He sobbed as if his heart would break;

Then, as his lonely terror grew,

Down in the boat himself he threw,

And passionately for comfort pressed

The kind white kitten to his breast.

Through the thin plank his hand could feel

The little eddies clutch the keel;

Lost and alone, lost and alone,

He heard the long wave hiss and moan,

He heard the wild ebb seethe and mourn