THE REPROBATE'S REPLY by Harry ("Breaker") Morant

Three droving men, some three weeks sync,
   Sat drinking the Queensland rum;
'Twas four a.m. when twa o' them
   Saw jock M'Phee succumb.


Hech! they were giddy songs he'd sung,
   And the yarns which he'd spun were "free"! -
For the liquor that nicht had loosed the tongue
   O' gudeman Jock M'Phee.


They taul,t the meenister what befell,
   So he tuk braw Jock to task:-
"Jock, gie me noo an answer true
   To one question I wull ask.


"An' it happened the Laird had stricken ye,
   A reprobate, graceless mon,
Whan ye war a bletherin' yestere'en -
   D'ye ken whare ye wad hae gone?"


"Whare wad I hae gone?" - and Jockie wunk -
   "Dinna ye fash yersel' mair -
For I wad ha' bin too terrible drunk
   To ha' gone anywhere."

First published in The Bulletin, 10 December 1892.