HE's alway ketchin' dore, an' he's alway ketchin' trout On de place w'ere no wan else can ketch at all He's alway ketchin' barbotte, dat's w'at you call bull-pout, An' he never miss de wil' duck on de fall. O! de pa'tridge do some skippin' w'en she see heem on de swamp For she know Bateese don't go for not'ing dere, An' de rabbit if he's comin', wall! you ought to see heem jomp. W'y he want to climb de tree he feel so scare. Affer two hour by de reever I hear hees leetle song Den I meet heem all hees pocket full of snipe, An' me, I go de sam' place, an' I tramp de w'ole day long An' I'm only shootin' two or t'ree, Ba Cripe! I start about de sun-rise, an' I put out ma decoy, An' I see Bateese he sneak along de shore, An' before it's comin' breakfas', he's holler on hees boy For carry home two dozen duck or more. An' I'm freezin' on de blin' -- me -- from four o'clock to nine An' ev'ry duck she's passin' up so high. Dere's blue-bill an' butter-ball, an' red-head, de fines' kin An' I might as well go shootin' on de sky. Don't see de noder feller lak Bateese was lucky man, He can ketch de smartes' feesh is never sweem, An' de bird he seldom miss dem, let dem try de hard dey can W'y de eagle on de mountain can't fly away from heem. But all de bird, an' feesh too, is geev' up feelin' scare, An' de rabbit he can stay at home in bed, For he feesh an' shoot no longer, ole Jean Bateese Belair, 'Cos he's dead. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND HELL by WILLIAM BLAKE THE END OF IT by FRANCIS THOMPSON HYMN, COMPOSED FOR THE CHILDREN OF A SUNDAY SCHOOL by BERNARD BARTON THE NEW HUDIBRAS by CHARLES WILLIAM BRODRIBB THE VISION OF THE ARCHANGELS by RUPERT BROOKE |