And led off the game with a miss into baulk.
But his sable opponent then smirked a queer smirk,
And flourished his cue as he’d flourish a dirk,
Put his ball in the D, and aimed right at the red;
And with such awful twist on his flying ball sped,
That it screwed into baulk in the right corner pocket;
As a ruby gleam flashed from the Stranger’s black locket,
Then he got “on the spot” and made three thousand hazards;
Whilst the audience stared as if knocked on the mazzards;
Then made scores of cannons—the kind known as “nursery”—