‘THE TIGER SCHNAKE’

I vos working vit Bill Grady und Shack Wilson on de flat

Ve shoushed abbot an acre oot vit Shemmy Bill und Pat

Ve didn’t makes no vortunes, but vhat I vant to tell

Vos about von pig tiger schnake, dat shashed me quick as vell.

I don’t peleive in svearing, or telling lies too strong,

But shiminey host my shingoes dat schnake vos den feets long

Deye wompats making houses let all dat water gone,

So I walks me up dat race to put dat vater on.

I walks me up in doze plutchers dat vos so large und wide,

Dat shovel, for mine walking stick I carried py mine side,

I shootest get started digging den I stoops me town to brink

Den all at vonce mine gracious vot you tink!

I sees vone leetle tiger schnake, not two feet off mine shin

By shorge I humps like anyting und turns me outside in

You pet I nearlys fainted ven I tried to make un awful schmack.

I hits him tree times crooked pefore I preaks his pack.

Den all at vonce, mine gracious, vone udder schnake I see

Dat leetle schnakes pig farder schnake he shumps himself at me

You pet I not stop tinking at de lightning in his eye

Und like does airschips in de vind, I makes mein footsteps fly!

Und vonce I nearly shlips me vit dose plutchers on de clay

Und chiminey host by shingoes he shashed me all de vay

Untill I reached dat vorter by dat shloushing shannel vide

Und like dat Kangaruu I shumps to reach dat udder side.

Und down I goes carrlips on Grady with a chrash.

And in dat deepest vorter hole I makes vone awful splash!

Shack Wilson started laufin like a shackass loud und long

By shoves I plugged Pill Grady und altered vilions song.

Vell vot apout dat tiger schnake, vell vot can I say

Might he have shumped the shnannel

And be shasing me yet today!

(ownership of this item  attributed to the late Mr Harry Strohfeld, Ravensbourne; poem supplied by his wife Mrs E Strohfeld of Ravensbourne, north of Toowoomba).