Being a Facsimile (Slightly Reduced) of the Cover of Allison's First Opera Pursued and Captured By a Jinx. FROM THE OLD "PROMPT" BOOK Page (slightly reduced) From "The Mouse and the Garter," Showing Allison's Characteristic Penciled Notations. "A PIRATICAL BALLAD" (Words and Music) Facsimile in Miniature of the First Printed Verses of "Derelict" Published and Copyrighted by William A. Pond & Co., 1891. * * * * * Together With Certain Letters and Memoranda, Proofs, Mss., etc., About "Fifteen Dead Men," in Facsimile of Young E. Allison's Characteristic Handwriting, which are to be Found in a "Pocket" in the Inside Back Cover of This Volume. A WORD SAID BEFOREHAND If a careless and uninformed writer in _The New York Times Book Review_ had not hazarded the speculation in his columns that it was very doubtful if Young Ewing Allison wrote the famous poem "Fifteen Men on the Dead Man's Chest," the creation and perfection of which took him through a period of about six years, the idea of undertaking a sketch of him and the stuff he has done might never have occurred to me. While not exactly thankful to the New York editor, I have abandoned a blood-thirsty raid on his sanctum and a righteous indignation has been dissipated in the serene pleasure I have found in expressing an appreciation of Allison's genius in this private volume for our friends. God bless the Old Scout! In all of our intimate years there has been such a complete understanding between us that spoken words have been largely unnecessary, and so the opportunity of saying publicly what has ever been in my heart, is a rare one, eagerly seized. C. I. H. Louisville, November, 1914. _THIS VOLUME IS INSCRIBED TO HER WHOSE FAITH IN ME AND LOVE FOR ME NEVER WANED_ [Illustration] DERELICT A Reminiscence of "Treasure Island" YOUNG E. ALLISON _Fifteen men on the dead man's chest-- Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum! Drink and the devil had done for the rest-- Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!_ (_Cap'n Billy Bones his song._) Fifteen men on the dead man's chest-- Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum! Drink and the devil had done for the rest-- Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum! The mate was fixed by the bos'n's pike, The bos'n brained with a marlinspike And Cookey's throat was marked belike It had been gripped By fingers ten; And there they lay, All good dead men, Like break-o'-day in a boozing-ken-- Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum! * * * * *