Bronco dams they ran by on the ranges of the prairies, Heard the chicken drumming in the scented saskatoon, Saw the jewel humming-birds, the flocks of pale canaries, Heard the coyotes dirging to the ruddy Northern moon; Woolly foals, leggy foals, foals that romped and wrestled, Rolled in beds of golden-rod and charged to mimic fights, Saw the frosty Bear wink out and comfortably nestled Close beside their vixen dams beneath the wizard Lights. Far from home and overseas, older now--and wiser, Branded with the arrow brand, broke to trace and bit, Tugging up the grey guns "to strafe the blooming Kaiser," Up the hill to Kemmel, where the Mauser bullets spit; Stiffened with the cold rains, mired and tired and gory, Plunging through the mud-holes as the batteries advance, Far from home and overseas--but battling on to glory With the English eighteen-pounders and the soixante-quinzes of France! * * * * * AT THE PLAY. "Mrs. Pretty and the Premier." I am not sure that I didn't find Mr. Bourchier's "Foreword" or Apologia (kindly given away with the programme) rather more entertaining than the play itself. As long as the dramatist (a New Zealander) concerned himself with the delightfully unconventional atmosphere of Antipodean politics he was illuminating and very possibly veracious. But the relations between the _Premier_ and the widow _Pretty_, which promised, as the title hinted, to be the main attraction, were such as never could have occurred on land or sea. It was impossible, with this farcical element always obtruding itself, to take the political features of the play seriously, as I gather that we were intended to do; and we got very little help from Mr. Bourchier's own performance, which was frankly humorous. In his brochure he tells us with great solemnity that he is "more than pleased to think that the play may help to demonstrate to those of an older civilisation how truly the best of the so-called Labour politicians strive to serve their country and their fellow men.... Premier 'Bill' demonstrates vividly enough that, heart and soul, the Australian politician devotes himself to the uplifting of the great Commonwealth." Mr. Bourchier's tongue may or may not have been in his cheek when he penned these lofty sentiments, but anyhow it seemed to be there during most of the play.