Paycouldn’t’oldmewhenmytimewasdone，Forsomethinginmy’eadupsetmeall，TillI’addroppedwhatever’twasforgood，An’，outatsea，be’eldthedock—lightsdie，An’metmymate——thewindthattrampstheworld！
It’slikeabook，Ithink，thisbloomin’world，Whichyoucanreadandcareforjustsolong，ButpresentlyyoufeelthatyouwilldieUnlessyougetthepageyou’rereadin’done，An’turnanother——likelynotsogood;
Butwhatyou’reafteristoturn’emall。
Gawdblessthisworld！Whatevershe’athdone——
Excep’whenawfullong——I’vefounditgood。
Sowrite，beforeIdie，\"’Elikeditall！\"
BARRACK—ROOMBALLADS
When’Omersmote’isbloomin’lyre，He’d’eardmensingbylandan’sea;
An’whathethought’emightrequire，’Ewentan’took——thesameasme！
Themarket—girlsan’fishermen，Theshepherdsan’thesailors，too，They’eardoldsongsturnupagain，Butkep’itquiet——sameasyou！
Theyknew’estole;’eknewtheyknowed。
Theydidn’ttell，normakeafuss，Butwinkedat’Omerdowntheroad，An’’ewinkedback——thesameasus！
\"BACKTOTHEARMYAGAIN\"
I’m’ereinatickyulsteran’abrokenbillycock’at，A—layin’ontothesergeantIdon’tknowagunfromabat;
Myshirt’sdoin’dutyforjacket，mysock’sstickin’outo’myboots，An’I’mlearnin’thedamnedoldgoose—stepalongo’thenewrecruits！
BacktotheArmyagain，sergeant，BacktotheArmyagain。
Don’tlookso’ard，forI’aven’tnocard，I’mbacktotheArmyagain！
Idonemysixyears’service。’ErMajestysez：\"Good—day——
You’llpleasetocomewhenyou’rerungfor，an’’ere’syour’oleback—pay;
An’fourpenceadayforbaccy——an’bloomin’gen’rous，too;
An’nowyoucanmakeyourfortune——thesameasyourorf’cersdo。\"
BacktotheArmyagain，sergeant，BacktotheArmyagain;
’OwdidIlearntodoright—aboutturn？
I’mbacktotheArmyagain！
Amano’four—an’—twentythat’asn’tlearnedofatrade——
Beside\"Reserve\"agin’him——’e’dbetterbenevermade。
Itriedmyluckforaquarter，an’thatwasenoughforme，An’Ithoughtof’ErMajesty’sbarricks，an’IthoughtI’dgoan’see。
BacktotheArmyagain，sergeant，BacktotheArmyagain;
’Tisn’tmyfaultifIdresswhenI’alt——
I’mbacktotheArmyagain！
Thesergeantarstnoquestions，but’ewinkedtheothereye，’Eseztome，\"’Shun！\"an’Ishunted，thesameasindaysgoneby;
For’esawtheseto’myshoulders，an’Icouldn’t’elp’oldin’straightWhenmean’theotherrookiescomeunderthebarrick—gate。
BacktotheArmyagain，sergeant，BacktotheArmyagain;
’Oowouldha’thoughtIcouldcarryan’port？
I’mbacktotheArmyagain！
Itookmybath，an’Iwallered——for，Gawd，Ineededitso！
Ismeltthesmello’thebarricks，I’eardthebuglesgo。
I’eardthefeetonthegravel——thefeeto’themenwhatdrill——
An’Iseztomyflutterin’’eart—strings，Isezto’em，\"Peace，bestill！\"
BacktotheArmyagain，sergeant，BacktotheArmyagain;
’OosaidIknewwhenthe~Jumner~wasdue？
I’mbacktotheArmyagain！
Icarriedmyslopstothetailor;Isezto’im，\"Noneo’yourlip！
Youtight’emovertheshoulders，an’loose’emoverthe’ip，Fortheseto’thetunic’s’orrid。\"An’’eseztome，\"Strikemedead，ButIthoughtyouwasusedtothebusiness！\"an’so’edonewhatIsaid。
BacktotheArmyagain，sergeant，BacktotheArmyagain。
Rathertoofreewithmyfancies？Wot——me？
I’mbacktotheArmyagain！
NextweekI’ll’ave’emfitted;I’llbuymeaswagger—cane;
They’llletmefreeo’thebarrickstowalkontheHoeagainInthenameo’WilliamParsons，thatusedtobeEdwardClay，An’——anyporebeggarthatwantsitcandrawmyfourpenceaday！
BacktotheArmyagain，sergeant，BacktotheArmyagain：
Outo’thecoldan’therain，sergeant，Outo’thecoldan’therain。
’Oo’sthere？
Amanthat’stoogoodtobelostyou，Amanthatis’andledan’made——
Amanthatwillpaywhat’ecostyouInlearnin’theotherstheirtrade——parade！
You’redroppin’thepicko’theArmyBecauseyoudon’t’elp’emremain，Butdrives’emtocheattogetouto’thestreetAn’backtotheArmyagain！
\"BIRDSOFPREY\"MARCH
March！Themudiscakin’goodaboutourtrousies。
Front！——eyesfront，an’watchtheColour—casin’sdrip。
Front！Thefacesofthewomeninthe’ousesAin’tthekindo’thingstotakeaboardtheship。
Cheer！An’we’llnevermarchtovictory。
Cheer！An’we’llneverliveto’earthecannonroar！
TheLargeBirdso’PreyTheywillcarryusaway，An’you’llneverseeyoursoldiersanymore！
Wheel！Oh，keepyourtouch;we’regoin’roundacorner。
Time！——marktime，an’letthemenbe’indusclose。
Lord！thetransport’sfull，an’’alfourlotnoton’er——
Cheer，Ocheer！We’regoingoffwherenooneknows。
March！TheDevil’snonesoblackas’eispainted！
Cheer！We’ll’avesomefunbeforewe’reputaway。
’Alt，an’’and’erout——awoman’sgoneandfainted！
Cheer！Geton——Gawd’elpthemarriedmento—day！
Hoi！Comeup，you’ungrybeggars，toyersorrow。
（’Earthemsaytheywanttheirtea，an’wantitquick！）
Youwon’thavenomindforslingers，notto—morrow——
No;you’llputthe’tween—decksstoveout，bein’sick！
’Alt！Themarriedkit’asalltogobeforeus！
’Courseit’sblockedthebloomin’gangwayupagain！
Cheer，Ocheerthe’OrseGuardswatchin’tendero’erus，Keepin’ussinceeightthismornin’intherain！
Stuckin’eavymarchin’—order，soppedandwringin’——
Sick，beforeourtimetowatch’er’eavean’fall，’Ere’syour’appy’omeatlast，an’stopyoursingin’。
’Alt！Fallinalongthetroop—deck！Silenceall！
Cheer！Forwe’llneverlivetoseenobloomin’victory！
Cheer！An’we’llneverliveto’earthecannonroar！（Onecheermore！）
Thejackalan’thekite’Avean’ealthyappetite，An’you’llneverseeyoursoldiersanymore！（’Ip！Urroar！）
Theeaglean’thecrowTheyarewaitin’everso，An’you’llneverseeyoursoldiersanymore！（’Ip！Urroar！）
Yes，theLargeBirdso’PreyTheywillcarryusaway，An’you’llneverseeyoursoldiersanymore！
\"SOLDIERAN’SAILORTOO\"
AsIwasspittin’intotheDitchaboardo’the~Crocodile~，Iseedamanonaman—o’—wargotupintheReg’lars’style。
’Ewasscrapin’thepaintfromoffof’erplates，an’Isezto’im，\"’Ooareyou？\"
Sez’e，\"I’maJolly——’ErMajesty’sJolly——soldieran’sailortoo！\"
Now’isworkbeginsbyGawdknowswhen，and’isworkisneverthrough;
’Eisn’toneo’thereg’larLine，nor’eisn’toneofthecrew。
’E’sakindofagiddyharumfrodite——soldieran’sailortoo！
An’afterImet’imallovertheworld，a—doin’allkindsofthings，Likelandin’’isselfwithaGatlin’guntotalktothem’eathenkings;
’Esleepsinan’ammickinsteadofacot，an’’edrillswiththedeckonaslew，An’’esweatslikeaJolly——’ErMajesty’sJolly——soldieran’sailortoo！
Forthereisn’tajobonthetopo’theearththebeggardon’tknow，nordo——
Youcanleave’imatnightonabaldman’s’ead，topaddle’isowncanoe——
’E’sasortofabloomin’cosmopolouse——soldieran’sailortoo。
We’vefought’emintrooper，we’vefought’emindock，anddrunkwith’eminbetweens，Whentheycalledustheseasickscull’ry—maids，an’wecalled’emtheAssMarines;
But，whenwewasdownforadoublefatigue，fromWoolwichtoBernardmyo，WesentfortheJollies——’ErMajesty’sJollies——soldieran’sailortoo！
Theythinkfor’emselves，an’theystealfor’emselves，andtheyneveraskwhat’stodo，Butthey’recampedan’fedan’they’reupan’fedbeforeourbugle’sblew。
Ho！theyain’tnolimpin’procrastitutes——soldieran’sailortoo。
Youmaysaywearefondofan’arness—cut，or’ootin’inbarrick—yards，Orstartin’aBoardSchoolmutinyalongo’theOnionGuards;
Butonceinawhilewecanfinishinstylefortheendsoftheearthtoview，ThesameastheJollies——’ErMajesty’sJollies——soldieran’sailortoo！
Theycomeofourlot，theywasbrotherstous;
theywasbeggarswe’dmetan’knew;
Yes，barrin’aninchinthechestan’thearm，theywasdoubleso’mean’you;
Fortheyweren’tnospecialchrysanthemums——soldieran’sailortoo！
Totakeyourchanceinthethickofarush，withfiringallabout，Isnothingsobadwhenyou’vecoverto’and，an’leavean’likin’toshout;
Buttostandan’bestilltothe~Birken’ead~drillisadamntoughbullettochew，An’theydoneit，theJollies——’ErMajesty’sJollies——
soldieran’sailortoo！
Theirworkwasdonewhenit’adn’tbegun;theywasyoungernormean’you;
Theirchoiceitwasplainbetweendrownin’in’eapsan’bein’moppedbythescrew，Sotheystoodan’wasstilltothe~Birken’ead~drill，soldieran’sailortoo！
We’remostofusliars，we’re’arfofusthieves，an’therestareasrankascanbe，Butonceinawhilewecanfinishinstyle（whichI’opeitwon’t’appentome）。
Butitmakesyouthinkbettero’youan’yourfriends，an’theworkyoumay’avetodo，Whenyouthinko’thesinkin’~Victorier~’sJollies——soldieran’sailortoo！
Nowthereisn’tnoroomfortosayyedon’tknow——
they’aveproveditplainandtrue——
Thatwhetherit’sWidow，orwhetherit’sship，Victorier’sworkistodo，An’theydoneit，theJollies——’ErMajesty’sJollies——
soldieran’sailortoo！
SAPPERS
WhentheWatersweredriedan’theEarthdidappear，（\"It’sallone，\"saystheSapper），TheLordHecreatedtheEngineer，HerMajesty’sRoyalEngineer，WiththerankandpayofaSapper！
WhentheFloodcomealongforanextramonsoon，’TwasNoahconstructedthefirstpontoonTotheplansofHerMajesty’s，etc。
Butafterfatigueinthewetan’thesun，OldNoahgotdrunk，whichhewouldn’tha’doneIfhe’dtrainedwith，etc。
WhentheTowero’Babelhadmixedupmen’s~bat~，Someclevercivilianwasmanagingthat，An’noneof，etc。
WhentheJewshadafightatthefootofahill，YoungJoshuaorderedthesuntostandstill，ForhewasaCaptainofEngineers，etc。
WhentheChildrenofIsraelmadebrickswithoutstraw，Theywerelearnin’theregularworkofourCorps，Theworkof，etc。
Foreversincethen，ifawartheywouldwage，Beholdusa—shinin’onhistory’spage——
Firstpagefor，etc。
Welaydowntheirsidingsan’help’ementrain，An’wesweepuptheirmessthroughthebloomin’campaign，Inthestyleof，etc。
Theysendusinfrontwithafusean’amineToblowupthegatesthatarerushedbytheLine，Butbentby，etc。
Theysendusbehindwithapickan’aspade，Todigforthegunsofabullock—brigadeWhichhasaskedfor，etc。
Weworkunderescortintrousersandshirt，An’theheathentheyplugustail—upinthedirt，Annoying，etc。
Weblastouttherockan’weshovelthemud，Wemake’emgoodroadsan’——theyrolldownthe~khud~，Reporting，etc。
Wemake’emtheirbridges，theirwells，an’theirhuts，An’thetelegraph—wiretheenemycuts，An’it’sblamedon，etc。
An’whenwereturn，an’fromwarwewouldcease，Theygrudgeusadornin’thebilletsofpeace，Whicharekeptfor，etc。
Webuild’emnicebarracks——theysweartheyarebad，ThatourColonelsareMethodist，marriedormad，Insultin’，etc。
Theyhaven’tnomannersnorgratitudetoo，Forthemorethatwehelp’em，thelesswilltheydo，Butmockat，etc。
NowtheLine’sbutamanwithaguninhishand，An’Cavalry’sonlywhathorsescanstand，Whenhelpedby，etc。
Artillerymovesbytheleaveo’theground，But~we~arethementhatdosomethingallround，For~we~are，etc。
Ihavestateditplain，an’myargument’sthus（\"It’sallone，\"saystheSapper），There’sonlyoneCorpswhichisperfect——that’sus;
An’theycallusHerMajesty’sEngineers，HerMajesty’sRoyalEngineers，WiththerankandpayofaSapper！
THATDAY
Itgotbeyondallordersan’itgotbeyondall’ope;
Itgottoshammin’woundedan’retirin’fromthe’alt。
’Olecompanieswaslookin’forthenearestroadtoslope;
Itwerejustabloomin’knock—out——an’ourfault！
Nowthereain’tnochorus’eretogive，Northereain’tnobandtoplay;
An’IwishIwasdead’foreIdonewhatIdid，OrseenwhatIseedthatday！
Wewassicko’bein’punished，an’welet’emknowit，too;
An’acompany—commanderupan’’ituswithasword，An’someoneshouted\"’Ookit！\"an’itcometo~sove—ki—poo~，An’wechuckedourriflesfromus——OmyGawd！
Therewasthirtydeadan’woundedonthegroundwewouldn’tkeep——
No，therewasn’tmorethantwentywhenthefrontbeguntogo;
But，Christ！alongthelineo’flighttheycutusuplikesheep，An’thatwasallwegainedbydoin’so。
I’eardtheknivesbe’indme，butIdursn’tfacemyman，NorIdon’tknowwhereIwentto，’causeIdidn’t’alttosee，TillI’eardabeggarsquealin’outforquarteras’eran，An’IthoughtIknewthevoicean’——itwasme！
Wewas’idin’underbedsteadsmorethan’arfamarchaway;
Wewaslyin’uplikerabbitsallaboutthecountryside;
An’themajorcursed’isMaker’cause’elivedtoseethatday，An’thecolonelbroke’isswordacrost，an’cried。
Wewasrotten’forewestarted——wewasneverdisci~plined~;
Wemadeitoutafavourifanorderwasobeyed;
Yes，everylittledrummer’ad’isrightsan’wrongstomind，Sowehadtopayforteachin’——an’wepaid！
Thepapers’idit’andsome，butyouknowtheArmyknows;
Wewasputtogroomin’camelstilltheregimentswithdrew，An’theygaveuseachamedalforsubduin’England’sfoes，An’I’opeyoulikemysong——becauseit’strue！
An’thereain’tnochorus’eretogive，Northereain’tnobandtoplay;
ButIwishIwasdead’foreIdonewhatIdid，OrseenwhatIseedthatday！
\"THEMENTHATFOUGHTATMINDEN\"
ASongofInstructionThementhatfoughtatMinden，theywasrookiesintheirtime——
SowasthemthatfoughtatWaterloo！
Allthe’olecommand，yuss，fromMindentoMaiwand，Theywasoncedam’sweepslikeyou！
Thendonotbediscouraged，’Eavenisyour’elper，We’lllearnyounottoforget;
An’youmustn’tswearan’curse，oryou’llonlycatchitworse，Forwe’llmakeyousoldiersyet！
ThementhatfoughtatMinden，they’adstocksbeneaththeirchins，Sixinch’ighan’more;
Butfatigueitwastheirpride，andthey~would~notbedeniedTocleanthecook—’ousefloor。
ThementhatfoughtatMinden，theyhadanarchisticbombsServedto’embynameof’and—grenades;
Buttheygotitintheeye（sameasyouwillby—an’—by）
Whentheyclubbedtheirfield—parades。
ThementhatfoughtatMinden，they’adbuttonsupan’down，Two—an’—twentydozenof’emtold;
Buttheydidn’tgrousean’shirkatanhour’sextrywork，Theykept’embrightasgold。
ThementhatfoughtatMinden，theywasarmedwithmusketoons，Also，theywasdrilledby’alberdiers;
Idon’tknowwhattheywere，butthesergeantstookgoodcareTheywashedbe’indtheirears。
ThementhatfoughtatMinden，they’adevercashin’andWhichtheydidnotbanknorsave，Butspentitgayan’freeontheirbetters——suchasme——
ForthegoodadviceIgave。
ThementhatfoughtatMinden，theywascivil——yuss，theywas——
Neverdidn’ttalko’rightsan’wrongs，Buttheygotitwiththetoe（sameasyouwillgetit——so！）——
Forinterruptingsongs。
ThementhatfoughtatMinden，theywasseveralotherthingsWhichIdon’trememberclear;
But~that’s~thereasonwhy，nowthesix—yearmenaredry，Therookswillstandthebeer！
Thendonotbediscouraged，’Eavenisyour’elper，We’lllearnyounottoforget;
An’youmustn’tswearan’curse，oryou’llonlycatchitworse，Forwe’llmakeyousoldiersyet！
Soldiersyet，ifyou’vegotitinyou——
AllforthesakeoftheCore;
Soldiersyet，ifwe’avetoskinyou——
Runan’getthebeer，JohnnyRaw——JohnnyRaw！
Ho！runan’getthebeer，JohnnyRaw！
CHOLERACAMP
We’vegotthecholererincamp——it’sworsethanfortyfights;
We’redyin’inthewildernessthesameasIsrulites;
It’sbeforeus，an’be’indus，an’wecannotgetaway，An’thedoctor’sjustreportedwe’vetenmoreto—day！
Oh，strikeyourcampan’go，theBugle’scallin’，TheRainsarefallin’——
Thedeadarebushedan’stonedtokeep’emsafebelow;
TheBand’sa—doin’allsheknowstocheerus;
TheChaplain’sgoneandprayedtoGawdto’earus——
To’earus——
OLord，forit’sa—killin’ofusso！
SinceAugust，whenitstarted，it’sbeenstickin’toourtail，Thoughthey’ve’adusoutbymarchesan’they’ve’adusbackbyrail;
Butitrunsasfastastroop—trains，andwecannotgetaway;
An’thesick—listtotheColonelmakestenmoreto—day。
Thereain’tnofuninwomennorthereain’tnobitetodrink;
It’smuchtoowetforshootin’，wecanonlymarchandthink;
An’atevenin’，downthe~nullahs~，wecan’earthejackalssay，\"Getup，yourottenbeggars，you’vetenmoreto—day！\"
’Twouldmakeamonkeycoughtoseeourwayo’doin’things——
Lieutenantstakin’companiesan’captainstakin’wings，An’Lancesactin’Sergeants——eightfiletoobey——
Forwe’velotso’quickpromotionontendeathsaday！
OurColonel’swhitean’twitterly——’egetsnosleepnorfood，Butmucksaboutin’orspitalwherenothingdoesnogood。
’Esendsus’eapso’comforts，allboughtfrom’ispay——
Buttherearen’tmuchcomfort’andyontendeathsaday。
OurChaplain’sgotabanjo，an’askinnymule’erides，An’thestuff’esaysan’singsus，Lord，itmakesussplitoursides！
With’isblackcoat—tailsa—bobbin’to~Ta—ra—raBoom—der—ay！~
’E’stheproperkindo’~padre~fortendeathsaday。
An’FatherVictor’elps’imwithourRomanCatholicks——
Heknowsan’eapofIrishsongsan’rummyconjurin’tricks;
An’thetwotheyworkstogetherwhenitcomestoplayorpray;
Sowekeeptheballa—rollin’ontendeathsaday。
We’vegotthecholererincamp——we’vegotit’otan’sweet;
Itain’tnoChristmasdinner，butit’s’elpedan’wemusteat。
We’vegonebeyondthefunkin’，’causewe’vefounditdoesn’tpay，An’we’rerockin’roundtheDistrickontendeathsaday！
Thenstrikeyourcampan’go，theRainsarefallin’，TheBugle’scallin’！
Thedeadarebushedan’stonedtokeep’emsafebelow！
An’themthatdonotlikeittheycanlumpit，An’themthatcannotstandittheycanjumpit;
We’vegottodiesomewhere——someway——some’ow——
Wemightaswellbegintodoitnow！
Then，NumberOne，letdownthetent—poleslow，Knockoutthepegsan’’oldthecorners——so！
Foldintheflies，furluptheropes，an’stow！
Oh，strike——oh，strikeyourcampan’go！
（Gawd’elpus！）
THELADIES
I’vetakenmyfunwhereI’vefoundit;
I’veroguedan’I’verangedinmytime;
I’ve’admypickin’o’sweet’earts，An’fouro’thelotwasprime。
Onewasan’arf—castewidow，OnewasawomanatProme，Onewasthewifeofa~jemadar—sais~，[Head—groom。]
An’oneisagirlat’ome。
NowIaren’tno’andwiththeladies，For，takin’’emallalong，Younevercansaytillyou’vetried’em，An’thenyouareliketobewrong。
There’stimeswhenyou’llthinkthatyoumightn’t，There’stimeswhenyou’llknowthatyoumight;
ButthethingsyouwilllearnfromtheYellowan’Brown，They’ll’elpyoualotwiththeWhite！
Iwasayoungunat’Oogli，Shyasagirltobegin;
AggiedeCastrershemademe，An’Aggiewascleverassin;
Olderthanme，butmyfirstun——
Morelikeamothershewere——
Showedmethewaytopromotionan’pay，An’Ilearnedaboutwomenfrom’er！
ThenIwasorderedtoBurma，Actin’inchargeo’Bazar，An’Igotmeatiddylive’eathenThroughbuyin’suppliesoff’erpa。
Funnyan’yellowan’faithful——
Dollinateacupshewere，Butwelivedonthesquare，likeatrue—marriedpair，An’Ilearnedaboutwomenfrom’er！
ThenwewasshiftedtoNeemuch（OrImightha’beenkeepin’’ernow），An’Itookwithashinyshe—devil，ThewifeofaniggeratMhow;
’Taughtmethegipsy—folks’~bolee~;[Slang。]
Kindo’volcanoshewere，Forsheknifedmeonenight’causeIwishedshewaswhite，AndIlearnedaboutwomenfrom’er！
ThenIcome’omeinthetrooper，’Longofakido’sixteen——
GirlfromaconventatMeerut，ThestraightestIever’aveseen。
Loveatfirstsightwas’ertrouble，~She~didn’tknowwhatitwere;
An’Iwouldn’tdosuch，’causeIliked’ertoomuch，But——Ilearnedaboutwomenfrom’er！
I’vetakenmyfunwhereI’vefoundit，An’nowImustpayformyfun，Forthemoreyou’aveknowno’theothersThelesswillyousettletoone;
An’theendofit’ssittin’andthinkin’，An’dreamin’Hell—firestosee;
Sobewarnedbymylot（whichIknowyouwillnot），An’learnaboutwomenfromme！
WhatdidtheColonel’sLadythink？
Nobodyneverknew。
SomebodyaskedtheSergeant’swife，~An’~shetold’emtrue！
Whenyougettoamaninthecase，They’relikeasarowofpins——
FortheColonel’sLadyan’JudyO’GradyAresistersundertheirskins！
BILL’AWKINS
\"’AsanybodyseenBill’Awkins？\"
\"Now’owinthedevilwouldIknow？\"
\"’E’stakenmygirloutwalkin’，An’I’vegottotell’imso——
Gawd——bless——’im！
I’vegottotell’imso。\"
\"D’yerknowwhat’e’slike，Bill’Awkins？\"
\"NowwhatinthedevilwouldIcare？\"
\"’E’sthelivin’，breathin’imageofanorgan—grinder’smonkey，Withapoundofgreasein’is’air——
Gawd——bless——’im！
An’apoundo’greasein’is’air。\"
\"An’s’poseyoumetBill’Awkins，Nowwhatinthedevil’udyedo？\"
\"I’dopen’ischeekto’ischin—strapbuckle，An’bungup’isbotheyes，too——
Gawd——bless——’im！
An’bungup’isbotheyes，too！\"
\"Look’ere，where’ecomes，Bill’Awkins！
Nowwhatinthedevilwillyousay？\"
\"Itisn’tfitan’propertobefightin’onaSunday，SoI’llpass’imthetimeo’day——
Gawd——bless——’im！
I’llpass’imthetimeo’day！\"
THEMOTHER—LODGE
TherewasRundle，StationMaster，An’BeazeleyoftheRail，An’’Ackman，Commissariat，An’Donkin’o’theJail;
An’Blake，Conductor—Sargent，OurMastertwicewas’e，With’imthatkepttheEurope—shop，OldFramjeeEduljee。
Outside——\"Sergeant！Sir！Salute！Salaam！\"
Inside——\"Brother\"，an’itdoesn’tdono’arm。
WemetupontheLevelan’wepartedontheSquare，An’IwasJuniorDeaconinmyMother—Lodgeoutthere！
We’dBolaNath，Accountant，An’SaultheAdenJew，An’DinMohammed，draughtsmanOftheSurveyOfficetoo;
TherewasBabuChuckerbutty，An’AmirSinghtheSikh，An’Castrofromthefittin’—sheds，TheRomanCatholick！
We’adn’tgoodregalia，An’ourLodgewasoldan’bare，ButweknewtheAncientLandmarks，An’wekep’’emtoahair;
An’lookin’onitbackwardsItoftenstrikesmethus，Thereain’tsuchthingsasinfidels，Excep’，per’aps，it’sus。
Formonthly，afterLabour，We’dallsitdownandsmoke（Wedursn’tgivenobanquits，LestaBrother’scastewerebroke），An’manonmangottalkin’
Religionan’therest，An’everymancomparin’
OftheGod’eknewthebest。
Somanonmangottalkin’，An’notaBrotherstirredTillmornin’wakedtheparrotsAn’thatdam’brain—fever—bird;
We’dsay’twas’ighlycurious，An’we’dallride’ometobed，WithMo’ammed，God，an’ShivaChangin’picketsinour’ead。
FulloftonGuv’mentserviceThisrovin’foot’athpressed，An’borefraternalgreetin’sTotheLodgeseastan’west，Accordin’ascommandedFromKohattoSingapore，ButIwishthatImightseethemInmyMother—Lodgeoncemore！
IwishthatImightseethem，MyBrethrenblackan’brown，Withthetrichiessmellin’pleasantAn’the~hog—darn~passin’down;[Cigar—lighter。]
An’theoldkhansamahsnorin’[Butler。]
Onthebottle—khanafloor，[Pantry。]
LikeaMasteringoodstandingWithmyMother—Lodgeoncemore！
Outside——\"Sergeant！Sir！Salute！Salaam！\"
Inside——\"Brother\"，an’itdoesn’tdono’arm。
WemetupontheLevelan’wepartedontheSquare，An’IwasJuniorDeaconinmyMother—Lodgeoutthere！
\"FOLLOWME’OME\"
Therewasnoonelike’im，’OrseorFoot，Noranyo’theGunsIknew;
An’becauseitwasso，why，o’course’ewentan’died，Whichisjustwhatthebestmendo。
Soit’sknockoutyourpipesan’followme！
An’it’sfinishupyourswipesan’followme！
Oh，’arktothebigdrumcallin’，Followme——followme’ome！
’Ismaresheneighsthe’oledaylong，Shepawsthe’olenightthrough，An’shewon’ttake’erfeed’causeo’waitin’for’isstep，Whichisjustwhatabeastwoulddo。
’IsgirlshegoeswithabombardierBefore’ermonthisthrough;
An’thebannsareupinchurch，forshe’sgotthebeggarhooked，Whichisjustwhatagirlwoulddo。
Wefought’boutadog——lastweekitwere——
Nomorethanaroundortwo;
ButIstrook’imcruel’ard，an’IwishI’adn’tnow，Whichisjustwhatamancan’tdo。
’EwasallthatI’adinthewayofafriend，An’I’ve’adtofindonenew;
ButI’dgivemypayan’stripefortogetthebeggarback，Whichit’sjusttoolatetodo。
Soit’sknockoutyourpipesan’followme！
An’it’sfinishoffyourswipesan’followme！
Oh，’arktothefifesa—crawlin’！
Followme——followme’ome！
Take’imaway！’E’sgonewherethebestmengo。
Take’imaway！An’thegun—wheelsturnin’slow。
Take’imaway！There’smorefromtheplace’ecome。
Take’imaway，withthelimberan’thedrum。
Forit’s\"Threeroundsblank\"an’followme，An’it’s\"Thirteenrank\"an’followme;
Oh，passin’theloveo’women，Followme——followme’ome！
THESERGEANT’SWEDDIN’
’Ewaswarnedagin’’er——
That’swhatmade’imlook;
Shewaswarnedagin’’im——
Thatiswhyshetook。
’Wouldn’t’earnoreason，’Wentan’doneitblind;
Weknowallabout’em，They’vegotalltofind！
CheerfortheSergeant’sweddin’——
Give’emonecheermore！
Greygun—’orsesinthelando，An’arogueismarriedto，etc。
What’stheuseo’tellin’
’Arfthelotshe’sbeen？
’E’sabloomin’robber，~An’~’ekeepscanteen。
’Owdid’eget’isbuggy？
Gawd，youneedn’task！
’Made’isfortygallonOutofeverycask！
Watch’im，with’is’aircut，Countusfilin’by——
Won’ttheColonelpraise’isPop——u——lar——i——ty！
We’avescorestosettle——
Scoresformorethanbeer;
She’sthegirltopay’em——
Thatiswhywe’re’ere！
Seethechaplainthinkin’？
Seethewomensmile？
Twigthemarriedwinkin’
Astheytaketheaisle？
Keepyourside—armsquiet，Dressin’bytheBand。
Ho！You’olybeggars，Coughbe’indyour’and！
Nowit’sdonean’over，’Eartheorgansqueak，\"~’Voicethatbreathedo’erEden~\"——
Ain’tshegotthecheek！
Whitean’laylockribbons，Thinkyourselfsofine！
I’dprayGawdtotakeyer’ForeImadeyermine！
Escorttothekerridge，Wish’imluck，thebrute！
Chucktheslippersafter——
[Pity’tain’taboot！]
Bowin’likealady，Blushin’likealad——
’Oowouldsaytosee’emBothisrottenbad？
CheerfortheSergeant’sweddin’——
Give’emonecheermore！
Greygun—’orsesinthelando，An’arogueismarriedto，etc。
THEJACKET
ThroughthePlaguesofEgyp’wewaschasin’Arabi，Gettin’downan’shovin’inthesun;
An’youmight’avecalledusdirty，an’youmightha’calledusdry，An’youmight’ave’eardustalkin’atthegun。
ButtheCaptain’ad’isjacket，an’thejacketitwasnew——
（’OrseGunners，listentomysong！）
An’thewettin’ofthejacketistheproperthingtodo，Norwedidn’tkeep’imwaitin’verylong。
Onedaytheygaveusordersfortoshellasandredoubt，Loadin’downtheaxle—armswithcase;
ButtheCaptainknew’isdooty，an’hetookthecrackersoutAn’heputsomeproperliquorinitsplace。
An’theCaptainsawtheshrapnel，whichissix—an’—thirtyclear。
（’OrseGunners，listentomysong！）
\"Willyoudrawtheweight，\"sez’e，\"orwillyoudrawthebeer？\"
An’wedidn’tkeep’imwaitin’verylong。
~FortheCaptain，etc。~
Thenwetrottedgentle，nottobreakthebloomin’glass，ThoughtheArabites’adalltheirrangesmarked;
Butwedursn’t’ardlygallop，forthemostwasbottledBass，An’we’ddreamedofitsincewewasdisembarked：
Sowefiredeconomicwiththeshellswe’adin’and，（’OrseGunners，listentomysong！）
Butthebeggarsundercover’adtheimpidencetostand，An’wecouldn’tkeep’emwaitin’verylong。
~AndtheCaptain，etc。~
Sowefinished’arftheliquor（an’theCaptaintookchampagne），An’theArabiteswasshootin’allthewhile;
An’weleftourwounded’appywiththeemptiesontheplain，An’weusedthebloomin’gunsforpro—jec—tile！
Welimberedupan’galloped——therewerenothin’elsetodo——
（’OrseGunners，listentomysong！）
An’theBatterycamea—boundin’likeaboundin’kangaroo，Buttheydidn’twatchuscomin’verylong。
~AstheCaptain，etc。~
Wewasgoin’mostextended——wewasdrivin’veryfine，An’theArabiteswereloosin’’ighan’wide，TilltheCaptaintooktheglassywitharattlin’rightincline，An’wedroppedupontheir’eadstheotherside。
Thenwegive’emquarter——suchas’adn’tupandcut，（’OrseGunners，listentomysong！）
An’theCaptainstoodalimberfuloffizzy——somethin’Brutt，Butwedidn’tleaveitfizzingverylong。
~FortheCaptain，etc。~
Wemightha’beencourt—martialled，butitallcomeoutallrightWhentheysignalledustojointhemaincommand。
Therewaseveryroundexpended，therewaseverygunnertight，An’theCaptainwavedacorkscrewin’is’and。
~ButtheCaptain’ad’isjacket，etc。~
THE’EATHEN
The’eathenin’isblindnessbowsdowntowoodan’stone;
’Edon’tobeynoordersunlesstheyis’isown;
’Ekeeps’isside—armsawful：’eleaves’emallabout，An’thencomesuptheregimentan’pokesthe’eathenout。
Allalongo’dirtiness，allalongo’mess，Allalongo’doin’thingsrather—more—or—less，Allalongofabby—nay，kul，an’hazar—ho，*
Mindyoukeepyourriflean’yourselfjus’so！
*abby—nay：Notnow。kul：To—morrow。hazar—ho：Waitabit。
Theyoungrecruitis’aughty——’edraf’sfromGawdknowswhere;
Theybid’imshow’isstockin’san’lay’ismattresssquare;
’Ecallsitbloomin’nonsense——’edoesn’tknownomore——
An’thenupcomes’isCompanyan’kicks’imroundthefloor！
Theyoungrecruitis’ammered——’etakesitvery’ard;
’E’angs’is’eadan’mutters——’esulksabouttheyard;
’Etalkso’\"crueltyrants\"’e’llswingforby—an’—by，An’theothers’earsan’mocks’im，an’theboygoesorftocry。
Theyoungrecruitissilly——’ethinkso’suicide;
’E’slost’isgutter—devil;’e’asn’tgot’ispride;
Butdaybydaytheykicks’im，which’elps’imonabit，Till’efinds’isselfonemornin’withafullan’properkit。
Gettin’clearo’dirtiness，gettin’donewithmess，Gettin’shuto’doin’thingsrather—more—or—less;
Notsofondofabby—nay，kul，norhazar—ho，Learnstokeep’isriflean’’isselfjus’so！
Theyoungrecruitis’appy——’ethrowsachesttosuit;
Yousee’imgrowmustaches;you’ear’imslap’isboot;
’Elearnstodropthe\"bloodies\"fromeveryword’eslings，An’’eshowsan’ealthybrisketwhen’estripsforbarsan’rings。
Thecruel—tyrant—sergeantstheywatch’im’arfayear;
Theywatch’imwith’iscomrades，theywatch’imwith’isbeer;
Theywatch’imwiththewomenattheregimentaldance，Andthecruel—tyrant—sergeantssend’isnamealongfor\"Lance\"。
An’now’e’s’arfo’nothin’，an’allaprivateyet，’Isroomtheyupan’rags’imtoseewhattheywillget;
Theyrags’imlowan’cunnin’，eachdirtytricktheycan，But’elearnstosweat’istemperan’’elearnstosweat’isman。
An’，last，aColour—Sergeant，assuchtobeobeyed，’Eschools’ismenatcricket，’etells’emonparade;
Theysees’emquickan’’andy，uncommonsetan’smart，An’so’etalkstoorficerswhich’avetheCoreat’eart。
’Elearnstodo’iswatchin’withoutitshowin’plain;
’Elearnstosaveadummy，an’shove’imstraightagain;
’Elearnstocheckarankerthat’sbuyin’leavetoshirk;
An’’elearnstomakemenlike’imsothey’lllearntoliketheirwork。
An’whenitcomestomarchin’he’llseetheirsocksareright，An’whenitcomestoaction’eshows’em’owtosight;
’Eknowstheirwaysofthinkin’andjustwhat’sintheirmind;
’Eknowswhentheyaretakin’onan’whenthey’vefellbe’ind。
’Eknowseachtalkin’corprilthatleadsasquadastray;
’Efeels’isinnards’eavin’，’isbowelsgivin’way;
’Eseestheblue—whitefacesalltryin’’ardtogrin，An’’estandsan’waitsan’sufferstillit’stimetocap’emin。
An’nowthehuglybulletscomepeckin’throughthedust，An’noonewantstoface’em，buteverybeggarmust;
So，likeamaninironswhichisn’tgladtogo，Theymoves’emoffbycompaniesuncommonstiffan’slow。
Ofall’isfiveyears’schoolin’theydon’tremembermuchExcep’thenotretreatin’，thestepan’keepin’touch。
Itlooksliketeachin’wastedwhentheyduckan’spreadan’’op，Butif’e’adn’tlearned’emthey’dbeallabouttheshop！
An’nowit’s\"’Oogoesbackward？\"an’nowit’s\"’Oocomeson？\"
Andnowit’s\"Getthedoolies，\"an’nowthecaptain’sgone;
An’nowit’sbloodymurder，butallthewhilethey’ear’Isvoice，thesameasbarrickdrill，a—shepherdin’therear。
’E’sjustassickastheyare，’is’eartisliketosplit，But’eworks’em，works’em，works’emtillhefeels’emtakethebit;
Therestis’oldin’steadytillthewatchfulbuglesplay，An’’elifts’em，lifts’em，lifts’emthroughthechargethatwinstheday！
The’eathenin’isblindnessbowsdowntowoodan’stone;
’Edon’tobeynoordersunlesstheyis’isown;
The’eathenin’isblindnessmustendwhere’ebegan，ButthebackboneoftheArmyisthenon—commissionedman！
Keepawayfromdirtiness——keepawayfrommess。
Don’tgetintodoin’thingsrather—more—or—less！
Let’sha’donewithabby—nay，kul，an’hazar—ho;
Mindyoukeepyourriflean’yourselfjus’so！
THESHUT—EYESENTRY
SeztheJuniorOrderlySergeantTotheSeniorOrderlyMan：
\"OurOrderlyOrf’cer’s~hokee—mut~，You’elp’imallyoucan。
Forthewinewasoldandthenightiscold，An’thebestwemaygowrong，So，’fore’egitstothesentry—box，Youpassthewordalong。\"
Soitwas\"Rounds！WhatRounds？\"attwoofafrostynight，’E’s’oldin’onbythesergeant’ssash，but，sentry，shutyoureye。
An’itwas\"Pass！All’swell！\"Oh，ain’t’edrippin’tight！
’E’llneedanaffidavitprettybadlyby—an’—by。
Themoonwaswhiteonthebarricks，Theroadwaswhitean’wide，An’theOrderlyOrf’certookitall，An’theten—footditchbeside。
An’thecorporalpulledan’thesergeantpushed，An’thethreetheydancedalong，ButI’dshutmyeyesinthesentry—box，SoIdidn’tseenothin’wrong。
Thoughitwas\"Rounds！WhatRounds？\"Ocorporal，’old’imup！
’E’susin’’iscapasitshouldn’tbeused，but，sentry，shutyoureye。
An’itwas\"Pass！All’swell！\"Ho，shunthefoamin’cup！
’E’llneed，etc。
’Twasafterfourinthemornin’;
We’adtostopthefun，An’wesent’im’omeonabullock—cart，With’isbeltan’stockundone;
Butwesluiced’imdownan’wewashed’imout，An’afirst—classjobwemade，Whenwesaved’im，smartasabombardier，Forsix—o’clockparade。
It’adbeen\"Rounds！WhatRounds？\"Oh，shove’imstraightagain！
’E’susin’’isswordforabicycle，but，sentry，shutyoureye。
An’itwas\"Pass！All’swell！\"’E’scalledme\"Darlin’Jane\"！
’E’llneed，etc。
Thedrillwaslongan’’eavy，Theskywas’otan’blue，An’’iseyewaswildan’’is’airwaswet，But’issergeantpulled’imthrough。
Ourmenwasgoodoldtrusties——
They’ddoneitontheir’ead;
Butyououghtto’ave’eard’emmarkin’timeTo’idethethings’esaid！
Foritwas\"Rightflank——wheel！\"for\"’Alt，an’standatease！\"
An’\"Leftextend！\"for\"Centreclose！\"Omarker，shutyoureye！
An’itwas，\"’Ere，sir，’ere！beforetheColonelsees！\"
Soheneededaffidavitsprettybadlyby—an’—by。
Therewastwo—an’—thirtysergeants，Therewascorp’ralsforty—one，Therewasjustnine’undredrankan’fileTosweartoatoucho’sun。
Therewasme’e’dkissedinthesentry—box，AsI’avenottoldinmysong，ButItookmyoath，whichwereBibletruth，I’adn’tseennothin’wrong。
There’sthemthat’s’otan’’aughty，There’sthemthat’scoldan’’ard，Buttherecomesanightwhenthebestgetstight，AndthenturnsouttheGuard。
I’veseenthem’idetheirliquorIneverykindo’way，Butmostdependsonmakin’friendsWithPrivitThomasA。！
Whenitis\"Rounds！WhatRounds？\"’E’sbreathin’through’isnose。
’E’sreelin’，rollin’，roarin’tight，but，sentry，shutyoureye。
An’itis\"Pass！All’swell！\"An’that’sthewayitgoes：
We’ll’elp’imfor’ismother，an’’e’ll’elpusby—an’—by！
\"MARY，PITYWOMEN！\"
Youcallyourselfaman，Forallyouusedtoswear，An’leaveme，asyoucan，Mycertainshametobear？
I’ear！Youdonotcare——
Youdonetheworstyouknow。
I’ateyou，grinnin’there……
Ah，Gawd，Iloveyouso！
Nicewhileitlasted，an’nowitisover——
Tearoutyour’eartan’good—byetoyourlover！
What’stheuseo’grievin’，whenthemotherthatboreyou（Mary，pitywomen！）knewitallbeforeyou？
Itaren’tnofalsealarm，Thefinishtoyourfun;
You——you’avebrungthe’arm，An’I’mtheruinedone;
An’nowyou’lloffan’runWithsomenewfoolintow。
Your’eart？You’aven’tnone……
Ah，Gawd，Iloveyouso！
Whenamanistiredthereisnaughtwillbind’im;
All’esolemnpromised’ewillshovebe’ind’im。
What’sthegoodo’prayin’forTheWrathtostrike’im（Mary，pitywomen！），whentherestarelike’im？
What’opeformeor——it？
What’sleftforustodo？
I’vewalkedwithmenabit，Butthis——butthisisyou。
So’elpmeChrist，it’strue！
WherecanI’ideorgo？
Youcowardthroughandthrough！……
Ah，Gawd，Iloveyouso！
Allthemoreyougive’emthelessaretheyforgivin’——
Loveliesdead，an’youcannotkiss’imlivin’。
Downtheroad’eledyouthereisnoreturnin’
（Mary，pitywomen！），butyou’relateinlearnin’！
You’dliketotreatmefair？
Youcan’t，becausewe’repore？
We’dstarve？WhatdoIcare！
Wemight，but~this~isshore！
Iwantthename——nomore——
Thename，an’linestoshow，An’nottobean’ore……
Ah，Gawd，Iloveyouso！
What’sthegoodo’pleadin’，whenthemotherthatboreyou（Mary，pitywomen！）knewitallbeforeyou？
Sleepon’ispromisesan’waketoyoursorrow（Mary，pitywomen！），forwesailto—morrow！
FORTOADMIRE
TheInjianOceansetsan’smilesSosof’，sobright，sobloomin’blue;
Therearen’tawaveformilesan’milesExcep’thejigglefromthescrew。
Theshipisswep’，thedayisdone，Thebugle’sgoneforsmokeandplay;
An’blackagin’thesettin’sunTheLascarsings，\"~Humdecktyhai！~\"[\"I’mlookingout。\"]
Fortoadmirean’fortosee，Fortobe’oldthisworldsowide——
Itneverdonenogoodtome，ButIcan’tdropitifItried！
Iseethesergeantspitchin’quoits，I’earthewomenlaughan’talk，Ispyuponthequarter—deckTheorficersan’lydieswalk。
Ithinksaboutthethingsthatwas，An’leansan’looksacrostthesea，TillspiteofallthecrowdedshipThere’snoonelef’alivebutme。
ThethingsthatwaswhichI’aveseen，Inbarrick，camp，an’actiontoo，Itellsthemoverbymyself，An’sometimeswondersifthey’retrue;
Fortheywasodd——mostawfulodd——
Butallthesamenowtheyareo’er，Theremustbe’eapso’plentysuch，An’ifIwaitI’llseesomemore。
Oh，I’avecomeuponthebooks，An’frequentbrokeabarrickrule，An’stoodbesidean’watchedmyselfBe’avin’likeabloomin’fool。
Ipaidmypriceforfindin’out，NornevergrutchedthepriceIpaid，ButsatinClinkwithoutmyboots，Admirin’’owtheworldwasmade。
Be’oldacrowduponthebeam，An’’umpedabovetheseaappearsOldAden，likeabarrick—stoveThatnoone’slitforyearsan’years！
IpassedbythatwhenIbegan，An’Igo’ometheroadIcame，Atime—expiredsoldier—manWithsixyears’serviceto’isname。
Mygirlshesaid，\"Oh，staywithme！\"
Mymother’eldmeto’erbreast。
They’veneverwrittennone，an’soTheymust’avegonewithalltherest——
WithalltherestwhichI’aveseenAn’foundan’knownan’metalong。
IcannotsaythethingsIfeel，AndsoIsingmyevenin’song：
Fortoadmirean’fortosee，Fortobe’oldthisworldsowide——
Itneverdonenogoodtome，ButIcan’tdropitifItried！
L’ENVOI
WhenEarth’slastpictureispaintedandthetubesaretwistedanddried，Whentheoldestcolourshavefaded，andtheyoungestcritichasdied，Weshallrest，and，faith，weshallneedit——liedownforan]aeonortwo，TilltheMasterofAllGoodWorkmenshallputustoworkanew！
Andthosethatweregoodshallbehappy：theyshallsitinagoldenchair;
Theyshallsplashataten—leaguecanvaswithbrushesofcomets’hair;
Theyshallfindrealsaintstodrawfrom——Magdalene，Peter，andPaul;
Theyshallworkforanageatasittingandneverbetiredatall！
AndonlytheMastershallpraiseus，andonlytheMastershallblame;
Andnooneshallworkformoney，andnooneshallworkforfame，Buteachforthejoyoftheworking，andeach，inhisseparatestar，ShalldrawtheThingasheseesItfortheGodofThingsasTheyAre！
