By the bank of a river,
A heron walked out,
And in it were sporting,
Pike, mackerel and trout.
Now these fish with great ease,
Our bird might have caught,
But I'll wait till I'm hungry
The silly bird thought.
At last came his appetite,
"Now I'll eat," the bird cries,
And some tench from the bottom,
Just then he saw rise.
"But these are not good enough
At this time of day,"
And he waited for better
Till all swam away.
At eve almost starved
When all other means fail,
He was right glad to sup
On a poor little snail.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE BLACKAMOOR AND HER
MISTRESS.
A foolish young lady,
Took one of her maids,
Who chanced to be black
As the ace of spades,
And said she'd have her washed white,
By the other maids;
She was put in a tub,
And with water and towels
Her skin they did rub,
Through a long summer day till the night;
But the more they did rub her,
The blacker she got;
And while they did scrub her,
She mourned her hard lot.
So the maids threw away
All their labor and care,
And the mistress gave up
Her fine scheme in despair.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]