“Wall,” said Mose Brown, “I ’low that that escape From the derned cruiser was a blame close shave, And I myself once in as bad a scrape Was lifted out by one big thumping wave On the same line of coast—or thereabout, Since it was off the Bight—that’s old Benin— Where as the sayin’ is, ‘but one goes out Of all a hundred strangers who go in.’ It ain’t so healthy quite—to be exact— As ’tis in Colorado high and dry, Where they send invalids—it is a fact— Off to some other country for to die; Excuse me, gents, for keepin’ you so long, Now I’ll proceed to let you hev my song.” ROLLING OVER[4] It was upon a Boston brig, and that was in the Fall, Our barky she was light as a gig, for our lading was but small; And it was in the American War as we were sailing thus, When we saw a steamer from afar, and knew she was after us. _Chorus._ Rolling over, rolling over, rolling on. The roaring waves they came, Like water into fire all gone, For the sea was all of a flame. Now I have often seen by dark the sea a-burning bright, But nothing did I yet remark like what it was that night, And the wake we left behind us as we sailed for many an hour, Was like a fiery serpent who was chasing to devour. And then the captain made a speech to us a-standing round, And said: “’Fore I’ll be taken I’ll be damned if I don’t be drowned; Yet if you will be plucky, men, and likewise well behaved, We’ve got one chance in a thousand yet, but what we may be saved. “About ten miles to leeward there lies the Guinea land, And for fifty miles before it clear a narrow bar of sand; And if we find a deepish place—as such of them there are— It just is barely possible that we may clear the bar.” Then we gave three cheers for our old man because we liked his dash, And allowed ere we’d go to prison that we all would go to smash; So then we set the wheel up with the steamer coming down, And never a man did care a damn if he was going to drown. Now as we came unto the bar I happened to remark A spot among the waves on which the water it was dark; And I showed it to the captain, who saw the place was fit, And hollered to the helmsman to steer her straight for it. Now just as we were working to this very closest shave, There came by Heaven’s mercy a tremendous booming wave, Which gave the barky such a lift, thanks to our lucky star, That though we felt the bottom scrape—by God we crossed the bar!