"Today we're here gathered," the Pickler said,
beginning his speech with an air
of deepest solemnity, and bowing his head,
he continued, "And on this day fair..."

But his words were cut short by a rumbling sound,
and the Pickler went red in the face,
and the thing that came up the hill would astound
every one in the whole human race!

A pumpkin so big, and round as the moon
and orange as the set of the sun
and behind it a man, who looked like he would soon
drop dead as if shot by a gun.

They rushed to his side, and the pumpkin sat
looming silent atop the great hill,
and the man who came behind it took off his hat,
and began fanning his face with a quill.

They asked, "Who are you?" and "What do you do?"
and he replied, in milder tones,
"I'm the best Pumpkin-grower" and right on cue,
they turned to the pumpkin and said: "Oh."

"I rolled it here," the Pumpkin-grower said,
"And it gave me such a hard time.
But not quite so hard as this Adventuring, friends,
which, though tough, is truly sublime.

"You see, I found this map one day," he said,
and held it up high for the crowd,
and the lot of them shouted, "What terrible dread,
that's the same one the Pickler found!"

The Pickler turned white and took from his coat
the wrinkled old map he had found,
and with a voice like the bleat of a goat,
he said, "Now let us gather around..."

He brought the Pumpkin-grower into the group,
and, drawing him close as a friend,
offered him some fine cold chicken-noodly soup,
and claimed the man to be heaven-sent.

"Another head," the Pickler said, "Is just
what we need at this place and this time
I tell you, I thought we were sure to go bust
if we didn't meet him." "Aye, aye!"

said the Pirate, and cleaned out his pistol,
which was empty of powder and shots,
then declared, "Now everything's shipshape in Bristol,
let's get going before my brain rots."

They nodded and stood, and looked to the man
that they answered to day after day,
this man was the Pickler, who before them did stand
and the entire group shouted, "Hooray!"

"Hooray for brave Pickler, he's led us here,
and soon we'll go far and be great,
we'll explore this new land! The adventure's so near!
Hurray for great Pickler, and off before late!"