was
Was Annie; and she had a cause;
For she loved her uncle-the sort of a man
That women'd love, and not understand
What for were they lovin'-the deep, I suppose,

And the dark, and the strong-but, goodness knows !
An uncle anyway-and the poor little woman !
Smilin'-eh ? and Hughie comin' !

And 'deed he was ent'rin' on the door
That very minute, and happy thallure ; a
And out in the garden ; and gave a run,
And over the hedge like the shot of a gun,
Hardly mindin' the lek was in 4-

But the Ballachrink was noticin',

Watthin' there, cocked up in the windher ;

And he turns, and " Hulloah ! " and " Did ye see yandher ? "
He says to Hugh-" You'll jump it, will ye ?

Jumpin' ! jumpin', is it, my gillya ? 5
But for all the jumpin', if I was you,
I'd teach him" " Drop it! drop it!" says Hugh;
And he turned, and he looked at a picture though

Of the wife afore they were married, you know.
And he looked very long, and then he went
And kissed her there ; and then he leant

The head of him against the chimbley ;
And then the wife come, very thrimbly,
Very lovin' and gentle lek ;

And she put her arm around his neck ;

1 Kindly. z Friends.

Enough. a Noticing its existence. ' Lad.

And you could see by the way his shouldhers was hove
The terrible the strong man strove-

And never a word! never a word

But the woman was prayin' to the Lord

In her heart, poor soul ! fit enough to break-
Aw, bless them ! bless them ! bless the lek !
And the Ballachrink could only stare,

And got up, and took and left them there.

And the hedge-aw well, it was left to stand;
But what d'ye think these sweethearts planned ?
Hughie that schamed it-They tool. and sowed
A passil of plants that as soon as they groved

'd creep over the hedge, and mix the flowers-
And Hughie was settin' convolvolars,

And Annie was setting these-what's their name ?
Painted ladies ! aye, the same-

Like butterflies mostly-lovely things,
With their little curly catchy strings !
"So you see," says Hughie, "whatever there'll be,
These flowers'll be standin' for you and me ;

And they'll be twisted together," he says,
" And beathin' in one another's face.
And when I'm far away, little gel!

There they'll be whisp'rin' and snugglin' still,
Coortin' there till the mornin' light-

Aw, the hard it is to say good-night !

Aw, Annie-" But bless me! what am I at ?
Well-of coorse their talk would be sometbin' like that-
Just fancyin' lek-aw, I wouldn' say knowin' ;

But I'll be bail there was kisses goin'.
So when these flowers begun to grow,
They said you never seen the show !
Astonishin' the strenth ! like clover

And the hedge goin' cov'rin" over and over'.
And little Annie'd come and listen,

And settin' two of them a-kissin'-

And a notion at her 2 she heard them ringin',
Like a sort of a cling-a-ling-a-lingin',

Like a weddin', you know-and she'd take and kiss them
1 Getting covered. 2 In her mind.

Herself, the little bogh ! t and she'd bless them ;
And she'd coo upon them like a little dove,
And all in a wonderment of love-

Longin', you know-the little honey !

Aw, dear, the sweet they are and the funny
With their little ways-aw, they're very nice,
Aw, yes they are. But she heard a vice,
And who was there but poor ould Ned-
And-" This place is goin' to ruin," he said ;
" It's altogether goin' to ruin-

What's these painted ladies 2 doin' ?

I see ! " he says-" from the other side !

I'll larn ye," he says, " I'll tame your pride !
I'll make you know your place, ye trash ! "
And out with the knife, and he gave a slash-
And-" Uncle! uncle! "-poor little Annie!

°` Aw, don't then ! don't then!" "Don't! your grannie !
Says the Ballachrink-" I've a very great mind "-

" Aw, uncle, be kind! aw, uncle, be kind!
Lave them, uncle! lave them ; will ye ? "-
"Very like a trespass, I can tell ye "-
Says the Ballachrink-" indeed it is ! "
But, however, he'd consider the case;

But didn' do nothin' just puffin' and blowin'--
And so the flowers was left alone.

It was maybe a twelvemonth after that
Captain Hugh come in with a flat

That he took in tow-I forget her name-
And everybody praisin' him.

But the people said he was terrible queer,
Heavier and silenter

Till 3 ever, they said ; and takin' no joy
Of anythin' ; and the light in his eye
Like a turf, like smouldhrin' in a pit;
And there's plenty said he wasn' fit
To be in charge of a vessel at all ;
But howsomedever they hadn' no call,
And it wasn' no business of theirs-but still
Somebody oiTht to be 'sponsible.

r Poor (little thing). 2 Sweet peas. S Than.

So the very next tide he was settin- sail
For Liverpool; and Billy Quayle,

That was used to work for him, took to his bed ;
He didn' like his looks, he said-

Just 'scusin' ; and, behould ye, though,
The Ballachrink took a notion to go-
Knowin' about a vessel ? not a cent !
But took a notion, and off he went.

And the son, young Hughie, was servin' mate,
just the three : and, of coorse, the consate
Of the Ballachrink-and criticisin'

Terr'ble, you know, and the big advisin',
And all to that-but you know the man,
Cacklin' there like an ould hen

All the way-and a beautiful scamper
Before the wind ; and the best o' temper
Comin' up the river; and the way he was drast,t
And the style altogether-there was people ast 2
" Who's your passenger ? " 'deed they done,3
And the 'spectable-astonishin' !

That's what they were sayin' comin' up the river-
Aw, a credit to any vessel whatever !

Just like a Pazon-aw, the coat as black,
And his hands in the tails behind his back
As tight-and the sate of his trousis showin'
The tasty, every step he was goin'-

For the thieves you know, bein' warned that way-
Aw, bless ye, whatever ye may say,

The biggest man on the Prince's pier
And Maddharell's and everywhere
Aw, the Ballachrink was the man that could--
Aw ! bless ye ! it was in the blood!

I was over there myself that time,
just a running job with a cargo of lime
For Jefferson's; and the Clyls was moored
Alongside of us ; so I jumps aboard,

And axed them were they wantin' a man,
And glad enough of an extra hand,

So ships like a shot, and out of the basin

1 Dressed. 2 Asked. 3 Did.

That tide-and the schooner, the trim for racin'
She was in ! but never a notion arr I us

That Captain Hugh was waitin' for us
just outside the Bell bwee ; 2

But, however, there he was, you see;
And every stitch, and more prepar'd,
And riggin' out a stunsil yard

Like a fishin'-rod goin' slingin' across ;

But, bless me, the deep in the water she was!
" She'll never carry that canvas," says I
Didn' I see her high and dry

In the harbour only a week afore,

And noticin' the strained and the wore
She was in the bottom-and natheral--
Nothin' done to the boat at all

For years-and whatever was he at!
Draggin', draggin' her like that!

So he got the wind of us, you know;
"Let's give him a bate!" 3 says Billy Crow,
That was at the helm-" let's give him pepper!

"

" Aisy ! aisy ! " says the skipper;

~° Aisy," says Captain Tom, "my lad!
Just keep an eye on him," he said.
Then says Billy-" He started sooner "--
" Silence ! silence aboard this schooner ! "
Says Captain Tom ; and a look at the clouds,
And twists his arm in the weather shrouds ;
And keeps his glass on the Mona's Pride-

Silence ! " terrible dignified !
Aw, he could be that, for all
The hearty he was in general.

So on we went, but keepin' a view of them,
And maybe a mile betwix' the two of them.
How was the wind? A leadin' wind,

And very little of it to begin-
Hardly a list to it,4 bless your sowl-
But about mid-channel a long dead rowl

i At us, in our minds. 2 Buoy. 3 Heat, race.
a Hardly enough to make her lie over.

Come up from the South ; and far away
A white mist creepin' over the say,
Creepin', creepin', the dirty thief,
Creepin'-" All hands stand by to reef!

"

Says Captain Tom ; and reef we did-

Get out your storm-jib ! quick ! " he said--
All right! and then by gough it come

With a rip and a roar, and a hiss and a hum-
Bizzz-and the schooner lept her lenth,

And if there'd been another brenth 1
Of canvas out, it isn' here

I'd ha' been to tell ye, never fear !
Rip-rip-rip-you know the scranch 2 of it,
And into the hatches, every inch of it !
But come to her bearin's beautiful,

And shakes herself, and away like a gull.
And what was the Mona's Pride about ?
Anythin' off her ? not a clout !

Every stitch-and the green-seas flyin'
Over her cross-trees, and never a sign
To shorten sail ; but-on you go
Slash her through it ! keep her so !
And us that was sailin' as light as light,
And humourin', and only right;

And Captain Hugh with his broadside to't,
Reglar buryin' the boat.

" Well, that's no sailin' ! " says Dicky Homm,
That was mate o' the Clyhs; but Captain Tom
Kep' his eye upon her strick,3

For the free she was sailed she was bearin' quick
Upon us, you know, as if she meant

To overhaul us, and make a slant
Across our bows ; and every man
On the schooner with a coil in his hand,
For any minute they were knowin'

The smack might foundher like a stone.
And Hughie was tellin' us, you know,
That the Captain tould him to go below.

z Breadth. 2 Onomatopoetic. 3 Strictly.

Father ! father ! " says the son,

" Take somethin' off her, or we'll be done !

For God's sake, father! "-and he made a spring
To the weather halyards-" Touch a thing,"
Says Captain Hugh, "and I'll strike you dead!
You coward! say your prayers," he said.

" Look here! look here! " says the Ballachrink ;
" If you'll go on like that, she's bound to sink !
You're mad! " he said, and outs with his knife-
" Villyan ! villyan ! ! for your life,"

Says the Captain-" Villyan ! " and struck him full,
And down on the combin's 1 like a bull-

And a lurch and a rowl, and a shake and a shiver,
And the Ballachrink was gone for ever.

" Father ! father ! you've murdered him ! "
And he looked, but the Captain's eye was dim,
Like wakin' from sleep, and he gave a yawn,
And-" Hulloah ! " he says, " hulloah ! that's one!

"

Then Hughie drew a long long breath,
And gripped him there for life or death-
The despard 2 grip ; and the tiller dropt,
And the smack flew up, and the fo'sail flopt,
And took aback immadient,

And all sheets fast, and down she went.

" Stand by! " says Captain Tom, " stand by!
Listen if you'll hear a cry

Look out ! " he says; and it wasn' long
Afore we saw Hughie swimmin' strong,
And heaves him a line, and hauls him in
Like a shot, and-" Where's your father, then ? "
Says the Captain, but Hughie couldn' spake ;

And the whole of us strainin' our eyes on the wake.
But Billy Crow that seen him fuss,3

Driftin' right under our stern he was,
Driftin' lyin' on his back-

" About ! about on the other tack ! "
Says Captain Tom, and heaves a rope
But be didn' look at it-" More scope ! more scope ! "'
Says the chaps, '° Hould on! my gough ! you'll lose him
1 Covering of the hatch. 2 Desperate. 3 First. 4 Line.

Noose him ! Captain, noose him ! noose him ! "
And the noose went flyin' over his head-

" Studdy ! studdy ! " the Captain said.

But he turned on his face, and he slipped his neck-
For God's sake, Hugh ! for Esther's sake ! "

" Father, father! " says Hughie, " try! "

Then the two clenched fists went up to the sky-
" Never! " he says ; and a big sea tore

Right over him with a race and a roar
Like a thousand guns, and just a minute
We saw the black head wrigglin' in it
And round and round-aw, it's thrue ! it's thrue !
And that was the last of Captain Hugh.

Aw, it's an ugly job to be comin'
Home with news like that to a woman
And the way she'll look, and the way she'll sob-
Aw, bless my heart! it's an ugly job-

And the childher wondrin', and no help in for it,
And questions axin'-aw, it's horrit !

And poor Annie, you know, and the fond she was
Of uncle Hugh ; but lost is lost,

And that's a fact, and, do what you will,

The world must go on, and it's good and it's ill-
So married the chap, and what'd prevent her ?
Married him that very winter-

Aye-and a nice little lump of jink-
Wasn' she heiress to the Ballachrink ?
Aw, a beautiful proppity,

And no mistake, and so you see-

But of coorse-and love it was ! aw, yes !
But still whatever was hers was his-
Aw, married-and the very weddin' day
Yandhar hedge was took away-

And the place where it stood they put a row
Of lilies, crocusars, you know,
Polyanthers-and every thing

That's comin' up early in the spring
Makin' a garden very bright-
And so I think I'll say good-night.