The Stoker.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 23, 11 August 1911, Page 3

The Stoker.

By JACK DESMOND. (For "The Maoriland Worker.") I. -- ' Yes, I follow up the sea, sir, but not • -sS,before the mast; , T know nothin' o' the compass or hoiy : the lead is east; The Avheel to me's a mystery, and at steerin' I'm a dunce, And as for reefin' tops'ls—well, I only done it once. 11, Dead reckonin's I've heard about, but that's all Greek to mc, And as fortakiii' o' the sun, at din-ner-time J see The skipper ivith his sextan' a-bring-in' things down fine, But it beats mc all to pieces, I fairly will opine. 111. Down- thro' them hot, dark gratin's, that's Avhere I do my bit A-bangiu' on the coal, sir, to send along the ship ; She carries 160 on the steam-gauge, you can see. If you just step down the ladder and come along avi' mc. IV. Look out! the ladder's pretty hot, her's a han'-rag for your han' ; Just catch the ladder Avi' it, . r . .' . "Nco, then shake her oop, mj' man, "She's dropped five poun's, sac Avalk her oop, Aye maun get in the day, "For the owners they expec' vs —the tide's Avi' us all the Avay." V."' Aye, that's the chief, he's bustlin', the • engine is his god; • He likes to hear the tell-tale click to the tune of 80 odd, And as the cranks go birlin' roun' Avhen -the throttle's opened out, He's gay as any Scot can be — for Scotch he is no. doubt. . VI - There's the fire's in a roAv, sir; by gosh, they're -ro-arin' loud; That's-the draught goin' thro' the copper tubes and up the uptakes Avide. • Yes, this is Avhere the Avork is done; no play down here, you bet; She's a glutton for Black Diamonds — scoffs all she can get. VII. There's Dublin lorn a-firm' now; lor! don't he bang it in ! Look lioav the sAveat runs down his chi'v —that's lioav Aye earn our tin. See the roarin' % Avhrte-hot furnace — there he stands right up 'longside, As he springs upon his long slice, burstiii' clinkers thick an' Avide. VIII. That felloAV withe bunker lamp is trimmer o' the Avaioli, He's passing coal from the reserve — under the after hatch. No fun that, I can tell you, when- th# damper's opened. Avide, And "revolutions" is the Avord you he«r on every side. -' IX. The heat down here is killin', a stoker don't last long; A very foAv years break him up, no matter young or strong ; In the Red Sea it is murder, and the Persian Gulf as aatoll ; But a man must work to Ha'C, sir, CA'eu in this Ha-in' hell. N. The blokes ,that avrites the stories air* the songs about the Avave, Kiioav nothin' of a stoke-hole or a stoker's early grave; They sing o' Jack the Sailor, but the stoker he's forgot— *";. » .. \He sAveats an' toils'in darkness—aye, forgotten is his lot. XI. We'd better get on -deck again, the . chief is in the pass, He's" put-tin' on the extra feed, by the *. Avater in the glass ; He'll catch this tide or burst her—lox! lioav she "sends" along! 'No vtime - for us in' sweat-rags, before the "stand-by" gong. Greymouth. JACK DESMOND.