JACK'S YARNS: AVENGED HIS SON (1915)

Description

Date: 3 June 1915

Transcript:

AVENGED HIS SON.

"Hullo," I says, "whatever's that?"
And got my glasses out.
"It seems to me that there has been
A ship wrecked hereabout."
With them I saw it clearer still—
How handy glasses are—
Lor' bless yer heart, it was a man
A-sitting on a spar!

I had been cruising off the coast,
'Bout ten or twelve miles out.
Looking for submarines, out in
My motor-boat the Scout.
But hadn't seen a sign o' one,
And just had turned my boat
To make for home, when, bless yer heart,
I sees this thing afloat!

[cartoon showing Jack in his motor boat]
"Whatever's that?"

I looked again, and then I saw
The man was on a raft,
And if he hadn't rigged a pole
Upon his crazy craft!
And then I saw a flag fly out,
It was colde letter "B,"
With a ball beneath! I thought a bit,
Then all was clear to me.

Code letter "B," with ball beneath,
Means "Submarines about."
I switched the motor on full speed—
You should ha' seen the Scout
Fly through the water like a bird—
She does her twenty knot—
It didn't take me long before
'Longside the raft I got.

[cartoon of an old man on a raft]
Code letter B, with ball beneath.

I soon had got him safe aboard;
He was an oldish man,
But sturdy, though he must ha' been
Near the allotted span.
He shook my hand. "I've got to thank
You for my life, my son;
But how I wished an hour ago
That I had had a gun!

I am the only one that's left
Alive of all the crew
O' my old trawler—handier craft
Has never sailed the blue.
Sunk by a German submarine—
I've lost my only son—
Oh, heaven!"—and here he fairly screamed—
"I wish I'd had a gun."

[cartoon of the old man firing Jack's rifle]
"Number one!"

And then he saw my rifle. "Quick!"
He cried. "We'll catch 'em yet."
The glare of bitter hatred in
His eyes I'll ne'er forget.
"They made off west sou' west," he said;
"And Heaven help the Hun
If we come up with them; you'll see
How I'll avenge my son!"

Away we went, full speed ahead;
In less than half an hour,
Not fifty yards away we saw
The German's conning tower.
A man appeared. The old man grit
His teeth. "The dirty Hun!"
A flash! He jerked the cartridge out,
And muttered, "Number one"

[cartoon of the old man cheering as U-boat explodes]
"l have avenged my son!"

Another, still another, fell,
Until the old man cried,
"That's fifteen of 'em. Quick, now Jack,
Just run your boat 'longside."
Aboard he sprang, and down the hatch—
It all seems like a dream—
Then 'bove the din o' rifle shots
I heard a frightful scream!

And up the hatch the old man sprang,
And clambered o'er the side
Into my boat. "Sheer off. Quick, quick!
The magazine!" he cried.
Then came a roar of thunder, like
Ten thousand peals in one!
The old man smiled. "That's fifteen more
I have avenged my son!"


Source:
McMann, W. ‘Jack’s Yarns: “Avenged His Son”.’ The Brecon County Times. 3 June 1915. 7.

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