The Yarn of the "Nancy Bell" 2109 Good luck, good luck, to Jenny and Joe! "O, merry, merry, merry are we, "O happy, happy, happy is life For Joe (that's me) and Jenny my wife! "O jolly, jolly, jolly we go, I and my Jenny, and she and her Joe. James Carnegie [1827-1905] THE YARN OF THE "NANCY BELL" "TWAS on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man. His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, And he shook his fists and he tore his hair, Till I really felt afraid, For I couldn't help thinking the man had been drinking, And so I simply said: "Oh, elderly man, it's little I know "At once a cook, and a captain bold, Then he gave a hitch to his trousers, which And having got rid of a thumping quid, ""Twas in the good ship Nancy Bell That we sailed to the Indian Sea, And there on a reef we come to grief, "And pretty nigh all o' the crew was drowned (There was seventy-seven o' soul), And only ten of the Nancy's men Said 'Here!' to the muster-roll. "There was me, and the cook, and the captain bold, And the bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, "For a month we'd neither wittles nor drink, Till a-hungry we did feel, So we drawed a lot, and, accordin', shot The captain for our meal. The Yarn of the "Nancy Bell " 21II "The next lot fell to the Nancy's mate, And a delicate dish he made; "And then we murdered the bo'sun tight, Then we wittled free, did the cook and me, "Then only the cook and me was left, And the delicate question, 'Which Of us two goes to the kettle?' arose, And we argued it out as sich. "For I loved that cook as a brother, I did, But we'd both be blowed if we'd either be stowed "I'll be eat if you dines off me,' says Tom. "Says he: 'Dear James, to murder me For don't you see that you can't cook me, "So he boils the water, and takes the salt And the pepper in portions true (Which he never forgot), and some chopped shalot, And some sage and parsley too. "Come here,' says he, with a proper pride, Which his smiling features tell, "Twill soothing be if I let you see How extremely nice you'll smell.' "And he stirred it round and round and round, And he sniffed at the foaming froth; When I ups with his heels, and smothers his squeals In the scum of the boiling broth. "And I eat that cook in a week or less, The last of his chops, why, I almost drops, "And I never larf, and I never smile, "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold William Schwenck Gilbert [1836–1911] CAPTAIN REECE Of all the ships upon the blue, He was adored by all his men, If ever they were dull or sad, Their captain danced to them like mad, A feather-bed had every man, A valet, too, to every four. Captain Reece Did they with thirst in summer burn, And on all very sultry days Cream ices handed round on trays. Then currant wine and ginger pops New volumes came across the sea Kind-hearted Captain Reece, R. N., One summer eve, at half past ten, "By any reasonable plan I'll make you happy if I can; My own convenience count as nil; Then up and answered William Lee "You have a daughter, Captain Reece, 2113 |