Go and do your best endeavour, Such expressions don’t appear, And before all links we sever Tarantara! tarantara! We will say farewell for ever; Calculated men to cheer, Go to glory and the grave. Tarantara! For your foes are fierce and Who are going to their fate, ruthless, Tarantara! tarantara! False, unmerciful and truthless. In a highly nervous state. Young and tender, old and Tarantara! toothless, We observe too great a stress, All in vain their mercy crave. Tarantara! tarantara! On the risks that on us press, Tarantara! And of reference a lack, Tarantara! tarantara! To our chance of coming back. Tarantara! [_MABEL tears herself from FREDERIC and exit, followed by her sisters, consoling her. The GENERAL and others follow the _Police_ off. FREDERIC remains._ RECITATIVE.--FREDERIC. Now for the pirate’s lair! Oh, joy unbounded! Oh, sweet relief! Oh, rapture unexampled! At last I may atone, in some slight measure, For the repeated acts of theft and pillage Which, at a sense of duty’s stern dictation, I, circumstance’s victim, have been guilty. [_The PIRATE KING and RUTH appear at the window armed._ _King._ Young Frederic! (_Covering him with pistol._) _Fred._ Who calls? _King._ Your late commander! (_Coming down._) _Ruth._ And I, your little Ruth! (_Covering him with pistol._) _Fred._ Oh, mad intruders, How dare ye face me? Know ye not, oh rash ones, That I have doomed you to extermination? [_KING and RUTH hold a pistol to each ear._ _King._ Have mercy on us, hear us, ere you slaughter. _Fred._ I do not think I ought to listen to you. Yet, mercy should alloy our stern resentment, And so I will be merciful--say on. TRIO.--RUTH, KING, AND FRED. When first you left our pirate fold We tried to cheer our spirits faint, According to our customs old, With quips and quibbles quaint. But all in vain the quips we heard, We lay and sobbed upon the rocks, Until to somebody occurred A curious paradox. _Fred._ A paradox! _King_ (_laughing_). A paradox. _Ruth._ A most ingenious paradox. We’ve quips and quibbles heard in flocks, But none to beat this paradox! Ha! ha! ha! ha! ho! ho! ho! ho!