THE BATTLE IN THE CHANNEL.

Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 537, 29 September 1871, Page 2

THE BATTLE IN THE CHANNEL.

THE MMiOBBWIKftt OF A JACK I served as gunner's mate When I was twenty-eight, That's fifty anno dominis ago *ws fi And our .hip which was TheSpankw Were a ruling at her anchor ' i One Sunday night in August you mus! I were chewing of a quid ,\ °*" Which i ordimry did « -Did suddenly exclaim • / And his examination 'were '• Blow me L , ,„ Says he, "My jolly mates , "W This here Lloyd's paper states, Whereupon", we tars in spite" German f«tineer3 n ; Of its btsin' .Sunday night p Wood up and gave three hearty British ch Mrs "".*"*•■ J Well, we sailed away to meet This famous German fleet Consarnin' which there'd been no end n r • For m .six weeks they had planned °f ]a* And built, and launched, and marine The finest fleet a nation ever saw We had cruised about on Sunday i But about six bells on Monday When, as smooth as any mirro- wa< fv, JRight out on the horison, th 9 water; Eose a cloud as black as pison • 'Twas the foe asteaming down upon our™.* 'Twas all as still xs death, There was not a single breath, But ouv Adm'ial wore a smile UDon V,!. v. The foe. was on cur larbord, P w* cke elc : But right away cut starboard SVas a werry little tiny narrow streak; A cuckling werrj sly, | And a winkling cf his eye, Our Admiial give orders for to run • And the enemy gare chase, ' Tor the German;, as a race Ilave a preference for fighting ten to one. At seven we felt a whif; At eight it blowd right stiff ■ At nine it wasblowing half a gale • But at ten the Wives ran higher ' Than St. Paul's (athedral spire And my language to describe'the game do fail We kept a 'lectri: light A burning all tht night • But on Tuesda- in the morning about three My gunner up ad spoke Dree> " Darn me if anysmoke Is a coming f roti their chimney pot g/' h( . Just then we heeil a shout, And our Admirahang out— *" Send the sisrnst un to wpar «],™ i . , Then fore and aftre k»j ab°ut> and clo« '■" To his post stood very ma n • And louder tha, the storm our cheers arose. We neared them nd took aim And the word to Ire came ; ' And our volley !O wn the line of battle roared But the Germansmswered not— luar""» Not a so'itary sht, But her ensigiflutteretl do\vn by the board. We was speec'.iiss pretty nigh, As we couidn'taake out why Theclmck gft' hey Sh°Uld S° qUi °kly up>ard« Till Bismarck ts esp'ed Haugin' pallid 'er the side, And Moltke tting down beside a bucket. All their gunnes, all their stokers, Lay as flat as kbhen pokers, All a-groanin from the bottom of their soulFor all their preious crew, - ' Unaccustoiner o the blue, Invalided reen the ships began to roll. And thus theattle ended, And the broki peace was mended, And Willia; wlien at last he ceased to be Died a saddemid a wiser A more circuispect old kaispr, And a membeof the Peace Societtee. — London Society, aly.