All around that rainbow-Nautilus rippled the bloom of a thousand roses, Nay, but the sparkle of fairy sea-nymphs breasting a fairy-like sea of wine, Swimming around it in murmuring thousands, with white arms tossing; till--all that _we_ knows is The light went out, and the night was dark, and the grapes had burst and their juice was--brine! _And the vines that bound our bodies round Were plain wet ropes that clung, Squeezing the light out o' fifty pirates When the world was young!_ Over the seas in the pomp of dawn a king's ship came with her proud flag flying. Cloud upon cloud we watched her tower with her belts and her crowded zones of sail; And an A.B. perched in a white crow's nest, with a brass-rimmed spy-glass quietly spying, As we swallowed the lumps in our choking throats and uttered our last faint feeble hail! _And our heads went round as the ship went round, And we thought how coves had swung: All for playing at broad-sheet pirates When the world was young!_ Half a hundred trembling corsairs, all cut loose, but a trifle giddy, We lands on their trim white decks at last and the bo'sun he whistles us good hot grog, And we tries to confess, but there wasn't a soul from the Admiral's self to the gold-laced middy But says, "They're delirious still, poor chaps," and the Cap'n he enters the fact in his log, _That his boat's crew found us nearly drowned In a barrel without a bung-- Half a hundred suffering sea-cooks When the world was young!_ So we sailed by Execution Dock, where the swinging pirates haughty and scornful Rattled their chains, and on Margate beach we came like a school-treat safe to land; And one of us took to religion at once; and the rest of the crew, tho' their hearts were mournful, Capered about as Christy Minstrels, while Hook conducted the big brass band. _And the sun went round, and the moon went round, And, O, 'twas a thought that stung! There was none to believe we were broad-sheet pirates When the world was young!_ Ah, yet (if ye stand me a noggin of rum) shall the old Blue Dolphin echo the story! We'll hoist the white cross-bones again in our palmy harbour of Caribbee! We'll wave farewell to our brown-skinned lasses and, chorussing out to the billows of glory, Billows a-glitter with rum and gold, we'll follow the sunset over the sea! _While earth goes round, let rum go round! O, sing it as we sung! Half a hundred terrible pirates When the world was young!_ THE NEWSPAPER BOY I