Page:Rudyard Kipling's verse - Inclusive Edition 1885-1918.djvu/692

 674 RUDYARD KIPLING'S VERSE

Or a B.S.A. went on

Past Natal to Cheribon,

Then great Mr. Lloyds would come

With a wire and drag them home!

You'll know what my riddle means When you've eaten mangosteens.

The Crab That Played with the Sea.

Pussy can sit by the fire and sing,

Pussy can climb a tree, Or play with a silly old cork and string

To 'muse herself, not me. But I like Binkie my dog, because

He knows how to behave; So, Binkie 's the same as the First Friend was,

And I am the Man in the Cave!

Pussy will play man-Friday till

It's time to wet her paw And make her walk on the window-sill

(For the footprint Crusoe saw); Then she fluffles her tail and mews,

And scratches and won't attend. But Binkie will play whatever I choose,

And he is my true First Friend!

Pussy will rub my knees with her head

Pretending she loves me hard; But the very minute I go to my bed

Pussy runs out in the yard, And there she stays till the morning-light;

So I know it is only pretend; But Binkie, he snores at my feet all night,

And he is my Firstest Friend!

The Cat That Walked by Himself.