Page:The Five Nations.djvu/103

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.
PHARAOH AND THE SERGEANT
83

Said England unto Pharaoh, "Though at present singing small,
You shall hum a proper tune before it ends,"
And she introduced old Pharaoh to the Sergeant once for all,
And left 'em in the desert making friends.
It was not a Crystal Palace nor Cathedral;
It was not a public-house of common fame;
But a piece of red-hot sand, with a palm on either hand,
And a little hut for Sergeant Whatisname.


Said England unto Pharaoh, "You've had miracles before,
When Aaron struck your rivers into blood;
But if you watch the Sergeant he can show you something more,
He's a charm for making riflemen from mud."
It was neither Hindustani, French, nor Coptics;

It was odds and ends and leavings of the same,