"THREE FISHERS."
Three fishers went fishing North-east and North-west
(Like the trio from Kingsley familiarly known).
Each thought himself, doubtless, the bravest and best,
And held the good "swims" should be mainly his own.
There was Johnny the Briton, and François the Frank,
And Jonathan also, the artful young Yank,
An expert at "bouncing" and "boning."
And François the Frank, who went fishing for cod,
Nicked lobsters as well, and he stuck to them too;
He declared they were all the same thing, which seemed odd,
The result being anger and hullaballoo,
And rows about Bounties, and shines about Bait;
For ructions all round are as certain as fate,
When parties go "bouncing" and "boning."
And Jonathan, well, he went fishing for seals,
And he wanted the fishing grounds all to himself.
When the Russ had done ditto, the Yank had raised squeals
(How consistency's floored in the struggle for pelf!)
And Jonathan took a most high-handed course;
For greediness mostly falls back on brute force,
When parties go "bouncing" and "boning."
And Johnny the Briton, a sturdy old salt,
Had been a sea-grabber himself in his time;
Some held that monopoly still was his fault,
Others swore that his modesty verged upon crime,
Nor is it quite easy to say which was true,
For so much depends on a man's point of view,
When parties go "bouncing" and "boning."
But when Johnny the Briton caught sight of the Frank
Making tracks with a lobster—the whoppingest one—
And when he perceived the impertinent Yank
With the seal—such a spanker!—skedaddling like fun,
He stood and he shouted, "Stop thief! Hi! Hold hard!"
For language does not always "go by the card,"
When parties go "bouncing" and "boning."
"Now then, you sea-grabbers," he bellowed, "Belay!
I suppose you imagine I'm out of it quite.
But you're not going to have it just all your own way.
Fair dues! my dear boys. After all, right is right!
Big Behring is no mare clausum, young Yank,
And cold Newfoundland is not yours, my fine Frank,
In spite of your 'bouncing' and 'boning.'"
Well, he of the Lobster and he of the Seal
Have rights of their own, which old John won't deny.
But he has some too, and Punch hopes they will feel
That they should not grab his, and had better not try.
Some modus vivendi no doubt can be found,
To make the Three Fishers quite friendly all round,
And good-bye to all "bouncing" and "boning!"
