 | The collected works of Ambrose Bierce |  |
A NAVAL METHOD
Captain Purvis, for aught we know,
Never slew a Filipino;
Played exceeding well at polo,
But invited not the bolo.
Though his form was big and burly,
And his fist was hard and knurly,
And his cocktail hour came early,
Yet he was devoid of thirst
For the blood of the accurst,
Inconsiderate Tagallo
(Seas of gore, however shallow,
He regarded very lightly,
As inutile and unsightly);
So he did not much frequent
That insurrectionary gent.
Never slew a Filipino;
Played exceeding well at polo,
But invited not the bolo.
Though his form was big and burly,
And his fist was hard and knurly,
And his cocktail hour came early,
Yet he was devoid of thirst
For the blood of the accurst,
Inconsiderate Tagallo
(Seas of gore, however shallow,
100
As inutile and unsightly);
So he did not much frequent
That insurrectionary gent.
Captain Purvis went a-scouting
(Truth to tell, he took an outing)—
Found a Filipino sleeping,
Bound and took him into keeping.
Calling Sergeant-Major Gump,
They conveyed him to a pump,
Laid him on his back beneath,
With his tongue between his teeth.
Said the captain: “We'll not thump him,
But he is a spy—we'll pump him.
That's our duty; information,
Secrets useful to the nation,
We'll wring from him. Tell me, sir,
Tell me truly, why a cur
Wags its tail—and, furthermore,
When a door is not a door.”
(Truth to tell, he took an outing)—
Found a Filipino sleeping,
Bound and took him into keeping.
Calling Sergeant-Major Gump,
They conveyed him to a pump,
Laid him on his back beneath,
With his tongue between his teeth.
Said the captain: “We'll not thump him,
But he is a spy—we'll pump him.
That's our duty; information,
Secrets useful to the nation,
We'll wring from him. Tell me, sir,
Tell me truly, why a cur
Wags its tail—and, furthermore,
When a door is not a door.”
But that person obstinacious
Answered, with a look ungracious,
That he'd see them (he was witty)
Both in Helfurst—that's a city
In Silesia, I suppose,
Where no proper person goes.
So they pumped him full of water—
Son of Temperance, or Daughter,
Ne'er was half so full as that,
Nor any poison-fevered rat
Trying with a fervor frantic
To abolish the Atlantic.
Yes, that Filipino bloated
Till his snowy liver floated
Like a lily on a pond.
And his soul to the Beyond
Drifted on the strong, full tide,
“By word of mouth,” from his inside.
Answered, with a look ungracious,
That he'd see them (he was witty)
Both in Helfurst—that's a city
101
Where no proper person goes.
So they pumped him full of water—
Son of Temperance, or Daughter,
Ne'er was half so full as that,
Nor any poison-fevered rat
Trying with a fervor frantic
To abolish the Atlantic.
Yes, that Filipino bloated
Till his snowy liver floated
Like a lily on a pond.
And his soul to the Beyond
Drifted on the strong, full tide,
“By word of mouth,” from his inside.
Captain Purvis being duly
Tried, the President said: “Truly,
He's a water-warrior; he
Would more fitly serve at sea.”
So the Navy broke his fall—
Rearest-Admiral of all!
By his ironclad desk he's sitting,
Sometimes writing, sometimes knitting,
For he's Chief (and that's enough)
Of the Bureau of Plum Duff.
Tried, the President said: “Truly,
He's a water-warrior; he
Would more fitly serve at sea.”
So the Navy broke his fall—
Rearest-Admiral of all!
By his ironclad desk he's sitting,
Sometimes writing, sometimes knitting,
For he's Chief (and that's enough)
Of the Bureau of Plum Duff.
1902.
| The collected works of Ambrose Bierce | |