Dogs and Ferrets

From the Coppersongs2 CD and also from The Copper Family Song Book—A Living Tradition.

I keep my dogs and my ferrets too,
I have 'em in my keeping
To catch good hares all in the night
While the gamekeeper lies sleeping.

My dogs and I went out one night
'Twas to view their habitation,
Up jumped poor puss and away ran she
Straight way to our plantation.

She had not gone so very far in
Before something caught her running,
So loudly then she called out,
Aunt, I said, Uncle's just a-coming.

I then drew out my little pen-knife
All quickly for to paunch her.
She turned out to be one of the female kind
How glad I was I'd catched her.

Now I'll go down to some ale-house by
And I'll drink that hare quite mellow.
I'll spend a crown and a merry crown too
And say I'm a right good fellow.

See also the version collected by Bob Copper from Jim Barrett in Hampshire, around 1954.