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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 2

The Rival Knights

The Rival Knights.

(An Historical Ballad, thranslated from the Maori of me frind Sir George, and set to mether).

"Ho! varlet, bring me coat o' mail (not oat mail, d'ye see),
An' bring me shield an' cuirass here, an' buckle them on me,
Take down me thrusty soord—no, no, I mane me Maori spear,
I charge ye, Squire, to hurry up, me foe will soon be here.

Ho! varlet, martial all me min, the chieftain o' Clan Mac,
An' brave Sir Rob, that haro Stout, wid Satan at his back—
Av course I don't mane Bilzibub, but Caversham's proud knight;
Och! be the mortial Gob! me boys, I'm aiger for the fight.

page 9

Call out the Taieri Baron (I am lanin' on a Reed),
An' bring Count Shrimski to the front—he'll prove a frind in need,
Prince De Latour from Ida's Mount, an' Johnny Sheehan too,
An' the Milesian chief, O' Rorke; huroo! me boys, huroo!

Great Reader Wood, an' Bunny too, are on our gallant, roll;
An' Eden, that celestial place, for us now pays a Tole;
Bould Thomson, from the Clutha's banks is loyal to the core;
An' Murray, from the shire o' Bruce, is rushin' to the fore.

Och! tare an onus! me thrusty squire, that varmint has come back,
The fightin' little huntsman o' the Abolition pack,
That thraitor loon, Sir Julius, has landed from the Say;
Faix! we will beat him black and blue as sure as I am Grey.

Now, by the bones av all the slain in Cairn, in Pah, an' Kaik!
Brave Opposition warriors, I call on ye to sthrike
For freedom an' the Provinces, wid swift avengin' flame,
Or else the tyrant Julius will spoil our little game.

Ye chiefs, ye braves, ye pathriots, what has this tyrant done!
He's robbed us av our grievances, till 'pon me soul we've none;
He's made New Zayland prosper, boys, in counthry an' in town;
And shall we stand such tyranny? down with the despot! down.

He's fought the people's battles, boys, and never took a bribe;
But we will hurl him from his throne, though Ross should send a Tribe
To face our valiant phalanx, we'll make the tyrant yield,
Though Sleepy Hollow has again a 'Richmond in the field.'"

'Twas thus the Knight o' Kawau spake, and to his squire did say,
Whin first he heard that Ju-li-us was in Port Philip Bay;
So I invoked the tindher Muse from Mount Parnassus high,
An' wove this chaste an' simple lay; so now dear boys, good-bye.

Paddy Murphy.

Lambton Kay, Wellin'ton,