E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 15370-h.htm or 15370-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/5/3/7/15370/15370-h/15370-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/5/3/7/15370/15370-h.zip) BAB BALLADS AND SAVOY SONGS by W. H. GILBERT Philadelphia Henry Altemus [Illustration: BAB BALLADS AND SAVOY SONGS [Illustration] CONTENTS The Yarn of the "Nancy Bell" Captain Reece The Bishop and the Busman The Folly of Brown The Three Kings of Chickeraboo The Bishop of Rum-ti-Foo To the Terrestrial Globe General John Sir Guy the Crusader King Borria Bungalee Boo The Troubadour The Force of Argument Only a Dancing Girl The Sensation Captain The Periwinkle Girl Bob Polter Gentle Alice Brown Ben Allah Achmet The Englishman The Disagreeable Man The Modern Major-General The Heavy Dragoon Only Roses They'll None of 'Em Be Missed The Policeman's Lot An Appeal Eheu Fugaces--! A Recipe The First Lord's Song When a Merry Maiden Marries The Suicide's Grave He and She The Lord Chancellor's Song Willow Waly The Usher's Charge King Goodheart The Tangled Skein Girl Graduates The Ape and the Lady Sans Souci The British Tar The Coming Bye and Bye The Sorcerer's Song Speculation The Duke of Plaza-Toro The Reward of Merit When I First Put This Uniform On Said I to Myself, Said I The Family Fool The Philosophic Pill The Contemplative Sentry Sorry Her Lot The Judge's Song True Diffidence The Highly Respectable Gondolier Don't Forget The Darned Mounseer The Humane Mikado The House of Peers The AEsthete Proper Pride The Baffled Grumbler The Working Monarch The Rover's Apology Would You Know The Magnet and the Churn Braid the Raven Hair Is Life a Boon? A Mirage A Merry Madrigal The Love-Sick Boy THE BAB BALLADS. THE YARN OF THE "NANCY BELL." 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man. His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, In a singular minor key: "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold, And the mate of the _Nancy_ brig, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig." And he shook his fists and he tore his hair. Till I really felt afraid; For I couldn't help thinking the man had been drinking, And so I simply said: "Oh, elderly man it's little I know Of the duties of men of the sea, And I'll eat my hand if I understand How you can possibly be "At once a cook, and a captain bold, And the mate of the _Nancy_ brig, And a bo'sun tight and a midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig."