Withthebulletskickin’dust-spotsonthegreen。
Whenthecartridgesranout,Youcouldhearthefront-filesshout,“Hi!ammunition-mulesan’GungaDin!”
Ishan’tforgitthenightWhenIdroppedbe’indthefightWithabulletwheremybelt-plateshould’a’been。
Iwaschokin’madwiththirst,An’themanthatspiedmefirstWasourgoodoldgrinnin’,gruntin’GungaDin。
’Eliftedupmy’ead,An’hepluggedmewhereIbled,An’’eguvme’arf-a-pinto’water-green:
Itwascrawlin’anditstunk,ButofallthedrinksI’vedrunk,I’mgratefullesttoonefromGungaDin。
Itwas“Din!Din!Din!
’Ere’sabeggarwithabulletthrough’isspleen;
’E’schawin’uptheground,An’’e’skickin’allaround:
ForGawd’ssakegitthewater,GungaDin!”
’EcarriedmeawayTowhereadoolilay,An’abulletcomean’drilledthebeggarclean。
’Eputmesafeinside,An’justbefore’edied,“I’opeyoulikedyourdrink“,sezGungaDin。
SoI’llmeet’imlateronAttheplacewhere’eisgone——
Whereit’salwaysdoubledrillandnocanteen;
’E’llbesquattin’onthecoalsGivin’drinktopoordamnedsouls,An’I’llgetaswiginhellfromGungaDin!
Yes,Din!Din!Din!
YouLazarushian-leatherGungaDin!
ThoughI’vebeltedyouandflayedyou,Bythelivin’Gawdthatmadeyou,You’reabettermanthanIam,GungaDin!
1Bringwaterswiftly。
2MrAtkins’equivalentfor“OBrother。”
3Hityou。
4bBequick。
5Waterskin。
OONTS
NorthernIndiaTransportTrain
Wotmakesthesoldier’s’earttopenk,wotmakes’imtoperspire?
Itisn’tstandin’uptochargenorlyin’downtofire;
Butit’severlastin’waitin’onaeverlastin’roadForthecommissariatcamelan’’iscommissariatload。
Otheoont,1Otheoont,Othecommissariatoont!
With’issillynecka-bobbin’likeabasketfullo’snakes;
Wepacks’imlikeanidol,an’yououghtto’ear’imgrunt,An’whenwegets’imloadedup’isblessedgirth-ropebreaks。
Wotmakestherear-guardswearso’ardwhennightisdrorin’in,An’everynativefollowerisshiverin’for’isskin?
Itain’tthechansto’beingrushedbyPaythansfromthe’ills,It’sthecommissariatcamelputtin’on’isbloomin’frills!
Otheoont,Otheoont,Othehairyscaryoont!
A-trippin’overtent-ropeswhenwe’vegotthenightalarm!
Wesocks’imwithastretcher-polean’’eads’imoffinfront,An’whenwe’vesaved’isbloomin’life’echawsourbloomin’
arm。
The’orse’eknowsaboveabit,thebullock’sbutafool,Theelephant’sagentleman,thebattery-mule’samule;
Butthecommissariatcam-u-el,whenallissaidan’done,’E’sadevilan’aostrichan’aorphan-childinone。
Otheoont,Otheoont,OtheGawd-forsakenoont!
Thelumpy-’umpy’ummin’-birda-singin’where’elies,’E’sblockedthewholedivisionfromtherear-guardtothefront,An’whenwegethimupagain——thebeggargoesan’dies!
’E’llgallan’chafean’lamean’fight——’esmellsmostawfulvile;
’E’lllose’isselfforeverifyoulet’imstrayamile;
’E’sgametograzethe’oledaylongan’’owlthe’olenightthrough,An’when’ecomestogreasyground’esplits’isselfintwo。
Otheoont,Otheoont,Othefloppin’,droppin’oont!
When’islonglegsgivefromunderan’’ismeltin’eyeisdim,Thetribesisupbe’indus,andthetribesisoutinfront——
Itain’tnojamforTommy,butit’skitesan’crowsfor’im。
Sowhenthecruelmarchisdone,an’whentheroadsisblind,An’whenweseesthecampinfrontan’’earstheshotsbe’ind,Ho!thenwestrips’issaddleoff,andall’iswoesispast:
’Ethinksonusthatused’imso,andgetsrevengeatlast。
Otheoont,Otheoont,Othefloatin’,bloatin’oont!
Thelatelamentedcamelinthewater-cut’elies;
Wekeepsamilebe’ind’iman’wekeepsamileinfront,But’egetsintothedrinkin’-casks,andtheno’coursewedies。
1Camel-ooispronouncedlikeuin“bull。”butbyMrAtkinstorhymewith“front。”
LOOT
Ifyou’veeverstoleapheasant-eggbe’indthekeeper’sback,Ifyou’veeversniggedthewashin’fromtheline,Ifyou’veevercrammedaganderinyourbloomin’’aversack,Youwillunderstandthislittlesongo’mine。
Buttheservicerulesare’ard,an’fromsuchwearedebarred,ForthesamewithEnglishmoralsdoesnotsuit。
Cornet:Toot!toot!
W’y,theycallamanarobberif’estuffs’ismarchin’clobberWiththe——
ChorusLoo!loo!Lulu!lulu!Loo!loo!Loot!loot!loot!
Owtheloot!
Bloomin’loot!
That’sthethingtomaketheboysgitupan’shoot!
It’sthesamewithdogsan’men,Ifyou’dmake’emcomeagainClap’emforwardwithaLoo!loo!Lulu!Loot!
ffWhoopee!Tear’im,puppy!Loo!loo!Lulu!Loot!loot!
loot!
Ifyou’veknockedaniggeredgewayswhen’e’sthrustin’foryourlife,Youmustleave’imverycarefulwhere’efell;
An’maythankyourstarsan’gaitersifyoudidn’tfeel’isknifeThatyouain’ttoldofftobury’imaswell。
Thenthesweatin’TommieswonderastheyspadethebeggarsunderWhylootin’shouldbeenteredasacrime;
Soifmysongyou’ll’ear,Iwilllearnyouplainan’clear’Owtopayyourselfforfightin’overtime。
ChorusWiththeloot,。
Nowrememberwhenyou’re’ackingroundagildedBurmagodThat’iseyesisveryoftenpreciousstones;
An’ifyoutreataniggertoadoseo’cleanin’-rod’E’sliketoshowyoueverything’eowns。
When’ewon’tprodoocenomore,poursomewateronthefloorWhereyou’earitanswer’ollowtothebootCornet:Toot!toot!——
Whenthegroundbeginstosink,shoveyourbaynickdownthechink,An’you’resuretotouchthe——
ChorusLoo!loo!Lulu!Loot!loot!loot!
Owtheloot!。
Whenfrom’ouseto’ouseyou’re’unting,youmustalwaysworkinpairs——
It’alvesthegain,butsaferyouwillfind——
Forasinglemangetsbottledonthemtwisty-wistystairs,An’awomancomesandclobs’imfrombe’ind。
Whenyou’veturned’eminsideout,an’itseemsbeyondadoubtAsifthereweren’tenoughtodustafluteCornet:Toot!toot!——
Beforeyouslingyour’ook,atthe’ousetopstakealook,Forit’sunderneaththetilesthey’idetheloot。
ChorusOwtheloot!。
YoucanmostlysquareaSergintan’aQuartermastertoo,Ifyouonlytaketheproperwaytogo;
Icouldneverkeepmypickin’s,butI’velearnedyouallIknew——
An’don’tyouneversayItoldyouso。
An’nowI’llbidgood-bye,forI’mgettin’ratherdry,An’Iseeanothertunin’uptotootCornet:Toot!toot!——
So’ere’sgood-lucktothosethatwearstheWidow’sclo’es,An’theDevilsend’emalltheywanto’loot!
ChorusYes,theloot,Bloomin’loot!
Inthetunican’themess-tinan’theboot!
It’sthesamewithdogsan’men,Ifyou’dmake’emcomeagainfffWhoop’emforwardwithaLoo!loo!Lulu!Loot!loot!
loot!
Heeya!Sick’im,puppy!Loo!loo!Lulu!Loot!loot!loot!
’SNARLEYOW’
This’appenedinabattletoabatt’ryofthecorpsWhichisfirstamongthewomenan’amazin’firstinwar;
An’whatthebloomin’battlewasIdon’tremembernow,ButTwo’soff-lead’eansweredtothenameo’Snarleyow。
DownintheInfantry,nobodycares;
DownintheCavalry,Colonel’eswears;
ButdownintheleadwiththewheelattheflogTurnstheboldBombardiertoalittlewhippeddog!
Theywasmovin’intoaction,theywasneededverysore,Tolearnalittleschoolin’toanativearmycorps,They’adnippedagainstanuphill,theywastuckin’downthebrow,Whenatricky,trundlin’roundshotgivetheknocktoSnarleyow。
Theycut’imloosean’left’im——’ewasalmosttoreintwo——
Buthetriedtofollowafterasawell-trained’orseshoulddo;
’Ewentan’fouledthelimber,an’theDriver’sBrothersqueals:
“Pullup,pullupforSnarleyow——’ishead’sbetween’is’eels!”
TheDriver’umped’isshoulder,forthewheelswasgoin’round,An’thereain’tno“Stop,conductor!”whenabatt’ry’schangin’
ground;
Sez’e:“Ibrokethebeggarin,an’verysadIfeels,ButIcouldn’tpullup,notforyou——your’eadbetweenyour’eels!”
’E’adn’t’ardlyspoketheword,beforeadroppin’shellAlittlerightthebatt’ryan’betweenthesectionsfell;
An’whenthesmoke’adclearedaway,beforethelimberwheels,TherelaytheDriver’sBrotherwith’is’eadbetween’is’eels。
ThenseztheDriver’sBrother,an’’iswordswasveryplain,“ForGawd’sownsakegetoverme,an’putmeouto’pain。”
Theysaw’iswoundswasmortial,an’theyjudgedthatitwasbest,Sotheytookan’drovethelimberstraightacross’isbackan’chest。
TheDriver’egivenothin’’ceptalittlecoughin’grunt,But’eswung’is’orses’andsomewhenitcameto“ActionFront!”
An’ifonewheelwasjuicy,youmaylayyourMondayhead’Twasjuicierfortheniggerswhenthecasebeguntospread。
Themorilofthisstory,itisplainlytobeseen:
You’avn’tgotnofamilieswhenservin’oftheQueen——
You’avn’tgotnobrothers,fathers,sisters,wives,orsons——
Ifyouwanttowinyourbattlestakean’workyourbloomin’guns!
DownintheInfantry,nobodycares;
DownintheCavalry,Colonel’eswears;
ButdownintheleadwiththewheelattheflogTurnstheboldBombardiertoalittlewhippeddog!
THEWIDOWATWINDSOR
’Aveyou’eardo’theWidowatWindsorWithahairygoldcrownon’er’ead?
She’asshipsonthefoam——she’asmillionsat’ome,An’shepaysuspoorbeggarsinred。
Ow,poorbeggarsinred!
There’s’ernickonthecavalry’orses,There’s’ermarkonthemedicalstores###第17章
An’’ertroopersyou’llfindwithafairwindbe’indThattakesustovariouswars。
Poorbeggars!——barbariouswars!
Then’ere’stotheWidowatWindsor,An’’ere’stothestoresan’theguns,Themenan’the’orseswhatmakesuptheforcesO’MissisVictorier’ssons。
Poorbeggars!Victorier’ssons!
Walkwideo’theWidowatWindsor,For’alfo’Creationsheowns:
We’avebought’erthesamewiththeswordan’theflame,An’we’vesalteditdownwithourbones。
Poorbeggars!——it’sbluewithourbones!
Handsoffo’thesonso’theWidow,Handsoffo’thegoodsin’ershop,FortheKingsmustcomedownan’theEmperorsfrownWhentheWidowatWindsorsays“Stop“!
Poorbeggars!——we’resenttosay“Stop“!
Then’ere’stotheLodgeo’theWidow,FromthePoletotheTropicsitruns——
TotheLodgethatwetilewiththerankan’thefile,An’openinformwiththeguns。
Poorbeggars!——it’salwaystheyguns!
We’ave’eardo’theWidowatWindsor,It’ssafesttolet’eralone:
For’ersentrieswestandbytheseaan’thelandWhereverthebuglesareblown。
Poorbeggars!——an’don’twegetblown!
Take’oldo’theWingso’theMornin’,An’floproundtheearthtillyou’redead;
Butyouwon’tgetawayfromthetunethattheyplayTothebloomin’oldragover’ead。
Poorbeggars!——it’s’otover’ead!
Then’ere’stothesonso’theWidow,Wherever,’owevertheyroam。
’Ere’salltheydesire,an’iftheyrequireAspeedyreturntotheir’ome。
Poorbeggars!——they’llneversee’ome!
BELTS
TherewasarowinSilverStreetthat’sneartoDublinQuay,BetweenanIrishregimentan’Englishcavalree;
ItstartedatRevellyan’itlastedontilldark:
ThefirstmandroppedatHarrison’s,thelastforninstthePark。
Foritwas:——“Belts,belts,belts,an’that’soneforyou!”
An’itwas“Belts,belts,belts,an’that’sdoneforyou!”
Obucklean’tongueWasthesongthatwesungFromHarrison’sdowntothePark!
TherewasarowinSilverStreet——theregimentswasout,Theycalledus“DelhiRebels“,an’weanswered“Threesabout!”
Thatdrewthemlikeahornet’snest——wemetthemgoodan’large,TheEnglishatthedoublean’theIrishatthecharge。
Thenitwas:——“Belts。
TherewasarowinSilverStreet——an’Iwasinittoo;
Wepassedthetimeo’day,an’thenthebeltswentwhirraru!
Imisrememberwhatoccurred,butsubsequintthestormAFreeman’sJournalSupplemintwasallmyuniform。
Oitwas:——“Belts。
TherewasarowinSilverStreet——theysentthePolisthere,TheEnglishweretoodrunktoknow,theIrishdidn’tcare;
Butwhentheygrewimpertinintwesimultaneousrose,Tillhalfo’themwasLiffeymudan’halfwastattheredclo’es。
Foritwas:——“Belts。
TherewasarowinSilverStreet——itmightha’ragedtillnow,Butsomeonedrewhisside-armclear,an’nobodyknewhow;
’TwasHogantookthepointan’dropped;wesawtheredbloodrun:
An’soweallwasmurderersthatstartedoutinfun。
Whileitwas:——“Belts。
TherewasarowinSilverStreet——butthatputdowntheshine,Wideachmanwhisperin’tohisnext:“’Twasneverworko’mine!”
Wewentawaylikebeatendogs,an’downthestreetweborehim,Thepoordumbcorpsethatcouldn’ttellthebhoysweresorryforhim。
Whenitwas:——“Belts。
TherewasarowinSilverStreet——itisn’toveryet,Forhalfofusareunderguardwidpunishmentstoget;
’TisallamerricletomeasintheClinkIlie:
TherewasarowinSilverStreet——begod,Iwonderwhy!
Butitwas:——“Belts,belts,belts,an’that’soneforyou!”
An’itwas“Belts,belts,belts,an’that’sdoneforyou!”
Obucklean’tongueWasthesongthatwesungFromHarrison’sdowntothePark!
THEYOUNGBRITISHSOLDIER
Whenthe’arf-maderecruitygoesouttotheEast’Eactslikeababean’’edrinkslikeabeast,An’’ewondersbecause’eisfrequentdeceasedEre’e’sfitfortoserveasasoldier。
Serve,serve,serveasasoldier,Serve,serve,serveasasoldier,Serve,serve,serveasasoldier,So-oldieroftheQueen!
Nowallyourecruitieswhat’sdraftedto-day,Youshutupyourrag-boxan’’arktomylay,An’I’llsingyouasoldierasfarasImay:
Asoldierwhat’sfitforasoldier。
Fit,fit,fitforasoldier。
Firstmindyousteerclearo’thegrog-sellers’huts,FortheysellyouFixedBay’netsthatrotsoutyourguts——
Ay,drinkthat’udeatthelivesteelfromyourbutts——
An’it’sbadfortheyoungBritishsoldier。
Bad,bad,badforthesoldier。
Whenthecholeracomes——asitwillpastadoubt——
Keepoutofthewetanddon’tgoontheshout,Forthesicknessgetsinastheliquordiesout,An’itcrumplestheyoungBritishsoldier。
Crum-,crum-,crumplesthesoldier。
Buttheworsto’yourfoesisthesunover’ead:
Youmustwearyour’elmetforallthatissaid:
If’efindsyouuncovered’e’llknockyoudowndead,An’you’lldielikeafoolofasoldier。
Fool,fool,foolofasoldier。
Ifyou’recastforfatiguebyasergeantunkind,Don’tgrouselikeawomannorcrackonnorblind;
Behandyandcivil,andthenyouwillfindThatit’sbeerfortheyoungBritishsoldier。
Beer,beer,beerforthesoldier。
Now,ifyoumustmarry,takecaresheisold——
Atroop-sergeant’swidow’sthenicestI’mtold,Forbeautywon’thelpifyourrationsiscold,Norloveain’tenoughforasoldier。
’Nough,’nough,’noughforasoldier。
Ifthewifeshouldgowrongwithacomrade,beloathToshootwhenyoucatch’em——you’llswing,onmyoath!——
Make’imtake’erandkeep’er:that’sHellforthemboth,An’you’reshuto’thecurseofasoldier。
Curse,curse,curseofasoldier。
Whenfirstunderfirean’you’rewishfultoduck,Don’tlooknortake’eedatthemanthatisstruck,Bethankfulyou’relivin’,andtrusttoyourluckAndmarchtoyourfrontlikeasoldier。
Front,front,frontlikeasoldier。
When’arfofyourbulletsflywideintheditch,Don’tcallyourMartiniacross-eyedoldbitch;
She’shumanasyouare——youtreatherassich,An’she’llfightfortheyoungBritishsoldier。
Fight,fight,fightforthesoldier。
Whenshakin’theirbustleslikeladiessofine,Thegunso’theenemywheelintoline,Shootlowatthelimbersan’don’tmindtheshine,Fornoiseneverstartlesthesoldier。
Start-,start-,startlesthesoldier。
Ifyourofficer’sdeadandthesergeantslookwhite,Rememberit’sruintorunfromafight:
Sotakeopenorder,liedown,andsittight,Andwaitforsupportslikeasoldier。
Wait,wait,waitlikeasoldier。
Whenyou’rewoundedandleftonAfghanistan’splains,Andthewomencomeouttocutupwhatremains,JestrolltoyourrifleandblowoutyourbrainsAn’gotoyourGawdlikeasoldier。
Go,go,golikeasoldier,Go,go,golikeasoldier,Go,go,golikeasoldier,So-oldieroftheQueen!
MANDALAY
BytheoldMoulmeinPagoda,lookin’eastwardtothesea,There’saBurmagirla-settin’,andIknowshethinkso’me;
Forthewindisinthepalm-trees,andthetemple-bellstheysay:
“Comeyouback,youBritishsoldier;comeyoubacktoMandalay!”
ComeyoubacktoMandalay,WheretheoldFlotillalay:
Can’tyou’eartheirpaddleschunkin’fromRangoontoMandalay?
OntheroadtoMandalay,Wheretheflyin’-fishesplay,An’thedawncomesuplikethunderouterChina’crosttheBay!
’Erpetticoatwasyalleran’’erlittlecapwasgreen,An’’ernamewasSupi-yaw-lat——jes’thesameasTheebaw’sQueen,An’Iseedherfirsta-smokin’ofawhackin’whitecheroot,An’a-wastin’Christiankissesonan’eathenidol’sfoot:
Bloomin’idolmadeo’mud——
WottheycalledtheGreatGawdBudd——
PluckylotshecaredforidolswhenIkissed’erwhereshestud!
OntheroadtoMandalay。
Whenthemistwasontherice-fieldsan’thesunwasdroppin’slow,She’dgit’erlittlebanjoan’she’dsing“Kulla-lo-lo!”
With’erarmuponmyshoulderan’’ercheekagin’mycheekWeuseterwatchthesteamersan’thehathispilin’teak。
Elephintsa-pilin’teakInthesludgy,squdgycreek,Wherethesilence’ungthat’eavyyouwas’arfafraidtospeak!
OntheroadtoMandalay。
Butthat’sallshovebe’indme——longagoan’furaway,An’thereain’tno’bussesrunnin’fromtheBanktoMandalay;
An’I’mlearnin’’ereinLondonwhattheten-yearsoldiertells:
“Ifyou’ve’eardtheEasta-callin’,youwon’tnever’eednaughtelse。”
No!youwon’t’eednothin’elseButthemspicygarlicsmells,An’thesunshinean’thepalm-treesan’thetinklytemple-bells;
OntheroadtoMandalay。
Iamsicko’wastin’leatheronthesegrittypavin’-stones,An’theblastedHenglishdrizzlewakesthefeverinmybones;
Tho’Iwalkswithfifty’ousemaidsouterChelseatotheStrand,An’theytalksaloto’lovin’,butwotdotheyunderstand?
Beefyfacean’grubby’and——
Law!wotdotheyunderstand?
I’veaneater,sweetermaideninacleaner,greenerland!
OntheroadtoMandalay。
ShipmesomewhereseastofSuez,wherethebestisliketheworst,Wheretherearen’tnoTenCommandmentsan’amancanraiseathirst;
Forthetemple-bellsarecallin’,an’it’stherethatIwouldbe——
BytheoldMoulmeinPagoda,lookinglazyatthesea;
OntheroadtoMandalay,WheretheoldFlotillalay,WithoursickbeneaththeawningswhenwewenttoMandalay!
OntheroadtoMandalay,Wheretheflyin’-fishesplay,An’thedawncomesuplikethunderouterChina’crosttheBay!
TROOPIN’
OurArmyintheEast
Troopin’,troopin’,troopin’tothesea:
’Ere’sSeptembercomeagain——thesix-yearmenarefree。
Oleavethedeadbe’indus,fortheycannotcomeawayTowheretheship’sa-coalin’upthattakesus’ometo-day。
We’regoin’’ome,we’regoin’’ome,Ourshipisattheshore,An’youmustpackyour’aversack,Forwewon’tcomebacknomore。
Ho,don’tyougrieveforme,MylovelyMary-Ann,ForI’llmarryyouyitonafourp’nybitAsatime-expiredman。
TheMalabar’sin’arbourwiththeJumnerat’ertail,An’thetime-expired’swaitin’of’isordersfortosail。
Ho!thewearywaitin’whenonKhyber’illswelay,Butthetime-expired’swaitin’of’isorders’ometo-day。
They’llturnusoutatPortsmouthwharfincoldan’wetan’rain,Allwearin’Injiancottonkit,butwewillnotcomplain;
They’llkillusofpneumonia——forthat’stheirlittleway——
Butdamnthechillsandfever,men,we’regoin’’ometo-day!
Troopin’,troopin’,winter’sroundagain!