And all the men drank it to steady their nerve,
For Twilley had told them that wine would preserve
The courage of man where there’s danger to face,
And the women all ate, as they cried ’round the place.
For women eat more when they feel they’re in trouble,
And men not so much, but they drink about double.
True, ’tis better in flood times to keep duly sober,
Like Noah of old did—the flood was all over
When he was so drunken—for he understood
(After being forewarned) how to handle a flood,