Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936). Verse: 1885–1918. 1922.
The Shut-eye Sentry
S
To the Senior Orderly Man:
“Our Orderly Orf’cer’s hokee-mut,
“You ’elp ’im all you can.
“For the wine was old and the night is cold,
“An’ the best we may go wrong,
“So, ’fore ’e gits to the sentry-box,
“You pass the word along.”
’E’s ’oldin’ on by the sergeant’s sash, but, sentry, shut your eye.
An’ it was “Pass! All’s well! Oh, ain’t ’e drippin’ tight!
’E’ll need an affidavit pretty badly by-an’-by.”
The road was white an’ wide,
An’ the Orderly Orf’cer took it all,
An’ the ten-foot ditch beside.
An’ the corporal pulled an’ the sergeant pushed,
An’ the three they danced along,
But I’d shut my eyes in the sentry-box,
So I didn’t see nothin’ wrong.
’E’s usin’ ’is cap as it shouldn’t be used, but, sentry, shut your eye.
An’ it was “Pass! All’s well! Ho, shun the foamin’ cup!
’E’ll need,” etc.
We ’ad to stop the fun,
An’ we sent ’im ’ome on a bullock-cart,
With ’is belt an’ stock undone;
But we sluiced ’im down an’ we washed ’im out,
An’ a first-class job we made,
When we saved ’im, smart as a bombardier,
For six o’clock parade.
’E’s usin’ ’is sword for a bicycle, but, sentry, shut your eye.”
An’ it was “Pass! All’s well!” ’E’s called me “Darlin’ Jane!
’E’ll need,” etc.
The sky was ’ot an’ blue.
An’ ’is eye was wild an’ ’is ’air was wet,
But ’is sergeant pulled ’im through.
Our men was good old trusties—
They’d done it on their ’ead;
But you ought to ’ave ’eard ’em markin’ time
To ’ide the things ’e said!
An’ “Left extend!” for “Centre close!” O marker, shut your eye!
An’ it was, “’Ere, sir, ’ere! before the Colonel sees!”
So he needed affidavits pretty badly by-an’-by.
There was corp’rals forty-one,
There was just nine ’undred rank an’ file
To swear to a touch o’ sun.
There was me ’e ’d kissed in the sentry-box,
As I ’ave not told in my song,
But I took my oath, which were Bible-truth,
I ’adn’t seen nothin’ wrong.
There’s them that’s cold an’ ’ard,
But there comes a night when the best gets tight,
And then turns out the Guard.
I’ve seen them ’ide their liquor
In every kind o’ way,
But most depends on makin’ friends
With Privit Thomas A.!
’E’s reelin’, rollin’, roarin’, tight, but, sentry, shut your eye.”
An’ it is “Pass! All’s well!” An’ that’s the way it goes:
We’ll ’elp ’im for ’is mother, an’ ’e’ll ’elp us by-an’-by!