our crew," says he,
"And navigate a bit with me!"_

_Says Captain Pitch, "I can't refuse
To join you on a friendly cruise;
But you'll oblige me, Captain Tar,
By not a-taking of me far."_

_At this reply from Captain Pitch,
Bold Thompson gave himself a hitch,
It cut him to the heart to find
A seaman in this frame of mind._

_"Avast!" says he; "we'll bear away
For Madagascar and Bombay,
Then down the coast to Yucatan,
Kamtschatka, Guinea, and Japan."_

_"Stand off for Egypt, Turkey, Spain,
Australia, and the Spanish Main,
Then through the nor-west passage for
Van Dieman's Land and Labrador."_

[Illustration]

_Says Captain Pitch, "The ocean swell
Makes me exceedingly unwell,
And, Captain Tar, before we start,
Pray join me in a friendly tart."_

_And shall I go and take and hide
The sneaking trick that Parker tried?
Oh! no. I very much prefer
To state his actions as they were:_

_With marmalade he first began
To tempt that bluff seafaring man,
Then fed him all the afternoon
With custard in a table-spoon._

_No mariner, however tough,
Can thrive upon this kind of stuff;
And Thompson soon appeared to be
A feeble-minded child of three._

[Illustration]

_He cried for cakes and lollipops;
He played with dolls and humming-tops;
He even ceased to roar "I'm blowed!"
And shook a rattle, laughed, and crowed._

_When Parker saw the seamen gaze
Upon the captain's cunning ways,
Base envy thrilled him through and through.
And he became a child of two._

_Now, Parker had in his employ
A mate, two seamen, and a boy;
The mate was fond as he could be
Of babies, and he says, says he,--_

_"Why, messmates, as we're all agreed
Sea-bathing is the thing they need,
Let's drop these hinfants off the quarter!"
(They did, in fourteen fathom water)._

--and here the story came abruptly to an end.

Davy was quite distressed at this, particularly as the dreadful thought
came into his mind that some babies do not know how to swim, and he was
therefore very well satisfied when he saw that the old Sea-Dog had
apparently changed his mind about going away, and was swaggering along
toward him again.

"If you please," said Davy, as the surly creature came within hearing
distance,--"if you please, sir, were the two little captai