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   ooooo   ooooo  .oooooo.  oooooooooooo       HOE E'ZINE RELEASE #874
   `888'   `888' d8P'  `Y8b `888'     `8
    888     888 888      888 888              "An Old Dog, Buried At Sea
    888ooooo888 888      888 888oooo8        (A Simple Tale for All Ages)"
    888     888 888      888 888    "               by Basehead
    888     888 `88b    d88' 888       o              10/16/99
   o888o   o888o `Y8bood8P' o888ooooood8
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 a dog was born in the cabin of a ship
 in the captain's quarters to a mother of six
 took a little a bit of time to get his sea legs on
 as he padded on the floor 'til his hobble was gone

 a strange place indeed for a pup to be
 on an offshore schooner in a restless sea
 cold nose sniffed the first of the strong salt air
 that drew him to the base of the cabin stair

 above on the deck was a crew of eight
 working hard to keep the ship in tip top shape
 reeling swordfish in from a trawling net
 when the first mate spotted their curious pet

 some men of the crew paid him little heed
 and cursed him out when they'd step where he peed
 the truth was that he filled a gap in their lives
 estranged from waiting children and lonely wives

 with the season passed and the nets left bare
 the ship headed back for Port Au-De-Mer
 the crew was rewarded for the huge payload
 and they drank away their wealth down on Anchor Road

 the foghorn blew when the day had come
 for the crew to sail off towards the rising sun
 the men prayed for sanity and safety in turn
 and made love to their wives like they'd never return

 down on the pier where the crowd had run
 to bid farewell and wish good luck on the journey to come
 a dog raced to the front of the tearful scene
 and barked with all the might his little heart could glean

 the captain had a feeling he could not explain
 that the dog would be of use to his crew again
 so aboard the captain went with the dog in hand
 and he waved until the fog had obscured the land

 the dog was a part of the crew again
 bringing tools and supplies to the overworked men
 this season of the sea was the devil's own
 brutal winds and pounding hail that chilled the men to the bone

 seeming to weather the stormy seas better than most
 the dog took upon himself a watchman post
 barking when he smelled the scent of weather turned worse
 and tending to wounds like a caring nurse

 years passed and with each more trips to the bay
 and through it all the trusty dog did stay
 they say more than once he saved a man from drowning in a gale
 and could predict the tides and waves with certain wags of his tail

 older now and with a graying coat to show
 he spent most of his days at sea down below
 he would howl from his bed when the wind cried pain
 beating the cabin's shuttered doors against the crooked doorframe

 on one morn following a brutal squall
 there seemed to be no signs from the sea at all
 the captain awoke to a stillness in his room at dawn
 and looked around to find that the crew's dog was gone

 he climbed the stairs slowly with a lump in his throat
 and groped in the dawnlight as he searched the boat
 and there looking out from the lip of the stern
 lay the dog as still as the sea he'd learned
 
 the captain was not a man of tears
 but he wept like a child of two or three years
 the soul of his crew had passed on that night
 a fire now extinguished, once burned so bright
 
 he felt numbness, anguish, pain, and regret
 and he promised himself he would never forget
 the dog's loyalty, courage, and the men he'd saved
 then he buried his friend in a watery grave

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 [ (c) !LA HOE REVOLUCION PRESS! HOE #874 - WRITTEN BY: BASEHEAD - 10/16/99 ]
