[By G. W. M. REYNOLDS in Pickwick Abroad].
I
I ne'er was a nose, for the reg'lars came [1]
Whenever a pannie was done:— [2]
Oh! who would chirp to dishonour his name,
And betrays his pals in a nibsome game [3]
To the traps?—Not I for one! [4]
Let nobs in the fur trade hold their jaw, [5]
And let the jug be free:— [6]
Let Davy's dust and a well-faked claw [7]
For fancy coves be the only law, [8]
And a double-tongued squib to keep in awe [9]
The chaps that flout at me!
II
From morn till night we'll booze a ken, [10]
And we'll pass the bingo round; [11]
At dusk we'll make our lucky, and then, [12]
With our nags so fresh, and our merry men,
We'll scour the lonely ground.
And if the swell resist our "Stand!"
We'll squib without a joke; [13]
For I'm snigger'd if we will be trepanned [14]
By the blarneying jaw of a knowing hand,
And thus be lagged to a foreign land,
Or die by an artichoke. [15]
III
But should the traps be on the sly,
For a change we'll have a crack; [16]
The richest cribs shall our wants supply— [17]
Or we'll knap a fogle with fingers fly, [18]
When the swell one turns his back. [19]
The flimsies we can smash as well, [20]
Or a ticker deftly prig:— [21]
But if ever a pal in limbo fell, [22]
He'd sooner be scragg'd at once than tell; [23]
Though the hum-box patterer talked of hell, [24]
And the beak wore his nattiest wig. [25]
[1: police spy; share of the booty] [2: house was burgled] [3: gentlemanly] [4: police-officers] [5: Old Bailey pleaders] [6: prison] [7: gunpowder, hand dextrous at thieving] [8: thieves] [9: double-barrelled gun] [10: drink freely] [11: brandy] [12: depart] [13: fire] [14: transported] [15: hanging [hearty choke] [16: burglary] [17: houses] [18: steal; handkerchief] [19: skilful] [20: pass false notes] [21: watch] [22: prison] [24: parson] [25: magistrate; handsomest]
"THE FAKING BOY TO THE CRAP IS GONE" [Notes] [1841]
[By BON GAULTIER in Tait's Edinburgh Magazine].