ys: 'A
good shantyman would take Johnny all round the world to ports with
three syllables, Montreal, Rio Grande Newfoundland, or any such as
might occur to him.'

25. WHISKY JOHNNY

This Bacchanalian chant was a prime favourite. Every sailor knew it,
and every collection includes some version of it.

26. BONEY WAS A WARRIOR

I never met a seaman who has not hoisted topsails to this shanty. Why
Jack should have made a hero of Boney (he frequently pronounced it
'Bonny') is a mystery, except perhaps that, as a sailor, he realized
the true desolation of imprisonment on a sea-girt island, and his
sympathies went out to the lonely exile accordingly. Or it may have
been the natural liking of the Briton for any enemy who proved himself
a 'bonny fechter.'

27. JOHNNY BOKER

This popular shanty was sometimes used for bunting-up a sail, but more
usually for 'sweating-up.' Although I have allowed the last note its
full musical value, it was not prolonged in this manner aboard ship.
As it coincided with the pull, it usually sounded more like a staccato
grunt.

28. HAUL AWAY, JOE

The major version of this shanty (which appears in Part II) was more
general in the last days of the sailing ship; but this minor version
(certainly the most beautiful of them) is the one which I used to hear
on the Tyne. The oldest of my sailor relatives never sang any other.
This inclines me to the belief that it is the earlier version. The
verses extemporized to this shanty were endless, but those concerning
the Nigger Girl and King Louis never seem to have been omitted. As in
No. 27, I have allowed the last note its full musical value, but
aboard ship it was sung in the same manner as No. 27.

29. WE'LL HAUL THE BOWLIN'

This was the most popular shanty for 'sweating-up.' There are many
variants of it. The present version I learnt from Capt. John Runciman.
In this shanty no attempt was ever made to sing the last word. It was
always shouted.

30. PADDY DOYLE'S BOOTS

This shanty differs from all others, as (_a_) it was sung _tutti_
throughout; (_b_) it had only one verse, which was sung over and over
again; and (_c_) it was used for one operation and one operation only,
viz. bunting up the foresail or mainsail in furling. In this operation
the canvas of the sail was folded intensively until it formed a smooth
conical bundle. This was called a bunt, and a strong collective effort
(at the word 'boots') was required to get it o