Postern, a

Behind shut the postern,* the lights sank to rest, small door or And into the midnight we galloped abreast.

gate.

Pique, a lance carried at the saddle.

A whit, a point, a jot.

Lokeren, in East Flanders, Belgium. Boom, Düf feld, Mechlin, in Antwerp. Mechlin is

noted for its lace.

Not a word to each other, we kept the great pace,
Neck by neck, stride by stride, never changing our

place;

I turned in my saddle, and made its girths tight,
Then shortened each stirrup, and set the pique'
right,

Rebuckled the check-strap, chained slacker the bit,
Nor galloped less steadily Roland a whit.*

*

5

*

'Twas moonset at starting; but while we drew near
Lokeren,* the cocks crew and twilight dawned clear;
At Boom, a great yellow star came out to see;
At Düffeld,* 'twas morning as plain as could be;
And from Mechlin church-steeple we heard the
half-chime,

*

So Joris broke silence with, "Yet there is time!"

At Aerschot, up leaped of a sudden the sun,
And against him the cattle stood black every one,
To stare through the mist at us galloping past,
And I saw my stout galloper Roland at last,
With resolute shoulders, each butting away
firm, steady, The haze,* as some bluff river-headland its spray.

Resolute,

bold.

Haze, mist.

Intelligence,
quickness to

understand.
Askance,
sideways.
Spume flakes,
flakes of
foam.
Aye and

anon, now
and then.
Hasselt, in
Belgium.
Roos (Ger.
Ross), a com-

mon name

for a horse.

15

20

And his low head and crest, just one sharp ear bent 25

back

For my voice, and the other pricked out on his track;
And one eye's black intelligence *-ever that glance
O'er its white edge at me, his own master, askance !
And the thick heavy spume-flakes which aye and

His fierce lips shook upwards in galloping on.

By Hasselt,* Dirck groaned, and cried Joris, "Stay

spur!

*

Your Roos galloped bravely, the fault's not in her,
We'll remember at Aix". for one heard the quick

wheeze

Of her chest, saw the stretched neck and staggering

knees,

And sunk tail, and horrible heave of the flank,

30

35

As down on her haunches she shuddered and sank.

So we were left galloping, Joris and I,
Past Looz and past Tongres, no cloud in the sky;

The broad sun above laughed a pitiless laugh;

40 'Neath our feet broke the brittle bright stubble like

45

chaff;

Till over by Dalhem a dome-spire sprang white,
And "Gallop," gasped Joris, "for Aix is in sight!

"How they'll greet * us !"—and all in a moment his Greet, wel

roan

*

Rolled neck and croup* over, lay dead as a stone;
And there was my Roland to bear the whole weight
Of the news which alone could save Aix from her fate,
With his nostrils like pits full of blood to the brim,
And with circles of red for his eye-sockets' rim.

come.
Roan is ap-
plied to a
horse of a
bay or brown
colour.

Croup,
saddle.

Then I cast loose my buffcoat, each holster * let fall, Holster, the 50 Shook off both my jack-boots, let go belt and all,

Stood up in the stirrup, leaned, patted his ear,
Called my Roland his pet-name, my horse without
fear;

Clapped my hands, laughed and sang, any noise, bad
or good-

Till at length into Aix Roland galloped and stood.

55 And all I remember is, friends flocking round,

As I sate with his head 'twixt my knees on the
ground,

case for a horseman's

pistol.

And no voice but was praising this Roland of mine, As I poured down his throat our last measure of wine, Burgesses, Which (the burgesses* voted by common consent) 60 Was no more than his due who brought good news from Ghent.

the inhabitants or freemen of a borough.

*The Battle of the Baltic. In 1801 a fleet was sent to break up the confederacy formed by Russia, Prussia, Sweden, and Denmark. Seventeen sail of the Danes were sunk, burnt, or taken in the roads of Copenhagen. The Baltic, a sea in the north of Europe. Its waters are shallow, and from this cause and the numerous rivers which it receives it is only slightly salt. This sea is covered with ice in winter.

Leviathan, a huge Like leviathans * afloat,

sea monster mentioned in the book of

Job. It is generally supposed to mean the crocodile, though the large marine animal. Bulwarks, fortifica

term is applied to any

tions.

Lay their bulwarks* on the brine;
While the sign of battle flew
On the lofty British line:

It was ten of April morn by the chime;
As they drifted on their path,
There was silence deep as death;
And the boldest held his breath
For a time.

But the might of England flushed

Anticipate, to enjoy To anticipate * the scene;

before the time.

And her van the fleeter rushed

O'er the deadly space between.

ΙΟ

15

20

[each gun

"Hearts of oak!" our captains cried, when
From its adamantine * lips

Spread a death-shade round the ships,
Like the hurricane eclipse

Of the sun!

Again! again! again!

25

And the havoc did not slack,

Conflagration, an ex- Or, in conflagration * pale,

tensive fire.

Ye are brothers. This

Light the gloom!

Out spoke the victor then,

As he hailed them o'er the wave:
"Ye are brothers! ye are men!

refers to the common And we conquer but to save!

origin of the English and Danes.

Denmark, a low, flat

country in the north of Europe. A great part of the western coast is embanked to

keep out the sea.

So instead of death, let us bring :-
peace,
But yield, proud foe, thy fleet,
With the crews, at England's feet,
And make submission meet
To our King."

Then Denmark * blessed our Chief,
Then he gave her wounds repose;
And the sounds of joy and grief
From her people wildly rose,

As Death withdrew his shades from the day:
While the sun looked smiling bright

O'er a wide and woeful sight,

Where the fires of funeral light

Died away!

40

45

50

Brave hearts! to Britain's pride
65 Once so faithful and so true,
On the deck of fame that died,
With the gallant, good Riou!

*

Festal cities' blaze. When news of the victory reached England, most of the large towns were illuminated.

Elsinore, a town and seaport on island of Zealand, where ships paid toll to the King of Denmark, till it was abolished in 1857. Riou, Captain Riou,

Soft sigh the winds of heaven o'er their grave! styled by Nelson "the
While the billow mournful rolls,

70 And the mermaid's song condoles,
Singing glory to the souls

5

Of the brave!

gallant and good."

RELIEVING GUARD.-Bret Harte.

CAME the relief.*

66

What, sentry,* ho!

Relief. It is the rule

How passed the night through thy long in the army for each waking?"

"Cold, cheerless, dark,—as may befit

*

The hour before the dawn is breaking."

"No sight? no sound?" "No; nothing save
The plover from the marshes calling,

And in yon western sky, about

An hour ago, a star was falling."

66

"A star? There's nothing strange in that." ΙΟ "No, nothing; but, above the thicket, Somehow it seemed to me that God

5

Somewhere had just relieved a picket."*

soldier to take his turn in keeping guard, and the one who has to do so is called the relief, or is said to be relieving guard.

Sentry, the one keeping guard.

Hour before the dawn. The hour before the morning breaks is considered to be the darkest time of the night. Picket, soldiers placed to guard the outposts of a camp.

TO A MOUNTAIN DAISY.-Burns.

WEE, modest, crimson tippèd flower,
Thou's met me in an evil hour;

For I maun

*

* the stour

crush amang
Thy slender stem;

To spare thee now is past my power,

Thou bonnie gem.

*

Maun, must.
Amang, among.
Stour, dust.

F

Neebor, neighbour.
Meet, fit.

Weet, wet.

Purpling, at dawn.
Cauld, cold.

Glinted, peeped out.

Flaunting, gaudy,

gay in colour.
Wa's, walls.

Bield, shelter.
Stane, stone.
Histie, dry.

Stibble, stubble.

*

ΙΟ

15

The flaunting flowers our gardens yield
High sheltering woods and wa's maun shield, 20

*

There, in thy scanty mantle clad,
Thy snawy bosom sunward spread,

Unassuming, modest. Thou lifts thy unassuming * head

Share, ploughshare.

Minstrel, one of an order of men who sang to the harp verses composed by themselves or others; a musician.

Chivalry, the deeds done by brave men.

Palfrey, a saddlehorse.

Carolled, he sang. Caressed, treated with affection.

Unpremeditated, not prepared beforehand.

In humble guise;

But now the share * uptears thy bed,
And low thou lies!

THE LAST MINSTREL.-Scott.

THE way was long, the wind was cold,
The Minstrel* was infirm and old;
His withered cheek, and tresses gray,
Seemed to have known a better day;
The harp, his sole remaining joy,
Was carried by an orphan boy.
The last of all the bards was he,
Who sung of Border chivalry;
For, well-a-day! their date was fled,
His tuneful brethren all were dead;
And he, neglected and oppressed,
Wished to be with them, and at rest.
No more, on prancing_palfrey * borne,
He carolled,* light as lark at morn;
No longer, courted and caressed,*
High placed in hall, a welcome guest,
He poured, to lord and lady gay,
The unpremeditated * lay;

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15