COMRADES.

In every home in England you will find their wistful faces,

Where, weary of adventure, lying lonely by the fire,

Untempted by the sunlight and the call of open spaces,

They are listening, listening, listening for the step of their desire.

And, watching, we remember all the tried and never failing,

The good ones and the game ones that have run the years at heel;

Old Scamp that killed the badger single-handed by the railing,

And Fan, the champion ratter, with her fifty off the reel.

The bitches under Ranksboro' with hackles up for slaughter,

The otter hounds on Irfon as they part the alder bowers,

The tufters drawing to their stag above the Horner Water,

The setters on Ben Lomond when the purple heather flowers.

The collie climbing Cheviot to head his hill sheep stringing,

The Dandie digging to his fox among the Lakeside scars,

The Clumber in the marshes when the evening flight is winging

And the wild geese coming over through the rose light and the stars.

And my heart goes out in pity to each faithful one that's fretting

Day by day in cot or castle with his dim eyes on the door.

In his dreams he hunts with sorrow. And for us there's no forgetting

That he helped our love of England and he hardened us for war.

W.H.O.

When MOSES fought with AMALEK in days of long ago,

And slew him for the glory of the Lord,

'Is longest range artill'ry was an arrow and a bow,

And 'is small arms was a barrel-lid and sword;

But to-day 'e would 'ave done 'em in with gas,

Or blowed 'em up with just a mine or so,

Then broken up their ranks by advancing with 'is tanks,

And started 'ome to draw his D.S.O.

When ST. GEORGE 'e went a-ridin' all naked through the lands—

You can see 'im on the back of 'arf-a-quid—

'E spiked the fiery dragon with a spear in both 'is 'ands,

But to-day, if 'e 'd to do what then he did,

'E 'd roll up easy in an armoured car,

'E 'd loose off a little Lewis gun,

Then 'e 'd 'oist the scaly dragon upon a G.S. wagon

And cart 'im 'ome to show the job was done.

Then there weren't no airyplanes and there weren't no bombs and guns;

You just biffed the opposition on the 'ead.

If the world could take all weapons from the British and the 'Uns,

Could scrap the steel, the copper and the lead;

If we fought it out with pick-'andles and fists,

If the good old times would only come agin,

When there weren't no dirty trenches with their rats and lice and stenches,

Why, a month 'ud see us whoopin' through Berlin!