Arthur and Elsie every day
Learned their geography,
And after lessons loved to play
At sending ships to sea.
They used, instead of little boats,
A thing that does as well,
A vessel that securely floats—
An empty walnut shell.
No wonder that this little pair
Would oft indulge the notion
That walnut shells real vessels were,
And washing-tubs the ocean.
And often when they were in bed
Their brains began to teem,
Until upon this wondrous voyage
They started in a dream.
For mast and sail to stand the gale
They chose a pretty feather;
The walnut shell rode monstrous well
Through very boisterous weather.
They had no meat or bread to eat,
And not a drop of tea;
They thought fried fish to meet their wish
Would follow in their lee.
Their ship flew fast before the blast;
They reached the arctic snow.
"Hurrah for ice!"
They cried; "it's nice,
Although the north wind blows.
For here a seal
Provides a meal,
Our coats, our hats, our hose."
At last they thought they might arrange
A very comfortable change.
"Hurrah!" cried Arthur; "off we go;
We'll run down to the Hoang-Ho."
And on they went where might be seen
All sorts of tea, both black and green,
And figures like a Chinese screen,
Pagodas, chopsticks, tails,
Umbrellas, junks, and tiny shoes,
And they were carried on bamboos,
By men whose shoulders feel no bruise,
Across the hills and dales.
One day a condor seized the shell,
The little travellers as well,
And flew with speed terrific
Toward an island in the sea,
Which Arthur said was sure to be
(I said they knew geography)
Somewhere in the Pacific.
A cheap excursion, was it not,
To such a very charming spot
That seemed quite free from dangers?
For there they lived a life of ease,
Whilst apes politely climbed the trees
For nuts to give the strangers.
Then sailing on some thousand miles,
Where spices scent the breeze,
They passed among the coral isles
That crowd the Southern seas.