At sea the days go slipping past, Monotonous from first to last-- A trip like any other one In vessels going south. The sun Grew higher and more fiery.
We lay and drank, and swore, and played At Trick-my-neighbour in the shade; And you may guess how every sight, However trivial or slight, Was noted in my diary. I have it here--the usual things-- A serpent (not the sort with wings) Came rising from the sea: In length (as far as we could guess) A quarter of a mile or less. The weather was extremely clear The creature dangerously near And plain as it would be.
[Illustration ** Our traveller on the foredeck of the ship viewing a sea-serpent with a whale in its mouth.]
It had a bifurcated tail, And in its mouth it held a whale.
Just north, I find, of Cape de Verd We caught a very curious bird With horns upon its head; And--not, as one might well suppose, Web-footed or with jointed toes-- But having hoofs instead. As no one present seemed to know Its use or name, I let it go.
[Illustration ** Our traveller holding the tail of a bird which is trying to fly away. The bird has horns and horse-hooves.]
On June the 7th after dark A young and very hungry shark Came climbing up the side. It ate the Chaplain and the Mate-- But why these incidents relate? The public must decide, That nothing in the voyage out Was worth their bothering about, Until we saw the coast, which looks Exactly as it does in books.
[Illustration ** The Chaplain and the Mate running on the deck with a shark chasing them, running on its tail.]
Oh! Africa, mysterious Land! Surrounded by a lot of sand And full of grass and trees, And elephants and Afrikanders, And politics and Salamanders, And Germans seeking to annoy, And horrible rhinoceroi, And native rum in little kegs, And savages called Touaregs (A kind of Soudanese). And tons of diamonds, and lots Of nasty, dirty Hottentots, And coolies coming from the East; And serpents, seven yards long at least And lions, that retain Their vigour, appetites and rage Intact to an extreme old age, And never lose their mane.
[Illustration ** Military officer, possibly German, staring into the distance in front of a sign for German East Africa, with a snake wrapped around the sign post.]