An' the rookies set and sweated in the sun.
The transport Gen'ral Ferguson, she loafed around awhile,
An' the rookies they was soldier boys by now,
For it don't take long to teach 'em—where the Tagal lead can reach 'em—
All about the which and why and when and how.
The transport Gen'ral Ferguson, she headed home again,
With a thousand heavy coffins in her hold;
They were soldered up and stenciled, they were numbered and blue penciled,—
And the rookies lay inside 'em stiff and cold.
The transport Gen'ral Ferguson, she reached the Golden Gate,