He's alway ketchin' doré, an'he 's alway <br />ketchin' trout <br />On de place w'ere no wan else can ketch at all <br />He 's alway ketchin' barbotte, dat 's w'at you <br />call bull-pout, <br />An' he never miss de wil' duck on de fall. <br /> <br />O! de pa'tridge do some skippin' w'en she see <br />heem on de swamp <br />For she know Bateese don't go for not'ing <br />dere, <br />An' de rabbit if he 's comin' , wall! you ought <br />to see heem jomp. <br />W'y he want to climb de tree he feel so <br />scare. <br /> <br />Affer two hour by de reever I hear hees leetle <br />song <br />Den I meet heem all hees pocket full of snipe, <br />An' me, I go de sam' place, an' I tramp de <br />w'ole day long <br />An' I'm only shootin' two or t'ree, Ba Cripe! <br /> <br />I start about de sun-rise, an' I put out ma <br />decoy, <br />An' before it 's comin' breakfas' , he 's holler <br />on hees boy <br />For carry home two dozen duck or more. <br /> <br />An' I'm freezin' on de blin'-me- from four <br />o'clock to nine <br />An' ev'ry duck she 's passin' up so high. <br />Dere 's blue-bill an' butter-ball, an' red-head, <br />de fines' kin <br />An' I might as well go shootin' on de sky. <br /> <br />Don't see de noder feller lak Bateese was lucky <br />man, <br />He can ketch de smartes' feesh is never <br />sweem, <br />An' de bird he seldom miss dem, let dem try <br />de hard dey can <br />W'y de eagle on de mountain can't fly <br />away from heem. <br /> <br />But all de bird, an' fish too, is geev'up feelin' <br />scare, <br />An' de rabbit he can stay at home in bed, <br />For he feesh an' shoot no longer, ole Jean <br />Bateese Belair, <br />'Cos he 's dead.<br /><br />William Henry Drummond<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/bateese-the-lucky-man/
