<html xmlns:tei="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0"><body><h1 align="center" class="head">Easter-Eggs</h1><p class="byline"> REGINALD WRIGHT KAUFFMAN </p><p class="inline-note" xmlns:html="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">From this author's 'Our Navy at Work," Published by the Bobbs-Merrill co. In 1917, our Government took over a large number of pleasure-yachts, fitted them with a few light guns and depth-charge and sent them into French waters to hunt submarines. They were variously known as "The Suicide Fleet" and "Easter-Eggs." Mr. Kauffman spent some time at sea with them. Permission to reproduce in this book.</p><div class="stanza"><p class="line">NOW, Mr. Wall of Wall St., he built himself a yacht,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">And he built that yacht for comfort and for speed; </p><p class="line" style="text-indent:7%">He didn't mean that it should go </p><p class="line" style="text-indent:7%">Beyond a hundred miles or so; </p><p class="line" style="text-indent:7%">He wanted something made for show,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Where he could drink and feed.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">Then Uncle Sam'l went to war and hadn't any boats,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Or not enough to guard the stormy green, </p><p class="line" style="text-indent:7%">And so he said to Mr. Wall: "I'll take your six-feet-over-all</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:7%">And set it out to get the call</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Upon the submarine."</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">"A cruising-fighter? Never!" (The experts chorused that.)</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">"She'll sink before she's half--way out to France"; </p><p class="line" style="text-indent:7%">But Sam cut out her bathtubs white,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:7%">He painted her a perfect fright </p><p class="line" style="text-indent:7%">And loaded her with dynamite; </p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Says he: "I'll take a chance."</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">"Goodnight," said Wall of Wall St.; the experts said it, too;</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">But Uncle Sam was sot and sibylline;</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:7%">His little plan, it warn't a josh:</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:7%">Wall's boat 's as dry 's a mackintosh.</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:7%">She fights, b' gum; what 's more b' gosh, </p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">She gits the submarine! </p></div></body></html> · Great War