1
FAST flew the hours. We may not tell
Of William’s weary quest,
How round the outskirts of the town
He roamed like one possessed –
Nor with what guileful arts he plied
The foreign interest.
2
Enough that at the appointed hour,
With backers at his back,
He faced the noble Bossaroo,
(Still hypochondriac) –
And introduced his witnesses,
A yellow and a black;
3
A placid-eyed Mongolian
From sandy Pechelee,
Who’d stimulate an inch of soil
To do the work of three,
Or make a metamorphic rock
Sprout into cabbagee;
4
A big buck nigger next; who once
Bowed down to stocks and stones
(For years digested captives formed
The tissue of his bones),
But now he is an Anglican,
Who a live “Bissop” owns,
Besides a gorgeous suit of slops,
And the proud name of Jones.
5
Slow rose the lordly Bossaroo,
And bade unveil their eyes;
And, when those aliens gazed around
On all that dread assize,
They howled in unison and made
Night hideous with their cries.
6
For Bill had lured them lyingly –
But why should we explain;
The whole thing was exceptional,
And can’t occur again.
Besides, to poke at mysteries
Is wanton and profane.
7
With single will they turned on Bill,
And blazed his evil name;
With double tongue their charge they flung,
And swore unto the same;
With treble spite did both unite
To spoil his little game.
8
“Me see him catchee kangaloo,”
Deponed on oath Ah Chee;
“Me see him – hi! hst! – soolem dog,
No mind my cabbagee –
Me lose hap clown, him knockee down
Ten twenty lettucee!”
9
“Massoopy Bill, him wicked boy,”
Deponed the South Sea swell;
“Two moon, come Bissop preach in church,
Him loaf outside an’ yell;
Me run – him run – me catch – him say
‘Tree scalp if you no tell.’
10
So, when the learned clerk had both
Their depositions read,
The judge drew forth his judgment cap,
And put it on his head,
And sentenced poor Marsupial Bill
To hang till he was dead.
11
“But since” – so spake the Bossaroo –
“From evidence we know
That many a scalped and gory head
This night through him lies low,
We’ll scalp him first!” – and all the house,
Nem. con., cried “Be it so!”
And as a sign and seal of doom,
Turned down the right thumb-toe.
12
“With his own knife,” the Boss resumed,
“Ah Chee shall do the deed –
The gods poetic justice love –
And make the assassin bleed
By his own proper instrument.
Mongolian, proceed.”
13
What followed next, who gave the word
For mate to link with mate,
Nor Bill, nor Jones, nor yet Ah Chee
Can very clearly state;
But that ’twas a corroboree
All three corroborate.
14
In vain poor William prayed – in vain
His suppliant knees he bowed,
And by a pile of sacred names
For mercy cried aloud –
The point was at his occiput,
When, lo! from out the crowd
15
Stepped forth a rare and radiant dame,
The Boss’s pride and stay,
(The dam of Boss
(James Brunton Stephens)
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Based on Topics: God Poems, Christianity Poems, Name Poems, Cry Poems, Work & Career Poems, Law & Regulation Poems, Sign & Symbol Poems, Mystery Poems, Dogs PoemsBased on Keywords: assize, digested, exceptional, backers, scalped, mongolian, corroboree, marsupial, anglican, corroborate, occiput