The Voyageur and Other Poems | Page 9

on de bank-- 'Stead o' dat, some
lot'rie ticket, to see w'at I can do, An' purty soon I 'm findin' out dey 're
w'at you call de blank-- Wall! de bank she might bus' up
dere--somet'ing might go wrong-- Dem feller, w'en dey get it, mebbe
skip before de night-- Can't tell--den w'ere 's your money? So I sing ma
leetle song An' don't boder wit' de w'isky, an' again I feel all right, "Jus'
tak' your chance, an' try your luck."
If you 're goin' to mak' de marry, kip a look out on de eye, But no
matter how you 're careful, it was risky anyhow-- An' if you 're too
unlucky, jus' remember how you try
For gettin' dat poor woman,
dough she may have got you now-- All de sam', it sometam happen dat
your wife will pass away-- No use cryin', you can't help it--dere 's your
duty to you'se'f-- You don't need to ax de neighbor, dey will tell you
ev'ry day Start again lak hones' feller, for dere's plaintee woman lef'--
"Jus' tak' your chance, an' try your luck."
Poor man lak me, I 'm not'ing: only w'en election 's dere, An' ev'rybody
's waitin' to ketch you by de t'roat--
De money I be makin' den, wall!
dat was mon affaire--
An' affer all w'at diff'rence how de poor man
mak' de vote? So I do ma very bes'--me--wit' de wife an' familee--
On
de church door Sunday morning, you can see us all parade-- Len' a
frien' a half a dollar, an' never go on spree--
So w'en I 'm comin'

die--me--no use to be afraid--
"Jus' tak' your chance, an' try your
luck."
[Illustration: Border]
Champlain
"W'ere 'll we go?" says Pierre de Monts,[1]
To hese'f as he walk de
forwar' deck,
"For I got ma share of Trois Rivières
An' I never can
lak Kebeck--
Too moche Nort' Pole--maudit! it 's cole
Oh! la! la! de
win' blow too.
An' I 'm sure w'at I say, M'sieu Pontgravé
He know
very well it 's true.
But here 's de boat, an' we 're all afloat
A honder an' fifty ton--
An'
look at de lot of man we got,
No better beneat' de sun--
Provision,
too, for all de crew
An' pries' for to say de prayer,
So mes chers
amis, dey can easy see
De vessel mus' pass somew'ere.
If I only know de way to go
For findin' some new an' pleasan' lan',"

But jus' as he spik, he turn roun' quick,
An' dere on de front, sir, stan'
de Man.
"You was callin' me, I believe," says he,
As brave as a
lion--"Tiens!
W'en we reach de sea, an' de ship is free,
You can talk
wit' Samuel de Champlain." [2]
Wan look on hees eye an' he know for w'y
Young Samuel spik no
more,
So he shake hees han', an' say, "Young man,
Too bad you
don't come before;
But now you are here, we 'll geev' t'ree cheer,

An' away w'erever you want to go--
For I lak your look an' swear on
de Book
You 'll fin' de good frien' on Pierre de Monts."
So de sail 's set tight, an' de win' is right,
For it 's blowin' dem to de
wes'--
An' dey say deir prayer, for God knows w'ere
De anchor will
come to res'--
Adieu to de shore dey may see no more--
Good-bye
to de song an' dance--
De girl dey love, an' de star above
Kipin'
watch on de lan' of France.

Den it 's "Come below, M'sieu Pierre de Monts,"
Champlain he say to
de capitaine--
"An' I 'll tell to you, w'at I t'ink is true
Dough purty
hard, too, for understan'--
I dream a dream an' it alway seem
Dat
God hese'f he was say to me--
'Rise up, young man, de quick you can

An' sail your ship on de western sea.
"'De way may be long, an' de win' be strong,
An' wave sweep over de
leetle boat--
But never you min', an' you 're sure to fin',
If you trus'
in me, you will kip afloat.'
An' I tak' dat ship, an' I mak' de trip
All
on de dream I was tellin' you--
An' oh! if you see w'at appear to me,

I wonder w'at you was a-t'inkin' too?
"I come on de lan' w'ere dere 's no w'ite man--
I come on de shore
w'ere de grass is green--
An' de air is clear as de new-born year,
An'
of all I was see, dis lan's de Queen--
So I 'm satisfy if we only try

An' fin' if dere 's anyt'ing on ma dream,
An' I 'll show de way,"
Champlain is say--
Den Pierre de Monts he is answer heem,
"All right, young man, do de bes' you can--
So long you don't bring
me near Kebeck--
Or Trois Rivières, not moche I care,
An' I hope
your dream's comin' out correc'."
So de brave Champlain he was say,
"Tres bien,"
An' soon he was boss of de ship an' crew
An' pile on de
sail, wedder calm or gale--
Oh! dat is de feller know