FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118  
119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   >>  
exalt His Name, An' praise His Holy Majesty till further orders came. He saved me from the cattle an' He saved me from the sea, For they found me 'tween two drownded ones where the roll had landed me -- An' a four-inch crack on top of my head, as crazy as could be. But that were done by a stanchion, an' not by a bullock at all, An' I lay still for seven weeks convalessing of the fall, An' readin' the shiny Scripture texts in the Seaman's Hospital. An' I spoke to God of our Contract, an' He says to my prayer: "I never puts on My ministers no more than they can bear. So back you go to the cattle-boats an' preach My Gospel there. "For human life is chancy at any kind of trade, But most of all, as well you know, when the steers are mad-afraid; So you go back to the cattle-boats an' preach 'em as I've said. "They must quit drinkin' an' swearin', they mustn't knife on a blow, They must quit gamblin' their wages, and you must preach it so; For now those boats are more like Hell than anything else I know." I didn't want to do it, for I knew what I should get, An' I wanted to preach Religion, handsome an' out of the wet, But the Word of the Lord were lain on me, an' I done what I was set. I have been smit an' bruis]\ed, as warned would be the case, An' turned my cheek to the smiter exactly as Scripture says; But following that, I knocked him down an' led him up to Grace. An' we have preaching on Sundays whenever the sea is calm, An' I use no knife or pistol an' I never take no harm, For the Lord abideth back of me to guide my fighting arm. An' I sign for four-pound-ten a month and save the money clear, An' I am in charge of the lower deck, an' I never lose a steer; An' I believe in Almighty God an' preach His Gospel here. The skippers say I'm crazy, but I can prove 'em wrong, For I am in charge of the lower deck with all that doth belong -- _Which they would not give to a lunatic, and the competition so strong!_ ANCHOR SONG Heh! Walk her round. Heave, ah heave her short again! Over, snatch her over, there, and hold her on the pawl. Loose all sail, and brace your yards back and full -- Ready jib to pay her off and heave short all! Well, ah fare you well; we can stay no more with you, my love -- Down, set down your liquor and your girl from off your knee; For the wind has come to say: "You mus
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118  
119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   >>  



Top keywords:
preach
 

cattle

 

Gospel

 
charge
 

Scripture

 

Almighty

 

belong

 

skippers

 
orders

pistol
 

preaching

 

Sundays

 

abideth

 

fighting

 

ANCHOR

 

liquor

 

lunatic

 

competition


strong

 
Majesty
 
snatch
 

praise

 
steers
 

afraid

 

chancy

 

gamblin

 

swearin


drinkin
 
stanchion
 

Seaman

 
ministers
 

prayer

 

Hospital

 

Contract

 

readin

 

bullock


convalessing

 

warned

 

knocked

 

drownded

 

smiter

 

turned

 

Religion

 
handsome
 

wanted


landed