ne night, a restless Brownie band
Resolved to leave their native strand,
And visit islands fair and green,
That in the distance might be seen.
In answer to a summons wide,
The Brownies came from every side—
A novel spectacle they made,
All mustered in the forest shade.
With working implements they came,
Of every fashion, use, and name.
Said one, "How many times have we
Surveyed those islands in the sea,
And longed for means to thither sail
And ramble over hill and vale!
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| Carrying | That pleasure rare we may command,
Without the aid of human hand.
And ere the faintest streak of gray
Has advertised the coming day,
A sturdy craft, both tough and tall,
With masts and halyards, shrouds and all,
With sails to spread, and helm to guide,
Completed from the ways shall glide.
So exercise your mystic power
And make the most of every hour!"
| With axes, hammers, saws, and rules,
Dividers, squares, and boring tools,
The active Brownies scattered 'round,
And every one his labor found. | Some fell to chopping down the trees, And some to hewing ribs and knees;
While more the ponderous keelson made, And fast the shapely hull was laid.
Then over all they clambered soon,
Like bees around their hive in June.
'T was hammer, hammer, here and there, And rip and racket everywhere,
| Chopping down trees |
| hammering | While some were spiking planks and beams,
The calkers stuffed the yawning seams,
And poured the resin left and right,
To make her stanch and water-tight.
Some busily were bringing nails,
And bolts of canvas for the sails,
And coils of rope of every size
To make the ratlines, shrouds, and guys.
| It mattered little whence it came,
Or who a loss of stock might claim;
Supply kept even with demand,
Convenient to the rigger's hand.
'T was marvelous to see how fast
The vessel was together cast; Until, with all its rigs and stays,
It sat prepared to leave the ways.
It but remained to name it now,
And break a bottle on the bow,
To knock the wedges from the side,
And from the keel, and let it slide.
| Christening | And when it rode upon the sea,
The Brownies thronged the deck with glee,
And veering 'round in proper style,
They bore away for nearest isle. | Dropping the hammer | But those who will the ocean brave
Should be prepared for wind and wave
For storms will rise, as many know,
When least we look for squall or blow
And soon the sky was overcast,
And waves were running high and fast;
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| Sitting down sad | Then some were sick and some were filled
With fears that all their ardor chilled;
But, as when dangers do assail
The humankind, though some may quail,
There will be found a few to face
The danger, and redeem the race,—
| | So, some brave Brownies nobly stood And manned the ship as best they could. Some staid on deck to sound for bars; Some went aloft to watch for stars; And some around the rudder hung, And here and there the vessel swung, While, others, strung on yard and mast, Kept shifting sails to suit the blast.
At times, the bow was high in air, And next the stern was lifted there. | working on the mast | | over the yard arm | So thus it tumbled, tossed, and rolled,
And shipped enough to fill the hold,
Till more than once it seemed as though
To feed the fish they all must go.
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| At sea | But still they bravely tacked and veered,
And hauled, and reefed, and onward steered;
While screaming birds around them wheeled,
As if to say: "Your doom is sealed";
And hungry gar and hopeful shark
In shoals pursued the creaking bark,
Still wondering how it braved a gale
That might have made Columbus pale.
The rugged island, near them now,
Was looming on their starboard bow;
But knowing not the proper way
Of entering its sheltered bay,
They simply kept their canvas spread,
And steered the vessel straight ahead.
The birds were distanced in the race;
The gar and shark gave up the chase,
And turning back, forsook the keel,
And lost their chances of a meal.
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Sailing Now, Brownies lack the power, 'tis said,
Of making twice what once they've made;
So all their efforts were in vain
To build and launch the ship again;—
And on that island, roaming 'round,
That Brownie band for years was found.
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