172 WILD-FOWL AND SEA-FOWL OF GREAT BRITAIN 



" Here she is ! What luck ? Twelve gathered ! " 

 " Yes," cried a voice, "an' two dropped ashore. 

 Here they are. Seven couple o' geese ! Hooray ! " 

 After everything had been made right, the party 

 returned to the public-house. Very late at night, or 

 indeed it may have been early in the next morning, 

 Coleman was heard cheering the hearts of the 

 company with songs of a warlike character. One 

 chorus in particular was much appreciated — 



" For matchless was he that ruled the seas ; 

 His name like his fame 

 Immortal shall be.'' 



This was followed by the " Pirate of the Isles," a 

 ditty of the most ferocious words sung to a very 

 heartrending tune. But the grand piece of the 

 evening — for, as one of the party said, " the old boy 

 was crowding on canvas '*' — was the " Mutiny at the 

 Nore," which was given with great expression and 

 feeling. I shall never forget it as long as I live, for 

 the old boy looked graver than any owl could 

 possibly look, even if it were to try its best, and 

 this was the chorus — 



" Parker he was hung for mutiny, 

 That's a thing you can't deny ; 

 In a coach an' four they went to London, 

 'Cos poor Parker shouldn't die." 



If those gentlemen-fowlers are alive now, and 

 indeed I sincerely hope they are, they may guess 

 who the writer of these pages is, for he was one of 

 the party on that occasion. 



