Transcribed from the 1920 Macmillan and Co edition of “The Bab Ballads”, also from “Fifty Bab Ballads” 1884 George Routledge and Sons edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org [Picture: Public domain cover] MORE BAB BALLADS CONTENTS THE BUMBOAT WOMAN’S STORY 214 THE TWO OGRES 221 LITTLE OLIVER 229 MISTER WILLIAM 235 PASHA BAILEY BEN 242 LIEUTENANT-COLONEL FLARE 248 LOST MR. BLAKE 256 THE BABY’S VENGEANCE 265 THE CAPTAIN AND THE MERMAIDS 273 ANNIE PROTHEROE 280 AN UNFORTUNATE LIKENESS 287 GREGORY PARABLE, LL.D. 294 THE KING OF CANOODLE-DUM 301 FIRST LOVE 309 BRAVE ALUM BEY 317 SIR BARNABY BAMPTON BOO 324 THE MODEST COUPLE 330 THE MARTINET 338 THE SAILOR BOY TO HIS LASS 348 THE REVEREND SIMON MAGUS 356 DAMON _V._ PYTHIAS 363 MY DREAM 368 THE BISHOP OF RUM-TI-FOO AGAIN 376 A WORM WILL TURN 383 THE HAUGHTY ACTOR 391 THE TWO MAJORS 399 EMILY, JOHN, JAMES, AND I 405 THE PERILS OF INVISIBILITY 413 OLD PAUL AND OLD TIM 420 THE MYSTIC SELVAGEE 426 THE CUNNING WOMAN 433 PHRENOLOGY 440 THE FAIRY CURATE 446 THE WAY OF WOOING 454 HONGREE AND MAHRY 460 ETIQUETTE 541 THE BUMBOAT WOMAN’S STORY I’M old, my dears, and shrivelled with age, and work, and grief, My eyes are gone, and my teeth have been drawn by Time, the Thief! For terrible sights I’ve seen, and dangers great I’ve run— I’m nearly seventy now, and my work is almost done! Ah! I’ve been young in my time, and I’ve played the deuce with men! I’m speaking of ten years past—I was barely sixty then: My cheeks were mellow and soft, and my eyes were large and sweet, POLL PINEAPPLE’S eyes were the standing toast of the Royal Fleet! A bumboat woman was I, and I faithfully served the ships With apples and cakes, and fowls, and beer, and halfpenny dips, And beef for the generous mess, where the officers dine at nights, And fine fresh peppermint drops for the rollicking midshipmites. Of all the kind commanders who anchored in Portsmouth Bay, By far the sweetest of all was kind LIEUTENANT BELAYE.’ LIEUTENANT BELAYE commanded the gunboat _Hot Cross Bun_, She was seven and thirty feet in length, and she carried a gun.