Poems: New and Old Part 4

The 'Victory' led, to her flag it was due, Tho' the 'Tmraires' thought themselves Admirals too; But Lord Nelson he hailed them with masterful grace: "Cap'n Harvey, I'll thank you to keep in your place."

To begin with we closed the 'Bucentaure' alone, An eighty-gun s.h.i.+p and their Admiral's own; We raked her but once, and the rest of the day Like a hospital hulk on the water she lay.

To our battering next the 'Redoutable' struck, But her sharpshooters gave us the worst of the luck: Lord Nelson was wounded, most cruel to tell.

"They've done for me, Hardy!" he cried as he fell.

{34}.

To the c.o.c.kpit in silence they carried him past, And sad were the looks that were after him cast; His face with a kerchief he tried to conceal, But we knew him too well from the truck to the keel.

When the Captain reported a victory won, "Thank G.o.d!" he kept saying, "my duty I've done."

At last came the moment to kiss him good-bye, And the Captain for once had the salt in his eye.

"Now anchor, dear Hardy," the Admiral cried; But before we could make it he fainted and died.

All night in the trough of the sea we were tossed, And for want of ground-tackle good prizes were lost.

Then we hauled down the Hag, at the fore it was red, And blue at the mizzen was hoisted instead By Nelson's famed Captain, the pride of each tar, Who fought in the 'Victory' off Cape Trafalgar.

{35}.

Northumberland

"The Old and Bold."

When England sets her banner forth And bids her armour s.h.i.+ne, She'll not forget the famous North, The lads of moor and Tyne; And when the loving-cup's in hand, And Honour leads the cry, They know not old Northumberland Who'll pa.s.s her memory by.

When Nelson sailed for Trafalgar With all his country's best, He held them dear as brothers are, But one beyond the rest.

For when the fleet with heroes manned To clear the decks began, The boast of old Northumberland He sent to lead the van.

Himself by 'Victory's' bulwarks stood And cheered to see the sight; "That n.o.ble fellow Collingwood, How bold he goes to fight!"

{36}.

Love, that the league of Ocean spanned; Heard him as face to face; "What would he give, Northumberland; To share our pride of place?"

The flag that goes the world around And flaps on every breeze Has never gladdened fairer ground Or kinder hearts than these.

So when the loving-cup's in hand And Honour leads the cry, They know not old Northumberland Who'll pa.s.s her memory by.

{37}.

'For a Trafalgar Cenotaph'

Lover of England, stand awhile and gaze With thankful heart, and lips refrained from praise; They rest beyond the speech of human pride Who served with Nelson and with Nelson died.

{38}.

Craven

(MOBILE BAY, 1864).

Over the turret, shut in his iron-clad tower, Craven was conning his s.h.i.+p through smoke and flame; Gun to gun he had battered the fort for an hour, Now was the time for a charge to end the game.

There lay the narrowing channel, smooth and grim, A hundred deaths beneath it, and never a sign; There lay the enemy's s.h.i.+ps, and sink or swim The flag was flying, and he was head of the line.

The fleet behind was jamming; the monitor hung Beating the stream; the roar for a moment hushed, Craven spoke to the pilot; slow she swung; Again he spoke, and right for the foe she rushed.

Into the narrowing channel, between the sh.o.r.e And the sunk torpedoes lying in treacherous rank; She turned but a yard too short, a m.u.f.fled roar, A mountainous wave, and she rolled, righted, and sank.

{39}.

Over the manhole, up in the iron-clad tower, Pilot and Captain met as they turned to fly: The hundredth part of a moment seemed an hour, For one could pa.s.s to be saved, and one must die.

They stood like men in a dream: Craven spoke, Spoke as he lived and fought, with a Captain's pride, "After you, Pilot:" the pilot woke, Down the ladder he went, and Craven died.

'All men praise the deed and the manner, but we-- We set it apart from the pride that stoops to the proud, The strength that is supple to serve the strong and free, The grace of the empty hands and promises loud:'

'Sidney thirsting a humbler need to slake, Nelson waiting his turn for the surgeon's hand, Lucas crushed with chains for a comrade's sake, Outram coveting right before command,'

'These were paladins, these were Craven's peers, These with him shall be crowned in story and song, Crowned with the glitter of steel and the glimmer of tears, Princes of courtesy, merciful, proud and strong.'

{40}.

'Messmates'

He gave us all a good-bye cheerily At the first dawn of day; We dropped him down the side full drearily When the light died away.

It's a dead dark watch that he's a-keeping there, And a long, long night that lags a-creeping there, Where the Trades and the tides roll over him And the great s.h.i.+ps go by.

He's there alone with green seas rocking him For a thousand miles round; He's there alone with dumb things mocking him, And we're homeward bound.

It's a long, lone watch that he's a-keeping there, And a dead cold night that lags a-creeping there, While the months and the years roll over him And the great s.h.i.+ps go by.

I wonder if the tramps come near enough As they thrash to and fro, And the battle-s.h.i.+ps' bells ring clear enough To be heard down below;

{41}.

If through all the lone watch that he's a-keeping there, And the long, cold night that lags a-creeping there, The voices of the sailor-men shall comfort him When the great s.h.i.+ps go by.

{42}.

'The Death of Admiral Blake'

(AUGUST 7TH, 1657).