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The Bold Princess Royal
Bob Roberts
On the first day of February we sailed from the land,
In the bold Princess Royal bound for Newfoundland.
We had forty bright seamen for our ship's company,
And boldly from the eastward to the westward sailed we.
We had not been sailing but two days or three,
When a man from our
masthead strange sails he did see.
They come boring down on us to see what we wore
And there 'neath her rigging black colours we saw.
"Good God", cried our captain, "what shall we do now?
Here comes a bold pirate to rob us I know."
"O no", cried
our chief mate, "it shall never be so,
We will shake out our reef boys &
for harbour we'll go."
Then up spake the pirate as he came
alongside,
Through a loud-speaking trumpet, "Whence from you he
cried."
Our captain being aft boys he answered him so,
"I am come from fair London & I'm bound for Cairo."
Then heave up your foresail and lay your ship to,
For I have a message to send home by you."
"Yes, I'll heave up
my foresail and I'll lay my ship to,
But 'twill be off some harbour not alongside o' you."
They chased us to wind'ard all night and all day,
They chased us to wind'ard but made no headway,
They fired shots after us but none could prevail,
And the bold Princess Royal soon showed 'em her tail.
"Thank God", cried our captain when the pirate had gone,
"Go down to your grog boys go down every one.
Go down to your grog boys and be of good cheer,
For while we have sea room my lads never fear."
The most widely reported of all the pirate encounter ballads in England
and Scotland and also popular in both Canada and USA. This is certainly
due to the most graphic portrayal of the two vessels drawing in close while the captains shout to
each other before the start of the final chase. |