"COME ABOARD, SIR!"
"Come aboard, Sir!" to the Captain
Says John Bright, A.B,
As he touches his tarpaulin,
Smart and sailorly.
And the watch look pleased as Punches,
Officers and men,
For A.B.'s like John are always
Welcome back again!
Over deck, and spars, and rigging
John he slues his eye;
Gives a seaman's squint to leeward,
Scanning sea and sky;
At the binnacle he glances,
Notes the course she steers;
Nought on board or in the offing,
Scapes his eyes and ears.
For the ship has seen hard weather,
And some people say; Captain Gladstone ain't the man he
Was the other day:
And if you believe the croakers,
Officers and crew,
Don't pull with a will together,
As they used to do.
Certain 'tis, since John Bright left her,
His sick leave to take,
The old craft, in last year's cruising,
Had an ugly shake.
Made poor day's-works, too much lee-way;
Badly fouled her screw:
Scraped her copper, if she didn't
Start a plate or two.
Certain 'tis, with crew and captain,
Officers also,
Things don't go on quite as pleasant
As they used to go.
There's been some high-handed doings,
Some quite the reverse;
Some's took sick, and some's took sulky;
Some took soft, or worse.
There's sea-lawyers—donkey-engines
Can't their slack haul in;
You may stop their grog, you'll never
Stop the yarns they spin:
There's your discontented beggars,
Nothing e'er can please;
There's your pennywise 'uns, nibbling
At the dips and cheese.
There's your mutineers, for mischief
Ripe 'gainst flag and Crown;
Never pleased unless they're turning
'Tween-decks upside down.
There's your Queen's bad bargains, shirking
Work, whoever strain:
Trimmers Cox's traverse working—
"There and back again."
Green-hands, as can't fudge a reckoning,
Of a watch in charge;
Looking after the Britannia,
And can't steer a barge!
For the Captain has his fancies—
When he's picked a man
For a job, whoe'er can't do it,
He's the chap as can.
Anyway the ship's the better
By a good A.B.,
Now John Bright is all a-taunto,
And come back to sea.
Be't to talk to the blue-jackets
Like a 'cute old salt;
Con the ship, or call the soundings,
Hide or slang a fault—
On the yardarm, big guns blowing,
Weather ear-ring take;
With bright yarns, to keep the watches
Spry and wide-awake;
So as to give cyclones the go-by,
Safest course to steer;
Canvas when to spread, when shorten,
With a lee-shore near—
No A.B. in the Britannia
Better knows than John:
Which let's hope that Captain G. will
Take his advice thereon.
Well we know that now John's buckled
To his work again,
'Twill for officers be better,
And for ship and men!
