long as a street;
And each of its eyelids--_without tellin' lies_--
Would have kivered an or'nary sheet.

"And now," said he, "may I _never speak agin_
If I'm a-tellin' yer wrong,
But the length o' that sarpint from head to tail
Warn't a _ninch_ under _ten mile long_,

"To the end of its tail there hung a great wale,
And a-ridin' on its back was sharks;
On the top of its head about two hundred seals
Was a-havin' no end of larks.

"Now, as to beleevin' of what I sez _next_
Yer can do as yer likes," sez he;
"But this 'ere sarpint, or whatever he was,
He ups and he _speaks_ to me.

"Sez the sarpint, sez he, in a voice like a clap
Of thunder, or a cannon's roar:
'Now say good-bye to the air and the sky
For you'll never see land no more.'

"I shivered like a sail wot's struck by a gale
And I downs on my bended knees;
And the tears rolls over my face like a sea,
And I shrieks like a gull in a breeze.

"Sez I, 'I'm an ainshunt old skipper, that's all,
And I ain't never done nuffin wrong.'
He sez, 'You old lubber, just stow that blubber,
I'm a-going fer to haul yer along.'

"Then he puts out a fin like a big barndoor--
Now this 'ere is real straight truth--
It sounds like a fable, but he tuk my bloomin' cable,
_And he tied it to his left front tooth!_

"In another second more, at the bottom of the sea
The _Crazy Jane_ was aground; Sez I,
'You oughter be ashamed of yerself,
It's a one-der as I wasn't drowned.'

"Then he calls on a porkeypine a-standin' quite near,
Sez he, 'Look arter this barge,'
'A-begging your pardon that's a _wessel_' I sez:
Sez he: 'Werry fine and large!'

"With one of hiz eye-lashes, thick as a rope,
He ties me on to his knoze,
Then down in a cave right under the sea
Like a flash of light we goes.

"He tuk me up to his wife, who was
A murmyaid with three tails;
She was havin' of her dinner, and perlitely she sez,
'Will you have some o' these 'er