The Hitch-hiker

Martin McCauly in his four-wheel drive Ute.
Was on his way to the shop to repair an old boot.
And there saw a hitch-hiker flagging him down,
So he stopped and he offered a ride into town.

Now the front of the Ute was packed high with eggs,
There was nowhere to sit and no room for legs,
"You'll have to ride in the back" he suggests,
"No problem, us hikers takes any rides we gets!"

So McCauly dropped the tailgate and helped the chap load,
And soon they were speeding down a narrow dirt road,
And as they rounded a bend, to his sudden surprise,
Saw three lazy cows with large staring eyes.

But McCauly reacted in the split seconds it takes,
He swerved on the steering and jammed on the brakes,
But the car lost control sliding wild in the dirt,
To smash through a fence, although no-one was hurt.

He steered through a paddock which was a mistake,
For he plunged headlong into Mad Molligan's Lake,
And the four-wheel drive vehicle which was built like a tank,
Gurgled and spluttered and suddenly sank.

But McCauly kept his head, knew the cab had to fill,
So he could open the door to escape at his will,
Then he swam like an athlete to the lake's muddy shore,
Where he puffed and he panted and eventually swore.

But then as he sobered his tongue falling mute,
Remembered the stranger in the back of the ute,
And he stared at the bubbles with a petrified gaze,
Too long underwater the hitch-hiker stays.

As he offered a prayer something lit up his eyes,
The stranger re-surfaced amid gasping and cries,
So McCauly assisted him onto the shore,
Because the poor man was breathless, exhausted and sore.

"Why take ye so long?" asked McCauly at length.
For his answer he waited till the stranger had strength.
"I was trapped in the back and I very nearly drowned!
It took me ages to get that bloomin' tailgate down!"