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Arthur and Elsie every day
Learned their geography,
And after lessons loved to play
At sending ships to sea.
They used, instead of little boats,
A thing that does as well,
A vessel that securely floats--
An empty walnut shell.
No wonder that this little pair
Would oft indulge the notion
That walnut shells real vessels were,
And washing-tubs the ocean.
And often when they were in bed
Their brains began to teem,
Until upon this wondrous voyage
They started in a dream.
For mast and sail to stand the gale
They chose a pretty feather;
The walnut shell rode monstrous well
Through very boisterous weather.
They had no meat or bread to eat,
And not a drop of tea;
They thought fried fish to meet their wish
Would follow in their lee.
Their ship flew fast before the blast;
They reached the arctic snow.
"Hurrah for ice!"
They cried; "it's nice,
Although the north wind blows.
For here a seal
Provides a meal,
Our coats, our hats, our hose."
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At last they thought they might arrange
A very comfortable change.
"Hurrah!" cried Arthur; "off we go;
We'll run down to the Hoang-Ho."
And on they went where might be seen
All sorts of tea, both black and green,
And figures like a Chinese screen,
Pagodas, chopsticks, tails,
Umbrellas, junks, and tiny shoes,
And they were carried on bamboos,
By men whose shoulders feel no bruise,
Across the hills and dales.
One day a condor seized the shell,
The little travellers as well,
And flew with speed terrific
Toward an island in the sea,
Which Arthur said was sure to be
(I said they knew geography)
Somewhere in the Pacific.
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A cheap excursion, was it not,
To such a very charming spot
That seemed quite free from dangers?
For there they lived a life of ease,
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Whilst apes politely climbed the trees
For nuts to give the strangers.
Then sailing on some thousand miles,
Where spices scent the breeze,
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They passed among the coral isles
That crowd the Southern seas.
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They cross the calm of tropic heat,
In solitude the most complete,
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Where the mirage in strange surprise
Makes Elsie open wondering eyes.
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And now they stand on India's strand,
This young and dauntless pair,
To beard the leopard, as they thought,
And tiger in his lair.
For Elsie said, "No beast can face
An opened parasol,
And Arthur in the surest place
Can make a bullet-hole."
But soon the children thought it best
To put to sea once more;
And Elsie steered still further west,
As she had steered before,
While Arthur opened out his chest
By tugging at the oar.
A sudden wind arose at last;
The walnut shell before the blast
Across the tropics flew;
But Arthur, till the simoom passed
(That wind of course he knew)
And daring Elsie held on fast,
When safe on Afric's coast were cast
The walnut shell and crew.
And when the little folks were bent
To cross the black man's continent,
"The ostriches shall find us legs,"
Cried Arthur; "they can run."
Said Elsie, "Yes; and lay us eggs;
I'll fry them in the sun."
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They travelled through the desert land,
And yet were brisk and merry,
Though Arthur's eyes were full of sand,
And Elsie's little face was tanned
As brown as autumn berry.
From crocodiles which had not dined
Bold Arthur never shrinks,
While Elsie tries to call to mind
Some riddles for the Sphinx.
And journeying onward safe and sound
With never pause nor hitch,
Their way through the Canal they found,
With wonderment so rich.
They saw big vessels outward-bound
(That only sometimes ran aground)
Go steaming through _the ditch_.
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Through foam and rapids safe they came.
And thought a whirlpool very tame.
Yet Arthur's strength was still the same,
And Elsie's face was all aflame
At ventures so romantic;
And Arthur never ceased to row
Till turtles took the shell in tow
Across the broad Atlantic.
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At home once more; and all the town
Talks of the walnut shell's renown.
Arthur is pensioned by the crown,
And all his travels written down,
Their wonder and variety.
And little Elsie, too, is proud;
Her pluck and knowledge are allowed
By very wise society.
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[Illustration: AN EASTER CAROL.]